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Fee Schedule 2010 
Ranger Cam 2010
Select Parks Closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays: Read About Five Day Schedules 
Parks Closed: Homolovi Ruins, Jerome, McFarland, Oracle 
Experience unique adventures at Arizona State Parks! Click on a month above or read our complete listing below to learn about upcoming events and activities. To learn more about a park, including downloading park maps and getting step by step driving directions, follow the link to the park's web pages. Note that the “
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Calendar Symbol Key
= Brown Bag Lunch Lecture 
= Evening Slide Presentation
10:30 am. If you have sipped a prickly pear margarita (served at many Phoenix-area restaurants) or sampled sweet cactus candy made by Tucson-based Cheri's Desert Harvest, you already know there's nothing which quite compares to the magenta color of juice from the prickly pear cacti that are common at this elevation. This Arboretum one-hour class is where visitors will learn how to harvest prickly pear fruits without your hands becoming a virtual porcupine of painful cactus spines and glochids. Stay to the end and we'll share a few homemade prickly pear snacks! There's no pre-registration required; this class is included with regular admission of $7.50 for adults, or $3 for ages 5-12. Preview this event on YouTube. Mike Rolfe posted a short feature about the Summer, 2009 How To Juice Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit Class. (Repeats Aug. 15, Aug. 28, Sept. 6)
August 7 - Riordan Mansion State Historic Park7 pm. Evening Slide Presentation Series, RSVP Free! Presented by Erik Berg. In 1907, New York newspaperman and self-described 'tenderfoot', Hayden Talbot headed off for a new life in the territory of Arizona equipped with a minor inheritance, a Steinway piano, and a year's supply of alcohol. During his brief year in Flagstaff, the gregarious and trouble-prone Talbot got to meet a wide range of leading Flagstaff citizens, joined a scientific expedition to the Peaks, built a cabin with a famous artist, helped instigate one of the Grand Canyon's greatest controversies and rubbed shoulders with local prostitutes, hired guns and saloon gamblers. Fifty years later, an elderly Talbot captured his experiences in a surprisingly raw and often humorous unpublished memoir which reads like a mix between Mark Twain and Hunter S. Thompson. This presentation will cover the highlight's - and sort the fact from the fiction - in what is probably the most unusual and unorthodox first-hand account ever written of territorial Flagstaff.
9:30 am. Pete Moulton leads a dragonfly walk August 7, a 90-minute excursion up to Ayer Lake, then down along Queen Creek and also water features in the Demonstration Garden in search of these colorful insect predators.
August 9 - Riordan Mansion State Historic Park12:15 pm. Brown Bag Lunch Lecture. Presented by Deb Noel.
8:30 am. Side-blotched, Tree and Greater Earless lizards are scampering across the trails — and Gila Monsters have been seen, too. The Arboretum's singular 'herp walk' continues with tour guides including Casa Grande ecologist and desert educator 'Wild Man Phil' Rakoci on Aug. 14.
6:30 - 9 am. Co-Authors Christine Maxa and David James lead a Photo Shoot and Botany Walk exploring one of nature's most fascinating interrelationships — that which exists between flowers and the insects they depend on for pollination. This outdoor photography shoot and walking tour will seek flowers and the bugs which propagate them. Limited to 10 participants; $30 for Arboretum annual members ($37.50 nonmembers). Call 520-689-2723
Sunday Tree Tour with Terry Mikel8:30 am. "What's an Arboretum?" Terry Mikel is our special guest as tour guide for a Sunday walk where visitors learn the answer to that often-posed question during a relaxed and leisurely guided tour through the forested areas of the Arboretum. Join us for a chance to learn about the towering sycamore and cottonwood trees, native hackberry, mesquite and many more.
10:30 am. Learn to harvest the Sonoran Desert's most distinctive summertime fruit, without turning your hands into pincushions. We'll share homemade prickly pear snacks in the Children's Learning Center after class.
