Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Arizona State Park · Cottonwood, Arizona
A state park on the Verde River in Cottonwood, named, as the story goes, when the Ireys family arrived to buy a ranch in the 1940s and their children chose 'the one with the dead horse'. Today its cottonwood and willow woods, stocked fishing lagoons and river frontage make it a green base for the Verde Valley, with a large campground, camping cabins and trails for hikers, mountain bikers and horse riders that connect to Coconino National Forest land. The Verde River Greenway here is one of the richest birding areas in Arizona, with bald eagles in winter. Jerome, Tuzigoot, Old Town Cottonwood and the Verde Canyon Railroad are all within about 20 minutes. In 2026 day use was $7 per car.
675 Dead Horse Ranch Road, Cottonwood, Arizona, 86326, United States
Park open daily year-round; day-use hours are generally dawn to dusk, with the campground open overnight (check). Check azstateparks.com/dead-horse.
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