Insider's Guide to Arizona Wonders

GET READY TO EXPLORE

Arizona is loaded with exciting adventures

Ready to begin exploring? Start by clicking around this site for insights and tips on the most spectacular experiences you can have in the Grand Canyon State.

Image of large cylindrical rock feature in center with water wrapping around it — Antelope Canyon

Once known as the Arizona Territory, Arizona became the 48th of the United States in 1912. Only Alaska and Hawaii earned statehood afterward. But check this out: Evidence at ruins sites suggest that the region was inhabited as early as 500 BC.

Arizona quick facts:

6 national forests
20 national parks and monuments
Ranks 4th of 50 states in public land acreage
35-plus million acres of public lands
35 state parks covering more than 64,000 acres

This is Arizona!

petrified wood in foreground, mound of colorful soil in the background

Wide open spaces

With over 114,000 square miles of land between its borders, you could fit the state of Indiana into Arizona three times and still have room to squeeze in Delaware and Rhode Island.

Refreshing waters

Much of Arizona receives only ten inches or less of rain per year, yet it’s incredibly blessed with GORGE-ous rivers and lakes that rarely freeze over.

Saguaro cactus in natural desert habitat

Rugged landscape

The tall, stately Saguaro cactus is an Arizona icon. Did you know the plant is about 70 years old before its first “arm” emerges? Sure, there’s an expansive desert landscape here, but so is the largest forest of Ponderosa Pine trees in the world.