Preview this event on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl976a9pvLE
The Arizona Rough Riders (Living History Presentation)10 am - 4 pm. Free! The Arizona Rough Riders is a commemorative group that brings the Spanish/American War era (1898) to life for audiences. Dressed in authentic period dress of the famous Rough Riders, and their ladies, and carrying 100 year old weapons for the public's examination, the Arizona Rough Riders describe the era, the war, the effects, and the social mores of turn of the century America. The Rough Riders are the most famous 'all volunteer unit' in the history of the US Military.
8:30 am. Learn about botany, history and scripture on this slow-paced and relaxing weekend walk down smooth and flat trails that are wheelchair-accessible. During Summer months the tour repeats on the third Saturday each month at 8:30 with Mesa resident and Bible scholar David Oberpriller on August 21. Dave will have a few potted, rare frankincense plants available for purchase on each of these tour dates, too!
8:30 am. Apache Junction author Jean Groen shares her knowledge about the ways desert plants have fed, healed and clothed Sonoran desert peoples for more than a thousand years. Carolyn Hills of the Arizona Herb Association leads this tour Sept. 26. Please note: this tour explores the Curandero Trail, which has steep sections that are not suitable for visitors who use wheelchairs or walkers. Preview this tour and learn more about edible desert plants
http://vimeo.com/10597995
Hike leaves promptly from the Visitor Center at 6:30 pm. An unforgettable experience, the Moonlight Hike includes a naturalist-led interpretive program on the Park’s beautiful trails. Enjoy the sunset and moonrise from an overlook and return by the light of the moon. The hike lasts two to 2 ½ hours, covers a distance of approximately two miles and has an elevation climb of 200 to 250 feet. The Park recommends that you come through the gate approximately 30 minutes before the starting time to insure your participation. No late arrivals will be allowed to join the hike. Please wear suitable clothing and shoes (prepare for cool nights) and bring water, a flashlight, and insect spray. Reservations are required. A $2.00 per person program fee will be charged at the time of the reservation. There is also a $10.00 entrance fee to the Park for a car of four adults. Program fees are non-refundable unless the Park must cancel the hike after your arrival. Please call (928) 282-6907 for reservations.
Can't make it? The next Moonlight Hike at this park is September 23 & 24.
8:30 am. Our geology tour teaches about some of the rocks and volcanic formations seen along the main trail -- and will span almost two billion years of geologic history in just over one educational hour! Learn about Pinal schist, the volcanic origins of Picket Post Mountain and the Apache Leap tuff with tourguide Ben Henderson or else ASU Professor Steve Semken. (Repeats on Sept. 25)
9:30 am. Learn about Pipevine Swallowtails and the colorful blue-black butterflies' dependance on Watson's Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia watsoni) plants on our next guided butterfly walk when Professor Ron Rutowski is our special guest tour guide. Monarch Butterfly Research is ongoing this summer, too! (Repeats Sept. 25)
10:30 am. Learn to harvest the Sonoran Desert's most distinctive summertime fruit, without turning your hands into pincushions. We'll share homemade prickly pear snacks in the Children's Learning Center after class.
Preview this event on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl976a9pvLE
6:30 am. Late summer is a great time to observe hummingbirds, species such as Rufous and Black-chinned are migrating through and can be observed alongside the native Anna's and Broad-billeds in our Hummingbird-Butterfly Garden.
8 am. Do you know your Hackberries from your Wolfberries? Your Barrel cacti from your Hedgehogs? Plants encountered on a desert hike have interesting stories to tell; many are important sources of food and shelter for animals and people -- some reportedly even helped to win a war and to save the whales. Summer's final 8:00 AM guided native plants walk is lead by Cass Blodgett of the Arizona Native Plants Society.
