I've gone by the directional signs dozens of times and never checked out Dead Horse Ranch State Park. I wanted to go to the Cottonwood, AZ area and see Old Town Cottonwood plus George wanted to paint. Dead Horse Ranch State Park has water so that sounded appealing on a day that promised to be in the 90s.
The Verde River is the southern border of the park and the river day use area is right on the river with fishing and non-powered boating. Water is diverted into three lovely lagoons. Facilities for overnighters include cabins for rent and sites for equestrian groups, tenters and electric sites for RVers. One loop with electric hookups is down nearer the river with some trees, the other is up on the hill with no trees but has expansive views.


George set up along one of the lagoons. I did a quick watercolor of cattails then walked around the adjoining lagoon, enjoying the birds - coots, red-wing blackbirds - and trying out my new camera. Noisy grackles were everywhere, not my favorite bird.

We were a short drive from Old Cottonwood. The shops are fun to wander around in. For lunch or other refreshments there were several eating establishments plus wine tasting and a brewery. We chose Old Town Red Rooster Cafe. I had the SW Veggie Salad with chicken that was fantastic. An unusual ingredient for a salad was chunks of sweet potatoes. The reduced balsamic & garlic infused olive oil had a very nice taste too. George had a Turkey Bacon Avocado Wrap that he devoured.

Summers get pretty warm in Cottonwood so I'd recommend visiting Dead Horse Ranch State Park in your RV in spring and fall. It would be much more pleasant, though the water and all the cottonwood trees in the riverbed and around the lagoons were cooling. Much of the land away from the river and lagoons looks like the cliffs in the background of the photo above left. You can check the website for current admissions and to reserve a campsite. Most of the pull-through sites can accommodate up to 40-foot motorhomes and truck & trailer rigs up to 65 feet. A dump station is just inside the entrance to the park.
Cottonwood has many stores, a nice laundromat plus is close to Sedona and Jerome. Three national parks are close by; Tuzigoot is just a few minutes from the state park. Check it out! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak