Catalina

Rick

One of the nicer parks in AZ. Has nice big spots, plenty of privacy if you like to cut loose a little. It’s close to food and shopping. Beautiful trails to hike. Plenty of open space for your pets. Biking or walking your choice. Bathrooms are nice and clean. And wildlife walking through your campsite.

Joshua Daily

My favorite hike in Arizona, so far. Our last and final day means it’s our last hike and I think Emily was saving my favorite for last, unbeknownst to her and I. Her parents live 10 minutes from the park and we paid the $20 to get in, drove to the very end and started hiking. Side note: The pass you buy is good for the whole day so you can come and go as many times as you please during the day marked on the pass. Catalina State Park took my breath away at every turn, twist and new path. I think it’s because it was a fairly easy hike, in my opinion, and I actually got to admire the scenery while walking. It does get frustrating to go out hiking and you spend 75% of your time looking at your feet so you don’t roll an ankle. The sights, the scenery, the endless saguaro, the little lizards we saw scampering across rocks all made this place an amazing place to spend the morning. If you are in the area and love to hike, this place is one to put at the top of your list. Hiking stats: -Trek: Duo -Time: 1.5 hours -Distance: 3.21 miles

Douglas Lomsdalen

Friendly staff met us at the ranger station and provided guidances on the the various trails and difficulty levels. We did the Canyon Loop easy enough after the initial climb out of the river bed. Great visit. Noted a lot of cyclists make their way to the park.

Janelle

We came on a whim the day before heading home. My husband and I had been dying to hike. Catalina State park was close so we headed over to check out the Alamo Canyon Loop Trail. I was a bit taken aback at the $20 entrance fee for the two of us in the car, but we decided to pay and check out what the area had to offer. Looking over the pamphlet the ranger gave us I saw they had some ruins off one of the trails which is awesome as well as picnic areas and more, Views from the parking lot are amazing so I knew once the hike started it would be even better. From the looks of it a fire must’ve swept through years ago because there was a lot of burnt brush. The Alamo trail starts across from a good size parking area and is easy to follow for most of the loop. It is pretty steep in some areas and a lot of lose rock so if you don’t handle that well it’s not recommended without walking sticks and boots. While there can’t any water during our hike it does show possible falls and water in the wash at different times of year or after a good rain. There was no shade most of the trail so go early and bring lots of water. While the hike is less than four miles it is a good workout. Mountain View’s were beautiful and some of the saguaro cacti were very old. Wish we had more time to explore. My husband who loves to hike said it was one of his favorite trails he’s done.

Jeff Harrits

This was the second time we stayed at the park. We stayed 3 nights, although had to make reservations for three different sites and switch to the new site each day. The camp hosts were able to update our "vehicle tag," which was easier than going back to the camp entrance. They also did a great job keeping the campground clean and sites ready for the next camper. This time, we were able to get out on a few more trails and see more of the park. Enjoyed the saguaros, the birds, and the mountain views.