8:30 am. Side-blotched, Tree and Greater Earless lizards are scampering across the trails — and Gila Monsters have been seen this month, too. BTASP's popular "Learn Your Lizards" guided walk series continue with Reptile researcher Abi King from the Arizona Game & Fish Department — August 29 and again September 5. The season ends with Wild Man Phil leading the September 11 tour.
Bikers' Breakfast (New Event!)7 - 8:30 am. Labor Day Weekend lures motorcycle riders east on highway 60, so kick-start your Labor Day Weekend with a special Bikers' Breakfast event at the Arboretum, featuring live cedar flute music by Prescott recording artist Joseph Leal, who is celebrating release of a new CD with this concert at the Arboretum (Joe's a brother biker, too, he rides a Victory 1700 Kingpin). Stop by Superstition Harley Davidson in Apache Junction, or various restaurants, bars and venues in Globe for free punchcards offering "Five & Dive" tour package savings for motorcycle riders. Check out complete tour info at gmteconnect.com
9:30 am. September 4 with Roger Racut; see colorful insect predators hunting over Ayer Lake, Queen Creek and water features around the grounds. Learn to identify Blue-eyed Darners, Flame Skimmers and other colorful dragonfly species on a guided walk the first Saturday of each month continuing through October.
Star Night & Cedar Flute Concert (New Event!)5:30 - 7:30 pm. One of our most popular performers is Joseph Leal, a Prescott-based recording artist who employs his Native American style cedar flute music as part of his job as a healer at the Yavapair Regional Medical Center. He's celebrating the release of a new CD, and will play an outdoor concert preceding one of our special Star Night astronomy parties with the East Valley Astronomy Club Sept. 4. For complete details visit ag.arizona.edu/bta or call (520) 689-2723.
8:30 am. Side-blotched, Tree and Greater Earless lizards are scampering across the trails — and Gila Monsters have been seen, too. The Arboretum's singular 'herp walk' continues with tour guides including reptile researcher Abi King from the Arizona Game & Fish Department for two Sunday Special walks Aug. 25 and Sept. 5. Preview this event: check out Mike Rolfe's YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl976a9pvLE
8:30 am. Leashed and well-behaved pets are welcome at the Arboretum, and this summer your canine compadre is invited to meet and sniff new friends, while dogs' human companions learn some facts about the Arboretum and about desert plants from BTA volunteer Lynn Krause and her friendly little back dog, GoodBoy. No pre-registration is required, and there is no additional fee to participate.
10:30 am. Learn to harvest the Sonoran Desert's most distinctive summertime fruit, without turning your hands into pincushions. We'll share homemade prickly pear snacks in the Children's Learning Center after class.
Preview this event on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl976a9pvLE
Event starts at sunset around 6:30 pm. What to bring: folding chair, red light, sweater or jacket, enthusiasm to enjoy and conserve our beautiful night skies Entrance fees: $6/vehicle for the night of viewing, instruction and family fun.
Come spend a cool evening with family and friends at the beautiful Kartchner Caverns State Park as astronomer and dark sky advocate, Mr. Robert (Bob) Gent and other local astronomers help Arizona State Parks’ host its 2nd “Star Night” event in Cochise County. Visit Jupiter and Venus through telescopes, and see close-up details of the craters of the moon. Explore the great globular cluster M13 in Hercules, composed of over 100,000 stars. See the M57 ring nebula found in the northern constellation of Lyra, the remnant of a star that exploded thousands of years ago. See stars, galaxies far, far away, and billions of years old. The scenic backdrop and rural setting of the park makes it an idea venue for observing and learning about the complex and stunning night sky that graces the park. Located at an elevation of 4,650 feet above sea level at the base of the picturesque Whetstone Mountains, the park offers moderate temperatures, ample parking and restroom facilities, and stunning sunset views of the San Pedro River Valley. The towering Whetstones also shield light pollution from Tucson, providing reasonably dark skies and an open horizon for good sky observing and astrophotography.
