Episode Guest
Michelle Thompson, Deputy Assistant Director
Arizona State Parks & Trails
Episode Transcript
We enter the winter holiday season ready to visit our parks, But how do you winter in a park? Join us as we explore Arizona State Parks and Trails. I’m your host, Missy Rentz, and this is The Parks podcast.
Missy Rentz:
In this special Winter in the Parks episode, I am joined by Michelle Thompson, who is the Deputy Assistant Director at Arizona State Parks and Trails. Michelle, welcome to the Parks podcast.
Michelle Thompson:
Thank you so much
Missy Rentz:
for having me. So many people think about winter and parks and they think cold. And maybe I’m biased because I’m in the north, but in Arizona, this is prime time to visit a park.
Michelle Thompson:
This is exactly the right time to visit the Sonoran Desert and see what Arizona has to offer. Arizona doesn’t really do winter. We just do a really nice fall that lasts for several months, and it’s a really excellent time for you to come and explore the desert, get to know all the cactus that we’ve warned you against in the summer and really just get outdoors and have a great time.
Missy Rentz:
And when we talk about winter activities, you’re not packing your coats and your gloves and your mittens, and you all have a little bit of everything when it comes to winter activities down in Arizona.
Michelle Thompson:
We do. And actually you can pack your coat and your gloves and your mittens because Arizona has such a diverse climate. So you can go to some of our parks up in the north, like at Flagstaff and you may see snow some years. We’ve gotten a lot of snow up there. Or you can go down and you. Still enjoy getting out in your kayak and going out on the water and hiking in the desert. And you can do all of those things in one state throughout the, you know, winter months, December, all the way through to March. You can have those really great experiences with such a diversity in the state.
Missy Rentz:
So what can people look forward to this holiday season in Arizona Parks and trails?
Michelle Thompson:
Aside from those general outdoor activities that I mentioned, we do do a lot of things for for the holidays that people can come out and experience our historic parks, several of them really get all decked out in their holiday glitter. We have Rearden Mansion State Historic Park up in Flagstaff and Fort Verde State Historic Park in Camp Verde that both do Victorian era decorations and have ornament making workshops. Santa will be at both of those parks for the kids to come and explore Twilight Tours at Reardon Mansion so they, you can explore and enjoy the park in, with all the Christmas lights and luminaries outside. We have, the boat parade of lights goes on at Lake Havasu State Park, which is right along the Colorado River. And this is this is a very competitive event. Those boats are decked out in their finest lights. It’s really, really quite an experience. And then, we even do, a solstice, winter hike at Catalina State Park, which is right in the heart of the desert. It’s a really great time, and you can go out and see the stars and the sunset and then enjoy some of the, the nightlife. And in this, I mean, the night wildlife that comes out in that park. But it’s a, a really good opportunity to just see a different side of the parks. We’re also doing a Roper Lake, which is in Safford, Arizona. We’re doing an ornament trail. So you can go to the visitor center, pick out an ornament, put a special message on it, and then they’ll decorate the the trees and bushes along that trail so that you can see everyone’s holiday spirit as you hike.
Missy Rentz:
Oh, that’s really beautiful. So if people wanna learn about what’s going on, I’ve got a list at the on TheParksPodcast.com, but you probably have a more comprehensive list. So where can people go to learn more about what’s happening for the holidays?
Michelle Thompson:
Go to az state parks.com. If you want to go to the specific page, it’s az state parks.com/holiday-events, but it’s linked right on our homepage, so you can go there. You can also check out all of the other events and activities we have that aren’t necessarily for the holidays, but that we have going on throughout December and January from that homepage. And we’ll put that link on the Parks podcast episode page as well for you. Great. Now, one big activity that is happening. In Arizona and across the country is First Day Hikes, which celebrates, you know, you basically first day hikes is you go and celebrate January 1st by going to a park and going on a hike. You all have a lot of things going on for First Day Hikes. Can you tell us a little bit about it? Yeah, absolutely. And this is actually an extra special first day hikes that we’ll be having in 2026 because this is also part of America’s 250th anniversary. So to kick off the new year, we want everyone to start 2026 outdoors recreating having an amazing time, but we also want you to celebrate this big anniversary for our country. And so all of our First Day Hikes are going to be free. And that’s something unique. So all you have to do is show up at the park, go to the visitor center, let them know that you’re there for the first day hike. And then you can go ahead and go in without a fee to take that hike. So that’ll be a really fun thing. We have 18 different parks that are offering first day hikes. Take a look at our website. It’s az state parks.com/fdh, and we have all of them listed the times that they’re starting. Which trail they’ll be on a little bit about that trail. So you can choose if you want, an easier, more leisurely post-holiday hike or if you really wanna challenge yourself. We even have a hike up to the top of Picacho Peak State Park, which involves you bringing gloves and using steel cables to pull yourself up to the very peak of that. But it is a definite bucket list hike that a lot of people really enjoy doing. If you’re. Really feeling like, relaxing on your first day hike. Patagonia Lake State Park is also offering a boat ride, hike for, I love that for the new year. So you can just tour the park, learn about some of the, the surrounding ecosystem, and just enjoy a little boat ride on the lake for your first day.
Missy Rentz:
And you can really find activities that interest everybody and are accessible for everybody from infant to grandparents. So it’s a absolutely, it’s a great activity. But a lot of your parks are rural and they require a little bit of planning. You, you’re not gonna, you’re not gonna wake up at 8:00 AM to, for some of these parks and be there by 10 for a hike. So for someone new to park activities and going to parks, what do you recommend they do? To prepare for a trip for first day hikes.
Michelle Thompson:
For first day hikes, that’s really recommend. Go to our website, check out the first day hikes. Pick which one you want to go to. Make sure you know how long it’s gonna take you to get there. But, once you’re there, let them know that you’re there for a first day hike. Like I said, you’ll get in for free. All you have to do is remember to bring water, wear appropriate close- toe shoes. And then depending on where you are, you’ll probably need some sun protection. So you wanna think about a hat or sunscreen’cause it’s probably gonna be a nice sunny day here in Arizona. But really just looking at those parks, we have maps to those parks linked on the same page, so you can really see how far it is from your home or from wherever you’re starting. So you know how long the drive will be. All of our parks have really helpful rangers who are going to be there for guiding these hikes. We’ll give you all of the information that you need and if you’re getting there and you’re not sure what to do just ask if the visitor center, everyone is really excited to have you come to the park and visit, and they really want you to be there and to have a good time. So they’re never going to say. I don’t have time to answer your questions. I don’t have time to point you in the right direction. That’s one thing that’s really cool about Arizona State Parks is that we have our rangers there who really want you to be there and really wanna make the best out of your visit.
Missy Rentz:
I love it. Michelle, I am really grateful to you for joining us today and sharing what’s going on in Arizona State Parks and Trails this winter and this holiday season. So thanks for joining
Michelle Thompson:
us. Absolutely. Thanks so much for having us here, and hopefully you can enjoy, first day hike wherever you are.
Missy Rentz:
Thank you. I definitely will. Thanks for joining us for this short episode on winter in the parks in Arizona. For more information, visit the Arizona State Parks and Trails website or TheParksPodcast.com. Happy holidays to you, Michelle, and happy holidays to our listeners. Until next time, we’ll see you in the parks.
Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please be sure to like and share on your favorite podcast platform. Music for the parks podcast is performed and produced by Porter Hardy. For more information, please follow us at the parks podcast. Or visit our website@theparkspodcast.com.