Catalina State Park, Arizona

The foothills of the spectacular Santa Catalina Mountains make an awesome basecamp for all kinds of adventures, from horseback riding and hiking, to plant and wildlife identification, camping, and photography. You’ll find 5,500 acres of foothills, canyons, streams, and of course, desert, complete with more than 5,000 saguaro cacti and 150 species of birds. bighorn sheep were recently reintroduced in these mountains, and it isn’t uncommon to see them frolicking and grazing on the desert grasses. Wildflowers are INCREDIBLE here in the spring, and the camping is pretty awesome too. The best part? Catalina State Park is just minutes from downtown Tucson, making this an urban getaway in a rugged wilderness.