Bob is a retired LT COL, USAF, and served as past President of both the Astronomical League and the International Dark Sky Association. Through Bob’s and others’ telescopes, night sky viewers will gain new knowledge and awe of the engaging night sky that visitors who camp at Kartchner Caverns State Park enjoy nightly. Travel time is only 45 minutes from central Tucson, and less than 25 minutes from Sierra Vista and a number of other rural communities in Cochise and Pima Counties. For more information contact Chris DeMille, Assist. Park Manager (520) 586-4117.
8:30 am. Side-blotched, Tree and Greater Earless lizards are scampering across the trails — and Gila Monsters have been seen, too. The Arboretum's singular 'herp walk' continues with guest tour guide. Preview this event: check out Mike Rolfe's YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl976a9pvLE
What Happened to the 1859 Mail Route 35th Parallel?12:15 pm. By Jerry Snow, Flagstaff Historian. In 1857 the new Postmaster General for the Buchanan Administration, Aaron Brown, authorized several new western mail routes. One of these was between Kansas City, Mo. and Stockton, CA. The route in New Mexico Territory (the states today of Arizona and New Mexico) followed the Beale Wagon Road from Albuquerque to California. Several mail stations began construction along the route, including one in Cataract Canyon, which will be the focus of this presentation.
8:30 am. Learn about botany, history and scripture on this slow-paced and relaxing weekend walk down smooth and flat trails that are wheelchair-accessible. During Summer months the tour repeats on the third Saturday each month at 8:30 with Mesa resident and Bible scholar David Oberpriller. Dave will have a few potted, rare frankincense plants available for purchase on each of these tour dates, too!
8:30 am. "What's an Arboretum?" Terry Mikel is our special guest as tour guide for a Sunday walk where visitors learn the answer to that often-posed question during a relaxed and leisurely guided tour through the forested areas of the Arboretum. Join us for a chance to learn about the towering sycamore and cottonwood trees, native hackberry, mesquite and many more.
8:30 am. Leashed and well-behaved pets are welcome at the Arboretum, and this summer your canine compadre is invited to meet and sniff new friends, while dogs' human companions learn some facts about the Arboretum and about desert plants from BTA volunteer Lynn Krause and her friendly little back dog, GoodBoy. No pre-registration is required, and there is no additional fee to participate.
8:30 - 11:00 am. Improve your camera skills on a relaxed morning shooting beautiful garden scenes alongside a pro -- with plenty of chances to ask questions about the dials, settings and control on your own camera. Gilbert professional photographer Tom Boggan has a talent for portraits and a passion for nature photography at BTA, where he volunteers his time helping visitors improve their camera skills. Limited to eight students; $20 for BTA members or $27.50 for nonmembers. View galleries from recent shoots at http://www.flickr.com/groups/btaphotoclass
Hike leaves promptly from the Visitor Center at 6:00 pm. An unforgettable experience, the Moonlight Hike includes a naturalist-led interpretive program on the Park’s beautiful trails. Enjoy the sunset and moonrise from an overlook and return by the light of the moon. The hike lasts two to 2 ½ hours, covers a distance of approximately two miles and has an elevation climb of 200 to 250 feet. The Park recommends that you come through the gate approximately 30 minutes before the starting time to insure your participation. No late arrivals will be allowed to join the hike. Please wear suitable clothing and shoes (prepare for cool nights) and bring water, a flashlight, and insect spray. Reservations are required. A $5.00 per person program fee will be charged at the time of the reservation. There is also a $10.00 entrance fee to the Park for a car of four adults. Program fees are non-refundable unless the Park must cancel the hike after your arrival. Please call (928) 282-6907 for reservations.
Can't make it? The next Moonlight Hike at this park is October 22 & 23.
