HIKINGPhotos: Arizona's breathtaking national parksAZCentral-UnknownThe Rim Trail stretches for 13 miles along the edge of the South Rim. It’s mostly paved and level.Roger Naylor/Special For The RepublicThe view from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon offers a textured depth not found at the South Rim.Arizona Office Of TourismSunrise at Mather Point at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz., on Feb. 20, 2019,Mark Henle/The RepublicSunrise at Mather Point at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz., on Feb. 20, 2019.Mark Henle/The RepublicPetrified Forest National Park offers hiking trails, museums, ancient ruins and an otherworldly landscape.National Park ServiceArizona has such an impressive display of petrified wood, it occupies a national park. No wonder it's the state's official fossil.Mark Henle/The RepublicHikers walk along the Blue Mesa Trail that winds through colorful badlands in Petrified Forest National Park.Mark Henle/The RepublicMany logs along the Crystal Forest Trail at Petrified Forest National Forest contain sparkling crystals.Mark Henle/The RepublicPainted Desert, February 21, 2016, Petrified Forest, Arizona.Mark Henle/The RepublicThe Painted Desert occupies the northern portion of Petrified Forest National Park.National Park ServicePetrified wood is seen in the Crystal Forest at the Petrified Forest National Park, located east of Holbrook, on Monday, March 30, 2009.David Wallace/The RepublicCenturies ago, people built shelters into the canyon's walls, taking advantage of ledges and overhangs. Navajo people still live and work in the canyon, and visitors must arrange for a guided tour to enter the canyon (highly recommended, because only then can you see and appreciate the many ruins and pictographs carved into the walls).The RepublicImagine living perched on the side of a cliff, as the Navajos did at Canyon de Chelly for thousands of years. A Navajo guide is required to visit all but the White House Ruins (pictured).Arizona Office Of TourismSAGUARO NATIONAL PARK: Whether you have hours, days or a week to explore, the area lends itself to design-your-own experiences. Picnic for an hour or two, or stay longer to hike or camp out.Mark Henle/The RepublicMark Henle/The Republic Saguaro on the Golden Gate Road, February 12, 2016, at Saguaro National Park, the Tucson Mountain District (west), Arizona. Saguaro on the Golden Gate Road, February 12, 2016, at Saguaro National Park, the Tucson Mountain District (west), Arizona.Mark Henle, Mark Henle/The RepublicSpider Rock, a 800- foot sandstone spire rises from the canyon floor at Canyon de Chelly National Monument, just outside of Chinle.David Wallace/The RepublicVisitor Adrienne Lewis, of British Columbia, looks at the Casa Grande ruin at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge on Friday, February 13, 2009.Michael Schennum/The RepublicA steel and concrete canopy was erected in 1932 to protect the Great House at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. Credit: National Park Service.National Park ServiceElevation at Chiricahua National Monument ranges from 5,124-feet to 7,310-feet, making it a comfortable summer getaway.Bob MillerDuck on a Rock is one of the distinctive formations on Heart of Rocks Loop at Chiricahua National Monument.Roger Naylor/Special For The RepublicMassive columns, slender spires and impossibly balanced boulders are part of the landscape of Chiricahua National Monument.Bob MillerThe Chiricahua Mountains were called the Land of Standing-Up Rocks by the Apache warriors who took refuge there.Bob MillerNo one is quite sure why the original inhabitants abandoned this impressive high-rise roughly three centuries after it was built in 1100. Montezuma Castle is one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in North America. When President Theodore Roosevelt celebrated the passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906, he declared Montezuma Castle as one of four national monuments.The RepublicThe rich, warm colors of fall at Montezuma Castle.Gary CarlsonThe Betakin ruins are seen at the Navajo National Monument west of Kayenta on Thursday, April 2, 2009.David Wallace/The RepublicKeet Seel ruin, Navajo National Monument, Arizona.Ron Dungan/The RepublicKeet Seel ruin, Navajo National Monument, Arizona.Ron Dungan/The RepublicMarch 2, 1909, the Navajo National Monument, including Keet Seel and Betatakin, was established. | The Betatakin Ruins sit protected under an alcove 452 feet high in the Navajo National Monument.Mark Henle/The RepublicOrgan Pipe Cactus National Monument is named for this many-armed cactus.National Park ServiceOrgan Pipe Cactus National Monument.Getty Images/iStockphotoDesert landscape at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.Steve Yozwiak/Special For The RepublicOrgan Pipe Cactus Monument SunsetDon LawrenceSunset Crater Volcano National Monument, where nearly a millennium ago, a dormant volcano flashed to life, turning day to night. Nine hundred years later, the cinder-cone volcano looks much like it did after a series of eruptions, a dark