Dead Horse Ranch State Park

Dead Horse Ranch Now Offers 24/7 Online Campground & Camping Cabin Reservations!

Reserve your spot (campground RV or tent site or a camping cabin) from the comfort of your home, anytime of day. Make online reservations Site reservations for this park are also available by calling the Reservation Center at (520) 586-2283. You can call 7 days a week, from 8 am to 5 pm MST. There is a $5 non-refundable reservation fee per site.

June 1: Verde Valley FREE Fishing Day

8:00 am to Noon. In recognition of National Fishing and Boating Week (June 1 – 9, 2013) the park is offering free admission for a free fishing event (customers must check in at park office). All are welcome to attend! No fishing license is required and fishing poles and bait will be available. Try your luck and fish in the park's catfish stocked lagoon. Event sponsored by: Arizona Game & Fish Department, Prescott National Forest, and Dead Horse Ranch State Park.

Dead Horse Ranch State Park is a beautiful park located in the Riparian area of the Verde Valley. The park offers camping, hiking, biking, horseback riding, and rents Camping Cabins.The developed portion of Dead Horse Ranch State Park covers 423 acres. The 3,300 foot elevation accounts for the mild temperatures that are ideal for camping, mountain biking in the Coconino National Forest, hiking along the Verde River, canoeing, picnicking, fishing, or just wading in the cool water.

A six-mile reach of the river is known as the Verde River Greenway State Natural Area. Its unique ecosystem, the Cottonwood and Willow riparian gallery forest, is one of less than 20 such riparian zones in the world. Life along the river changes with the seasons, giving visitors a glimpse of the numerous species of raptors, neotropical migrants, resident songbirds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

Camping Cabins

Eight one-room log camping cabins are available at Dead Horse Ranch by reservation. They are tucked away from the other campgrounds, making them an ideal getaway for a weekend or for the week. Learn More

How Dead Horse Ranch Got Its Name

Dead Horse Ranch design The story of the park's name begins with the Ireys family, who came to Arizona from Minnesota looking for a ranch to buy in the late 1940s. At one of the ranches they discovered a large dead horse lying by the road. After two days of viewing ranches, Dad Ireys asked the kids which ranch they liked the best. The kids said, “the one with the dead horse, Dad!” The Ireys family chose the name Dead Horse Ranch and later, in 1973, when Arizona State Parks acquired the park, the Ireys made retaining the name a condition of sale.

Dead Horse Ranch State Park and the Verde River Greenway State Natural Area are located next to each other in Cottonwood, Arizona. The Natural Area conserves the land in its natural state, so you won’t find restrooms or modern camping facilities in the Natural Area.

Use Dead Horse Ranch State Park as your base camp to enjoy the hiking, canoeing, and natural surroundings of the Verde River Greenway. Please practice “Leave No Trace” ethics.

Park Ranger Ranger Victory snapped this beautiful sunrise picture at the park in January 2012.

Lagoons Stocked

Catfish are usually stocked twice a year: National Fishing Day (in June) and Verde River Day (last Saturday in September). Trout are stocked every other week from early November through late March. Arizona Game & Fish schedules stocking; go to http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/stocking_schedule.shtml for dates.

For information on fishing throughout the state, visit Arizona Game & Fish.

Biking Video From New Year's Day 2012

Verde Valley Cyclists enjoy a ride on New Year's Day at Dead Horse Ranch SP.

Fishing Videos

Rich Edwards of Cottonwood, AZ, displays a largemouth bass he caught in the middle lagoon July, 2011.

After you start the video, change resolution to 480 for High Quality. Aaron Jackson displays a catfish caught at Dead Horse Ranch State Park's Free Fishing Day on June 12, 2010.

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