Bye-Bye Buzzards7 am - 2 pm. This fall marks the 18th Annual observance of our autumnal "Bye Bye Buzzards" event celebrating the Arboretum's summertime migrant flock of Turkey Vultures. Arrive early on this special event day - the Arboretum opens at 7 am on "Buzzard Day" — one hour earlier than usual for September, so early-bird visitors may see the Turkey Vultures perched on the magma cliffs in the center of the Arboretum from about 7 - 8:30 am. On a typical morning they bask for an hour or two after sunrise, then take to the sky to circle over Pinal County scanning the ground below for carrion. Wildlife Rehabilitation Volunteers from the Arizona Game And Fish Department plan to release a young vulture back into the wild today; we'll also have a guided bird walk at 8:30 am, and the AZGFD living exhibit of birds, reptiles and mammals from 8:30 am to 2 pm. Watch a Bye Bye Buzzards Day event video by Volunteer Mike Rolfe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nculj1sQeg
8:30 am. Our geology tour teaches about some of the rocks and volcanic formations seen along the main trail -- and will span almost two billion years of geologic history in just over one educational hour! Learn about Pinal schist, the volcanic origins of Picket Post Mountain and the Apache Leap tuff with tourguide Ben Henderson or else ASU Professor Steve Semken.
9:30 am. Learn about Pipevine Swallowtails and the colorful blue-black butterflies' dependance on Watson's Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia watsoni) plants on our next guided butterfly walk when Professor Ron Rutowski is our special guest tour guide. Monarch Butterfly Research is ongoing this summer, too!
The activities during Verde River Days promote preservation and care of the environment by showcasing informative exhibits on the Verde's riparian habitat. Some of the day's events include environmental exhibits, hands-on-activities, fishing, canoeing, and live entertainment. The Verde River Days celebration begins at 10 am on Saturday and brings together 40-plus nature-based exhibits, sandcastle building, a menagerie of live animals, non-stop activities from canoe rides (with or without assistance), to nature hikes, as well as continuous entertainment and local food vendors. Guests of all ages are welcome to fish in the lagoon that is loaded with hundreds of pounds of catfish.
8:30 am. Apache Junction author Jean Groen shares her knowledge about the ways desert plants have fed, healed and clothed Sonoran desert peoples for more than a thousand years. Carolyn Hills of the Arizona Herb Association leads this tour Sept. 26. Please note: this tour explores the Curandero Trail, which has steep sections that are not suitable for visitors who use wheelchairs or walkers. Preview this tour and learn more about edible desert plants
http://vimeo.com/10597995
Flagstaff Festival of Science Event (For more info: www.scifest.org ) RSVP. Presented by Michael Ghiglieri. One of the greatest adventures in history occurred here in Arizona 141 years ago when Major John Wesley Powell and his eight boatmen/explorers made the first known, deliberate traverse of the Colorado River flowing through Grand Canyon in August of 1869. This saga is one of the epics of American exploration, roughly on a par with the Lewis & Clark expedition of 1804-06. Oddy, this amazing story has been inaccurately and poorly told by Powell himself and then by virtually every historian writing about the trip for well over a century — until the 2003 publication of Ghiglieri’s First through Grand Canyon: the Secret Journals and Letters of the Crew who Explored the Green and Colorado Rivers.” Ghiglieri will talk about the crew, the river expedition, its challenges and how they were met, and the aftermath of this, one of North America’s most poorly understood major explorations.
9:30 am. With Pierre Deviche; see colorful insect predators hunting over Ayer Lake, Queen Creek and water features around the grounds. Learn to identify Blue-eyed Darners, Flame Skimmers and other colorful dragonfly species on a guided walk the first Saturday of each month continuing through October. Check out Pierre's new dragonfly page: http://www.azdragonfly.net
Please make sure to call or check our website to verify this event — construction projects in our main parking lot may postpone or cancel this year's Fall Plant Sale, or possibly change the location for this event. Stay tuned for details.
October 11 - Riordan Mansion State Historic Park12:15 pm. Brown Bag Lunch Lecture. Presented by Darrell Boomgaarden.
