After decades of planning and construction, the roughly 1,000-acre preserve now occupies a mountainous sliver of space between manicured golf communities and the hiking hubs of Scottsdale's McDowell Mountain Regional Park.
From mid-October through early November, the sycamores and cottonwoods surrounding Oak Creek put on a delicious display of autumn color along Sedona's favorite stream.
"The Box" is an outdoor recreation free-for-all. Hikers and equestrians share the waterway with motorized traffic, gold panners and raucous families with kids and dogs.
There's a local hiker adage that when you trek See Canyon, all you see is the canyon. This is mostly true, but, oh, what a canyon it is to behold.
Conveniently located off State Route 260 near Greer, the Pole Knoll Recreation Area is a year-round destination for outdoor sports.
Located adjacent to several classic hiking destinations it's no wonder these lakeside gems live in unheralded obscurity.
Today, the preserve is a 126-acre bird and wildlife haven.
The light, porous cinders that put a roll and crunch in your step on the mountain trail that leads to Crater Lake belie the site's fiery origins.
The Munds Park Trail System offers a varied menu of both ATV and hiker options enhanced with a plethora of eye candy and points of interest.
The russet stone pinnacle known as Red Butte commands the landscape.
Campbell Mesa Trail System is a series of five interconnected loop hikes.
Beneath the lake's glassy surface, crayfish stir up mud and are easy to spot congregating under semi-submerged logs.
Located 10 miles south of Flagstaff, Rogers Lake County Natural Area is a 2,250-acre high-elevation wetland within the Colorado Plateau Region.
A drive along Lake Mary Road is a dramatic tour of Arizona's Plateau Lakes region and the high-country woodlands of Coconino National Forest.
There's an easy way to indulge your curiosity and step back in history along the dirt roads and prairies southeast of Williams.