31 Forests to Explore in Arizona

Apache National Forest was established by the U.S. Forest Service in Arizona and New Mexico with 1,302,711 acres from portions of Black Mesa National Forest. In 1974 the entire forest was administratively combined with Sitgreaves National Forest to create Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests.

The Apache and Sitgreaves National Forests, administered as one National Forest, encompass over two million acres of magnificent mountain country in east-central Arizona. The major attractions are the Mogollon Rim and the string of man-made lakes. From the Rim's 7600-foot elevation, vista points provide inspiring views of the low country to the south and west. With its high elevation and cool summer breezes it is a popular weekend destination from the hot desert for Phoenix, Arizona, residents.

Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness is a 19,410 acres wilderness area located in the U.S. State of Arizona.The wilderness includes the 11-mile long Aravaipa Canyon, the surrounding tablelands and nine side canyons. The Nature Conservancy's Aravaipa Canyon Preserve protects 7,000 acres of private land and is contiguous with the BLM wilderness area. A permit and fee are required to enter Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness. Use is limited to 50 people per day.

Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge is home to over 6,000 acres of habitat, 355 species of birds, 34 documented reptiles, 40 species of butterflies, 57 species of mammals, 7 amphibians, and a plethora of indigenous wildlife. The refuge is ideal for both amateur and professional photographers. With one sweep of the shutter, you can capture cottonwood forests, saguaro cacti, black rock mountains, babbling streams, and breathtaking sunsets.

Catalina State Park is a state park of Arizona, United States, that is adjacent to Coronado National Forest on the western slopes of the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson.

The 11,300 acre Cerbat Foothills Recreation Area is a mixture of federal, state, county, city, and private lands. This Area includes 37+ miles of trails with several trailheads. Trails are for hiking, equestrian and mountain biking.

Cibola National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge in the floodplain of the lower Colorado River between Arizona and California and surrounded by a fringe of desert ridges and washes. The refuge encompasses both the historic Colorado River channel as well as a channelized portion constructed in the late 1960s. Along with these main waterbodies, several important backwaters are home to many wildlife species that reside in this Yuma Desert portion of the Sonoran Desert.

The Coronado National Forest is a United States National Forest that includes an area of about 1.78 million acres spread throughout mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. The national forest is divided into five ranger districts, which are not contiguous; each consists of multiple sky island mountain ranges.

The Crystal Forest is a site in Apache County , Arizona , featuring a large concentration of petrified wood . It is protected within the Petrified Forest National Park. It is one of the iconic attraction in this area and is attracted by many tourists.

The Dos Cabezas Mountains Wilderness in Arizona is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. In 1990, the Dos Cabezas Mountains Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System established by the Wilderness Act of 1964. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities and extraordinary opportunities for solitude. There is a diverse terrain of steep mountain slopes, granite outcroppings and vegetated canyon floors.

Eagletail Mountains Wilderness is about 65 mi west of Phoenix with an area of 100,600-acre. The wilderness is of moderate size, with the Eagletail Mountains forming its northeast perimeter, and the much shorter Cemetery Ridge section, forming its southwest border. It covers nearly all of the Eagletail Mountains and the plains on its southwest. A good trekking destination and also there are so many challenging routes too.

The 76,317-acre Galiuro Wilderness encompasses the mid to upper slopes of the mountains as they rise from golden grasslands, through dense thickets of evergreen oak, to stands of ponderosa pine. The mountains support vegetation varying from semidesert grasslands through pinion, juniper, oak, and brush to mixed conifers and even aspens in the higher elevations. A variety of wildlife can be found in the Galiuro Wilderness, including large mammals.

The Gibraltar Mountain Wilderness is an 18,790-acre property located about 10 miles northeast of Parker in the western Buckskin Mountains.This desert wilderness is primarily volcanic tuff crossed with deep canyons and sandy washes. Vegetation in the area includes creosote bush, cholla, barrel cactus, and palo verde that support a small population of desert bighorn sheep.

This remote 37,030-acre wilderness is a 12-mile long stretch of the Grand Wash Cliffs. It encompasses escarpments, canyons, and sandstone buttes that make up the transition zone between the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range Province. Vegetation includes an assortment of Mojave Desert shrubs below the cliffs as well as a pinyon-juniper woodland above. Wildlife in the area include gila monsters, desert tortoise, and desert bighorn sheep.

The Grapevine Mesa Joshua Trees forest was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1967. 3,206 acres owned by the Federal government, the forest contains the best existing display of Joshua trees in the United States. This site is also a superb example Mojave Desert ecology.

The 25,050-acre Harcuvar Mountains Wilderness is located about 82 miles northwest of Phoenix. A lot of Harcuvar Mountains Wilderness is prime real estate for desert bighorn sheep, mountain lion, bobcat, mule deer, Gila monster and desert tortoise, but there's also a 3,500-acre island of cut-off interior chaparral habitat on the north side of that upper ridge.

Ironwood Forest National Monument is located in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. A significant concentration of ironwood trees is found in the monument, along with two federally recognized endangered animal and plant species. More than 200 Hohokam and Paleo-Indian archaeological sites have been identified in the monument, dated between 600 and 1450.

The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is located in Arizona, northeast of Yuma and southeast of Quartzsite. The refuge, established in 1939 to protect desert bighorn sheep, encompasses over 665,400 acres of the Yuma Desert region of the Sonoran Desert. Broad, gently sloping foothills as well as the sharp, needlepoint peaks of the Kofa Mountains are found in the rugged refuge. The small, widely scattered waterholes attract a surprising number of water birds for a desert area.

The Las Cienegas National Conservation Area is a National Conservation Area of Arizona, located in the transitional zone between the Sonoran Desert and the Chihuahuan Desert. tMore han 45,000 acres of rolling grasslands and woodlands in Arizona’s Pima and Santa Cruz counties was protected as a National Conservation Area. The region’s rolling grasslands, oak-studded hills that connect several "sky island" mountain ranges, and lush riparian corridors attract both people and wildlife.

The Rim is an escarpment defining the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau. Its central and most spectacular portions are characterized by high cliffs of limestone and sandstone, namely the Kaibab Limestone and Coconino Sandstone cliffs. Mogollon Rim provides breathtaking views overlooking an expansive forest of pine trees.