Parks in the Verde Valley

Cottonwood Kid's Park is a city park at 350 South 12th Street in Cottonwood, Arizona. It is run by the City of Cottonwood. The posted opening hours are Mo-Sa 09:00-17:00, so it is open six days a week through the middle of the day and closed on Sunday. Those hours are what the city posts for the park itself, and shade and water at a park like this can depend on the season, so plan a summer visit for the morning. There is no phone number on this listing. For questions about the park, or about closures for maintenance or a scheduled event, contact the City of Cottonwood.

Crescent Moon Ramada is a reservable day-use ramada at 333 RED ROCK CROSSING RD., SEDONA, AZ, 86336. It is a shelter you book for the day, not a campsite, although it arrived in the source filed as a campground. The phone number is (928) 204-0028, and it is booked through recreation.gov. It is not recorded as having ADA access. From Phoenix, take I-17 north to State Highway 179, go north for 13 miles to Sedona, turn left on Highway 89A and continue south for 4 miles, then turn left on Upper Red Rock Loop Road and go another 4 miles to Crescent Moon.

Dead Horse Ranch State Park is at 675 Dead Horse Ranch Road in Cottonwood, managed by Arizona State Parks. The features listed are lagoons, fishing, canoeing, hiking trails, a campground and camping cabins, which makes it the park in this valley you can stay at rather than just visit. Entry is $10 per vehicle for one person, $20 for two to four people, and $5 to walk in or cycle. The visitor center is open 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM daily. Call (928) 634-5283 about camping, which books up, or see azstateparks.com.

Heritage Park is an open park at 3550 Smith Avenue in Camp Verde. It is open around the clock, every day, with no posted closing time. The Yavapai-Apache Nation operates it. Being open 24 hours makes it a place for an early walk or an evening stop rather than only a midday visit. As with any park, lighting and quiet hours vary, so use good sense after dark. There is no listed phone number for the park itself. For questions about use of the grounds or about holding an event there, contact the Yavapai-Apache Nation offices in town.

Lions Club Park is a park in Cottonwood, Arizona, run by Lions Clubs International rather than by the city. It sits at about 1025 meters, which is ordinary for the valley floor and means hot afternoons through the summer and cold early mornings in winter. No street address, phone number or opening hours are published here, so treat the pin on the map as approximate and look for the sign rather than a number on a gate. A park kept by a service club is often booked for a scheduled event, which can take up the shaded tables at short notice. Shade and water are worth checking before you plan a long visit.

Montezuma Well is a National Park Service site near Rimrock, run as a unit of Montezuma Castle National Monument. There is no entrance fee. Getting there is simple: leave I-17 at exit 293 and follow about 4 miles through McGuireville and Rimrock. The roads are paved the whole way, so a regular car is fine. For hours, ranger programs, road work, or closures, call (928) 567-3322 or check https://www.nps.gov/moca/planyourvisit/directions.htm before you drive out. Shade is limited and summer afternoons get hot, so bring water and a hat, and give yourself enough time to walk the short paths without rushing.

Red Rock State Park is at 4050 Red Rock Loop Rd, managed by Arizona State Parks. The park is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, the visitor center runs 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and last entry is 4:30 PM, so arriving late in the afternoon does not work here. Entry is $10 for an adult aged 14 and over, $5 for ages 7 to 13, free for under 7, and $5 to walk in. One thing about our own record: the postal address says Sedona while we file the park under Village of Oak Creek. Call (928) 282-6907 to confirm anything seasonal.

Riverfront Park is a city park in Cottonwood, at 1284 E River Front Road, managed by the City of Cottonwood. It holds a dog park with separate small and large dog areas, a disc golf course, a softball complex, a skate park, an inline hockey rink, and volleyball. The park also hosts the Verde Valley Wine Festival and the Thunder Valley Rally, so parking fills up on those weekends. The phone number is (928) 639-3200. We do not have park hours, field reservation rules, or fees on file, so call the number before you count on an open field.

Slide Rock State Park is at 6871 N. Highway 89A in Sedona, managed by Arizona State Parks. Hours change with the season: 8 AM to 6 PM from January 31 to November 20, with entry and swimming closing at 5 PM, and 9 AM to 5 PM from November 21 to January 30. So does the fee: $30 per vehicle for one to four people through August 21, 2026, then $20 from August 22, 2026 to April 2027, with $5 for each extra person and under 6 free. The phone number is (928) 282-3034. Parking fills early on hot days, and the lot closing is what turns people away rather than the park itself.