Oracle State Park

This tiny state park north of Tucson makes a big impression with its colorful backstory.

Located in the northern foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Oracle State Park reveals many surprises. From American Avenue, the main route through the town of Oracle, visitors veer off on Mount Lemmon Highway to reach the park’s entrance. The visitor center looks modest on approach, but up close a four-story villa notched into the hillside comes into view. Oracle State Park was the first in Arizona to receive International Dark Sky Park designation and hosts nighttime telescope parties throughout the year.

Tour the Park

Easy hiking trails get visitors up close to the natural wonders of this pretty little park. Start on the Nature Trail, a short loop through high-desert grasslands and dry washes. Connect to other trails in the park system that climb to the top of ravines overlooking the San Pedro River Valley. The star of the park is Kannally Ranch House, the 1932 headquarters of a family cattle ranch that today houses the park’s visitor center and museum. All four levels of the historic home are open for visitors to tour and include many original furnishings plus some 30 paintings by cowboy artist Lee Kannally.

Arizona Zipline Adventures

The elevation changes dramatically here, from 3,000 feet in the desert grasslands up to 5,000 feet in the oak woodlands of the foothills. Arizona Zipline Adventures chose this ruggedly beautiful setting to build the longest and most thrilling ziplines in the state. Plan half a day to complete the course, hit the gift shop and grab a meal at the on-site grill. With advance notice, the staff at the adventure park will pick up hikers on the Arizona Trail and deliver them to on-site campsites and cabins to rest up before the next leg of the hike.

Arizona National Scenic Trail

Serious hikers add the Arizona Trail to their bucket lists. This border-to-border trail encompasses some 800 miles of Arizona terrain. The southern segments of the trail climb through sky island mountain ranges before transitioning to lowland deserts north of Oracle. Passages 12 and 13 are accessible from Oracle State Park. Stock up in the gateway community
before heading through high-desert grasslands and riparian woodlands overlooking the San Pedro River Valley.