Sonoita Creek State Natural Area - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

A beautiful manmade reservoir in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The lake was created by damming Sonoita Creek, and is a popular area for boating and sport fishing. The park offers a campground, beach, picnic area with ramadas, tables and grills, a creek trail, boat ramps, and a marina.

Patagonia Lake State Park was established in 1975 as a state park and is an ideal place to find whitetail deer roaming the hills and great blue herons walking the shoreline.The park offers a beach, picnic area with ramadas, tables & grills, a creek trail, boat ramps, a marina, and the Lakeside Market. There is a campground, boat-in camp sites, restrooms, showers, and a dump station. The Lakeside Market offers boat rentals, fishing licenses, bait, ice, and more.

Mission los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi is a National Historic Landmark located in the Tumacácori National Historical Park. It was founded by Jesuit missionary Fathers Kino and Salvatierra in 1691 as La Misión de San Gabriel de Guevavi, a district headquarters in what is now Arizona, near Tumacácori. Subsequent missionaries called it San Rafael and San Miguel, resulting in the common historical name of Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi.

The New Mexico & Arizona Railroad Trail, also known as the Railroad Grade Trail, is a rustic hiking and equestrian trail in the Sonoita Creek State Natural Area outside of Patagonia, Arizona. The area provides prime habitat for birds, including rare ones, best viewed in March through September or late April through May.

Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve is one of Santa Cruz County's most sought out birding hot spots. Owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, it is actually one of the best bird watching havens in the Southwest. This lush riparian area provides habitat for over 200 species of birds. This site contains the first two miles of permanent flow of Sonoita Creek and the floodplains adjacent to the stream. The site contains very high biodiversity values.

A tributary stream of the Santa Cruz River in Santa Cruz County. It offers camp sites, hiking, and picnic areas for day use, and overlooks beautiful Patagonia Lake State Park.