This Tour will close starting October 15, and will re-open for tours starting December 15.
Big Room Tours re-open on October 15.
Hike leaves promptly from the Visitor Center at 5:00 pm. An unforgettable experience, the Moonlight Hike includes a naturalist-led interpretive program on the Park’s beautiful trails. Enjoy the sunset and moonrise from an overlook and return by the light of the moon. The hike lasts two to 2 ½ hours, covers a distance of approximately two miles and has an elevation climb of 200 to 250 feet. The Park recommends that you come through the gate approximately 30 minutes before the starting time to insure your participation. No late arrivals will be allowed to join the hike. Please wear suitable clothing and shoes (prepare for cool nights) and bring water, a flashlight, and insect spray. Reservations are required. A $5.00 per person program fee will be charged at the time of the reservation. There is also a $10.00 entrance fee to the Park for a car of four adults. Program fees are non-refundable unless the Park must cancel the hike after your arrival. Please call (928) 282-6907 for reservations.
1:30 pm. Our geology tour teaches about some of the rocks and volcanic formations seen along the main trail — and will span almost two billion years of geologic history in just over one educational hour! Learn about Pinal schist, the volcanic origins of Picket Post Mountain and the Apache Leap tuff with tourguide Ben Henderson or else ASU Professor Steve Semken.
9:30 am. Learn about Pipevine Swallowtails and the colorful blue-black butterflies' dependance on Watson's Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia watsoni) plants on our next guided butterfly walk when Adriane Grimaldi and Marceline VandeWater lead the tour. Monarch Butterfly Research is ongoing this summer, too!
November 8 - Riordan Mansion State Historic Park12:15 pm. Brown Bag Lunch Lecture. Presented by Mary Williams. The San Francisco Mountain Scenic Boulevard, better known as the Weatherford Road, was a short-lived toll road into the San Francisco Peaks built by John Weatherford. At the base of the road was a toll house that still stands. Tonight’s program will focus on the history of this house, featuring a cast of characters, ghost stories and buckets of paint. Mary is the current owner of the Weatherford Toll House, now a private residence.
10 am - 4 pm. Bring a folding camp chair and a picnic — plan to spend a few hours in the gardens hearing a range of original Grand Canyon State singer-songwriters on a day that showcases different acts performing each hour in various collections. Our live music event at the Arboretum makes for a Saturday truly "both acoustic and eclectic." November's live music festival is a singular chance to stroll through our unique collections of desert plants and arid ecosystems — while also being treated to six hours of song and music from Arizona musicians playing intimate sets in the demonstration garden, herb garden, rose garden and other beautiful locations throughout the grounds.
Closer to the event, read current lineup online here.
1:30 pm. Our geology tour teaches about some of the rocks and volcanic formations seen along the main trail — and will span almost two billion years of geologic history in just over one educational hour! Learn about Pinal schist, the volcanic origins of Picket Post Mountain and the Apache Leap tuff with tourguide Ben Henderson or else ASU Professor Steve Semken.
11 am - 3 pm. Thanksgiving Weekend and the Arboretum has colorful leaves, live music, hot and spiced apple cider and craft vendors beneath the pistachio trees. Preview the foliage at ag.arizona.edu/bta/whatsnew/fallfoliage
10 am - 3 pm. We'll have different ceramic artists showing new styles of famous Mata Ortiz pottery both days this weekend; invite friends and get a start on your holiday shopping in our gift store.
12:15 pm. Brown Bag Lunch Lecture. TBA
Learn more on the Plein Air Home Page. Arizona State Parks and and Arizona Plein Air Painters sponsor live outdoor painting competitions. After the painting period, the artists gather to judge their peers completed work. Artists are welcome to bring their easels, brushes drop cloth canvas and capture scenes around the park. This is a series of “paint outs” planned throughout the year at Arizona State Parks.
Note* = Portrayal of Aldo Leopold at these events is subject to change.
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