Catalina State Park

Right close to Tucson and just on the outer ring of Oro Valley Arizona is Catalina State Park. It's about a thirty minute drive from the city. Here is how their website describes the park.

About Catalina State Park

Catalina State Park sits at the base of the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains. The park is a haven for desert plants and wildlife and nearly 5,000 saguaros. The 5,500 acres of foothills, canyons and streams invites camping, picnicking and bird watching — more than 150 species of birds call the park home. The park provides miles of equestrian, birding, hiking, and biking trails which wind through the park and into the Coronado National Forest at elevations near 3,000 feet. The park is located within minutes of the Tucson metropolitan area. This scenic desert park also offers equestrian trails and an equestrian center provides a staging area for trail riders with plenty of trailer parking. Bring along your curiosity and your sense of adventure as you take in the beautiful mountain backdrop, desert wildflowers, cacti and wildlife

This beautiful state park has hiking, camping, guided walks, concerts and more. It's not only great for dogs, but also kids alike. Expert to beginner hikers will all find a trail perfect for their needs. Check out their website here for current events and activities.

Springtime is personally my favourite time to visit and hike the park. With mild temps and water in the streams, it really makes for an enjoyable time. Sunblock is provided at the trailhead if you happen to have forgotten some, and so is a water fountain. There are also bathrooms and a small store there as well. Most guided hikes and classes will meet at the trailhead. We decided to pay the $75 and get an annual pass which is good during the week. Prices for daily visits are stated above. Camping is $20 a day and RV $30, but check the website to stay current with the pricing.

When I bring my kids along for a hike we like to do the Nature trail, which is an easy hike around 1 mile. It is a fairly flat trail and has information plaques about different animals. There isn't any crazy hills or peaks and no washes or waterways that need to be crossed. Plus it's a very simple loop that starts and ends just off the trailhead. My three year old daughter was able to complete this hike, and my son only asked ten times when we would be done. Lol. My personal favourite hike to do is the Canyon Loop trail. Tweens and older kids will definitely enjoy this hike, or even younger kids because of the waterway at the beginning (although they may not be able to do the entire loop, they could hike and turn around). The Canyon Loop trail is described in their website as,

Canyon Loop Trail
2.3 miles, loop
Easy hike through the foothills that begins and ends at the Trailhead parking lot. The loop is created by a link connecting the Romero Canyon Trail and the Sutherland Trail. The trail is relatively flat, but about halfway around there is a slope with approximately 90 stairs. There is a bypass trail around the steps for horses. Plan on 90 minutes of walking time to complete the loop. The Canyon Loop Trail crosses a wash several times, so seasonal stream flow may result in wet feet.

Here is a map of the park showing the location of the trails, but also the camping and picnic areas.

When they mention wet feet when the wash is full, they should say guaranteed wet feet. They place rocks and tree trunks for walking, but there is some skill involved. Some days the kids and I don't even get to the hike, we walk the first 100m and spend an hour just playing in the wash. It's very common in the spring to see families set up chairs and blankets just beside the wash and have their kids playing. It's a great place for kids to explore and play in the water. I would recommend water shoes if playing in the water since the sand and stone can hurt the feet. We love digging for pretend treasure and collecting sticks. It's also a great place to explore if say the rest of your party decided to do a hike and you had some younger children. They could easily hangout by the wash for an hour or more.

These are the steps that were talked about when describing the Canyon Loop trail

Depending on where you start you can choose to go down most of them or up them

If you do decide to bring your dog on the trails please remember to keep them on a leash at all times. Also bring poop bags and dispose of them at the trail head. It's our responsibility to keep the trails clean, and I have seen so many left behind poop bags. Also remember you may be sharing the trails with horses, bikes, dogs, and many hikers. Be respectful. These Arizona State Parks as a wonderful treasure and amazing place we have that we can go and explore nature.

Some of the horseshoe markings left behind after a recent rain storm.

I know there is so much more I could talk about Catalina State park, but we as a family are just scratching the surface. Once we camp and explore more I will definitely be posting more about the park. Just know that we love it and it has the most breathtaking views. It's amazing to see cacti and evergreens in the same mountain range.

What's your favourite state park? And is there anyplace in Arizona you would like us to explore for you?