Family Fun in Cottonwood and the Verde Valley
Cottonwood and Historic Old Town Cottonwood
Cottonwood is a growing community located at an elevation of 3,500 feet in north central Arizona. The Verde River flows through the city creating a wonderful riparian environment. Surrounding mountains with elevations of 7,000 feet provide additional scenic beauty to the area. |
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Historic Town of Clarkdale
Originally a “company town”, Clarkdale was founded by the United Verde Copper Company to provide housing and services for the employees of their copper smelter. Unlike other company towns of the period that grew haphazardly, Clarkdale was designed and built from a unified master plan. The main town site was located on a ridge and was developed with residential homes, including upper and lower-income housing, a commercial area, an administrative center, schools, recreational and cultural facilities, and parks. They intended to include all the parts typically found in a small town within a comprehensive planned design. Today, the original town site of Clarkdale is recognized as an Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Clemenceau Heritage Museum
The Clemenceau Heritage Museum is maintained and operated by volunteers from the non-profit Verde Historical Society. The museum preserves and displays the artifacts and heritage - written, oral, living - of the Verde Valley. |
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Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Despite its distinctive name, Dead Horse Ranch is situated amidst an abundance of life along the Verde River. A six-mile reach of the river is known as the Verde River Greenway. Its unique ecosystem, the Cottonwood / Willow riparian gallery forest, is one of less than 20 such riparian zones in the world. Life along the river changes with the seasons, giving visitors a glimpse of the numerous species of raptors, neotropical migrants, resident songbirds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. |
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Fort Verde State Historic Park
Fort Verde State Historic Park is the best preserved example of an Indian Wars period fort in Arizona. Spanning from 1865 through 1890 Camp Lincoln, Camp Verde and finally Fort Verde were home to officers, doctors, families, enlisted men, and scouts. Fort Verde was the primary base for General George Crook’s U.S. Army scouts and soldiers.
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Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon is considered one of the natural wonders of the world largely because of its natural features. The exposed geologic strata, layer upon layer, rise over a mile above the river, representing one of the most complete records of geological history that can be seen anywhere in the world. |
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Honanki Heritage Site, 6000 years of Arizona Rock Art
The Honanki Heritage Site cliff dwelling and rock art site was one of the homes of the Sinagua, ancestors of the Hopi. The Sinagua lived here from about AD1100 to 1300 preparing meals, raising their families, and making tools from stone, leather, and wood. Nearby they hunted for deer and rabbit, tended various crops, and gathered edible wild plants. Currently managed by the U.S. Forest Service, the site is open to the general public for visits seven days a week (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas). |
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Institute of Ecotourism
The mission of the Institute of EcoTourism is to promote the experience of environmentally conscious tourism.
We are committed to solving environmental problems by promoting environmentally conscious tourism, sustainable community development and experiential, place-based environmental education. |
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Jerome State Historic Park
Jerome's modern history began in 1876 when three prospectors staked claims on rich copper deposits. They sold out to a group which formed the United Verde Copper Company in 1883. The resultant mining camp of board and canvas shacks was named in honor of Eugene Jerome, the venture's principal backer. Hopes for the enterprise ran high, but the costs of operating, especially for transportation, outstripped profits, and the company folded in less than two years. |
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Montezuma Castle National Monument and Montezuma Well
Gaze through the windows of the past into one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. This 20 room high-rise apartment, nestled into a cliff high above Beaver Creek, tells a 1,000 year old story of ingenuity and survival in an unforgiving desert landscape. Built by prehistoric Sinagua people, Montezuma Castle remains a sacred site for contemporary Pueblo cultures. |
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Oak Creek Canyon
This clear canyon stream may be one of the most scenic fishing and swimming holes in the world. Oak Creek flows through a narrow gorge it has cut along a fault line in the same rock strata that form the Grand Canyon. But this smaller cousin of the world's most prestigious chasm, is much more accessible than its more famous relative. A road leads right down the middle of it. And if you'd really like to get to know these crimson cliffs and crystal pools up close and personal, there are plenty of overlooks and picnic areas, hiking trails and creekside paths to help you do it. |