barren spot on a land once again brimming with life.Arizona Office Of TourismGet a sense of geology and the power of nature at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.Ron Dungan/The RepublicSunset Crater Volcano National Monument.Arizona Office Of TourismTonto National MonumentGetty Images/iStockphotoThe upper cliff dwelling at Tonto National Monument.Ron Dungan/The RepublicCliff dwellings can be seen at Tonto National Monument, located 110 miles east of Phoenix.Pat Shannahan/The RepublicAt Tuzigoot National Monument, visitors can stroll around the ruins of a pueblo village built by the ancient Sinagua native people around 1100. Many of the ruins have been rebuilt using original stones from the site.The RepublicThe ancient Sinagua native people built an elaborate pueblo village near the Verde River (just north of the present-day Clarkdale), beginning around 1100. They lived in the village until about 1425. No one knows why they left. Their pueblo is now known as Tuzigoot National Monument.Republic File PhotoWALNUT CANYON: Inside a cliff dwelling at Walnut Canyon National Monument.Arizona Office Of TourismAncient dwellings on Island Trail at Walnut Canyon National Monument near Flagstaff, Arizona.Flagstaff Convention & VisitorsCramped living conditions inside a cliff dwelling at Walnut Canyon National Monument.Arizona Office Of TourismThe largest pueblo at Wupatki National Monument is reached by self-guided nature trail behind the visitor center. Located nearby are additional ruins, a ceremonial ball court and a natural blowhole.Roger Naylor | Special For The RepublicArchaeologists have cataloged hundreds of sites in Wupatki National Monument near Flagstaff but only a handful are open to the public.Roger Naylor/Special For The RepublicThe San Francisco Peaks rise behind the weathered remnants of Box Canyon Pueblo at Wupatki National Monument.Roger Naylor | Special For The RepublicA short trail leads to the Lomaki Pueblo perched on the rim of a small chasm at Wupatki National Monument.Roger Naylor | Special For The RepublicWUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMENT: Lomaki Pueblo at Wupatki National Monument.National Park ServiceTumacácori National Historical Park protects the ruins of early Spanish missions.National Park ServiceThe presidio was founded at Tubac in June 1752 to protect the missions in the area, such as Tumacacori, that were built to Christianize native people.Roger Naylor/Special For The RepublicOcean To Ocean Highway near the Yuma Crossing Heritage Area.Getty Images/iStockphotoDuring the 1930s, California posted a checkpoint on the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge in Yuma to prevent jobless migrants from entering.Amanda VoisardThe view from Coronado Peak, Coronado National Memorial.Ron Dungan/The RepublicCoronado National Memorial.Getty Images/iStockphotoThe calvary barracks at the Fort Bowie National Historic Site.National Park ServiceThe bath house and laundry room at Fort Bowie National Historic Site.National Park ServiceCavalry barracks with Helen's Dome in the background at Fort Bowie National Historic Site.National Park ServiceHUBBELL TRADING POST: The Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site in Ganado was founded by John Lorenzo Hubbell in 1878, a decade after the Navajo returned to their land from their exile at Fort Sumner, N.M. As the Navajo returned home, the trading post supplied them with many items. The trading post is still active today.David Wallace/The RepublicHubbell Trading Post Hogan.Scott J. WaldronHubbell Trading Post: Part museum, part art gallery and part grocery store, Hubbell Trading Post on the Navajo Reservation is a portal through time. High counters and shelves are stocked with everything from blankets and baskets to clothing and kitchen utensils. Wood floors creak delightfully with every step. The 160-acre national historic site also includes barns, corrals, farm machinery, wagons and animals, including Churro sheep and their prized wool.Hubbell Trading PostLake Powell, part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, is a magnet for boaters and anglers.Ron Dungan/The RepublicIn 1972, Congress established the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area “to provide for public use and enjoyment and to preserve the area's scientific, historic, and scenic features.”U.S. Bureau Of ReclamationThe Glen Canyon Dam seen from the bottom of Glen Canyon.Pat Shannahan/The RepublicLake Mead National Recreation Area outside of Las Vegas is the perfect pit stop on the drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas.Dawn Gilbertson/The RepublicA 2014 photo shows lightning striking over Lake Mead near Hoover Dam at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Arizona.John Locher/APWinsor Castle at Pipe Spring National Monument consists of two sandstone buildings facing a courtyard and enclosed by sturdy gates.Roger Naylor/Special For The RepublicThe old Mormon fort at Pipe Spring was known as Winsor Castle.Roger NaylorThe water provided by Pipe Spring has created a small oasis in the high desert.Roger Naylor