Catalina State Park - Arizona

Catalina State Park

Nestled at the base of the stately Santa Catalina Mountains is Catalina State Park. Bring your sense of adventure as you will not be bored. Miles of challenging hiking, bike trails and horseback riding, camping, picnicking and bird watching. The park is an important bird area with 150 species of birds who call the park home.

We have camped here for over 10 years and still truly enjoy visiting. On this visit we opted to hike the 3.2-mile Alamo Canyon Loop which included beautiful vistas and at the top an oasis with waterfalls and a refreshing pool. Bring lots of water as water and facilities are not available.

The next day, we decided to ride our bikes 24 miles on the Huckleberry Loop Trail. The beginning of the trail started just outside of the front gate of Catalina State Park. Bonus - you don't have to get on the main roadway to access the beautiful paved trail.

There are seventy-five paved camp and tent sites that have water, electric and picnic tables. Campgrounds A, B and Ringtail all have very nice restrooms with flush toilets and hot showers. Ringtail Loop is an overflow area that has 22 sites, available Jan. 1 thru March 31. The beauty of this campground is majestic views from most of the camp sites and it is spectacular.

Pro-tip: Reservations recommended! You may luck out but we make ours a year in advance!

It’s a bit spendy staying here at $50.00 a night but as one of the most popular State Parks in Arizona, we feel like it is well worth it. Make your reservations via Arizona State Parks website.

Cheers!

Jeff and Liz