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Page Springs Fish Hatchery
Nestled among the cool pines of the Prescott National Forest, the Page Springs Fish Hatchery offers a cool retreat from the desert during hot summer months. Families enjoy hiking the nature trial bordering Oak Creek, and kids like visiting the show ponds to see the hatchery's finest and largest trout. |
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Red Rock State Park
The Red Rock State Park property was acquired by the Arizona State Parks Board in 1986 and the park was opened to the public in 1991. The park's 286 acres were originally part of the Smoke Trail Ranch, owned by Jack and Helen Frye. Arizona's famous Oak Creek meanders through this scenic park, creating a diverse riparian habitat abounding with plants and wildlife. This riparian habitat, the land-based ecosystem closely associated with Oak Creek, provides the setting and the opportunity for Red Rock State Park to offer a center for environmental education. |
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Scenic Drives: Sycamore Canyon Loop, Oak Creek Canyon and Desert Canyon Loop
The splendor of Red Rock Country is obvious, even through the windshield of a quickly moving car. Many routes are "must-see" drives, including Highway 89A into Oak Creek Canyon from Flagstaff, Highway 89A to Sedona from Cottonwood, and Highway 179 to Sedona from I-17. Entering Sedona from the east, via the Schnebly Hill Road, is an exciting experience; spectacular views along 11 miles of narrow, twisting, bumpy road, built in 1904. All routes feature scenery unequaled anywhere else in the country. |
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Sedona
The collection of Sedona's impressive, natural endowments includes the 1.8 million-acre Coconino National Forest, which essentially engulfs this city and encompasses seven intriguing wilderness areas. The list of Sedona sightseeing and recreational amenities, including state parks and national monuments, is extensive. The winding road through Oak Creek Canyon not only is Arizona's first officially designated scenic highway. Visitors can spend the day hiking, horseback riding or bouncing in a Jeep on trails and dirt roads that crisscross the area. |
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Sedona Heritage Museum
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum features pioneer heritage, movies made in Sedona, cowboy life, vintage machinery, an orchard and nature trail. Enjoy panoramic views or picnic in a 5-acre park. Special programs, old-time crafts demos & classes |
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Slide Rock State Park
Slide Rock State Park, originally the Pendley Homestead, is a 43-acre historical apple farm located in Oak Creek Canyon. Frank L. Pendley, having arrived in the canyon in 1907, formally acquired the land under the Homestead Act in 1910. Due to his pioneering innovation, he succeeded where others failed by establishing a unique irrigation system still in use by the park today. This allowed Pendley to plant his first apple orchard in 1912, beginning the pattern of agricultural development that has dominated the site since that time. Pendley also grew garden produce and kept some livestock. |
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Tuzigoot National Monument
Tuzigoot is an ancient village or pueblo built by a culture known as the Sinagua. The pueblo consisted of 110 rooms including second and third story structures. The first buildings were built around A.D. 1000. The Sinagua were agriculturalists with trade connections that spanned hundreds of miles. The people left the area around 1400. The site is currently comprised of 42 acres. |
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Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival
The Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival provides a unique recreational experience to anyone interested in the natural world and fosters awareness of the importance of habitat for the enrichment of all life in the Verde Valley. |
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V-Bar-V Heritage Site
This is the largest known petroglyph site in the Verde Valley, as well as being one of the best-preserved. Acquired by the Coconino National Forest in 1994, the site is protected and kept open to the visiting public for their enjoyment and opportunity to learn more about our national cultural heritage. |
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Verde River
The Verde River is one of Arizona’s major perennial rivers and a treasured resource in the central part of the state. Free flowing for most of its length, it provides lush riparian habitat, abundant wildlife, diverse recreational opportunities, and spectacular scenery. The majority of the upper and lower Verde River passes through National Forestlands that is open to public recreation of all kinds. Fishing, boating, swimming, picnicking, camping, birdwatching, and sightseeing are all popular activities. The lower river is designated a Wild and Scenic River and offers the opportunity to fish by boat from Beasley Flat to Childs. |
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