Back in 2008, Arizona State Parks purchased Rockin’ River Ranch, a property that’s more than 200 acres of land along the Verde River and part of the Verde River Greenway.
The Verde River Greenway is a collaborative public-private project dedicated to preserving this special riparian area.
It’s near the start of where Verde River is “wild and scenic,” a federal designation that grants special protections.
The Verde River is one of only two waterways in Arizona to be granted that title, the other being Fossil Creek.
It’s taken a while, but Arizona officials are hoping to make the ranch into an official state park soon.
“This will make it the sixth state park in the Verde Valley,” said Yavapai County District 2 Supervisor Thomas Thurman.
Thurman said he was at a pre-construction meeting recently and was impressed by the plans.
Arizona State Parks has plans to build cabins, campsites and other accommodations for visitors, including hot water, Thurman said.
The land hasn’t generally been open to the public while the parks system has worked on a plan on how to manage the $7 million property.
Currently the property is primarily home to horses, which people board on the land.
The land is near where the Verde River meets West Clear Creek and is home to several species of birds, mammals and fish, including bald eagles, otters and beavers.
Shortly after purchasing the ranch, state parks officials conducted a study about what wildlife frequents the area and how best to manage the land in the face of increased visitation.
“It’s a gorgeous spot on the Verde River,” Thurman said.
It’s upstream from Beasley Flats, across the river from the Shield Ranch, which has also been set aside for preservation, purchased by the Nature Conservancy in 2010.
The money to buy that ranch came in part from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation which gave the organization a $13 million grant to purchase land across the West with the goal of protecting wildlife.
The ranch marks the southern end of the Verde River Greenway, a collaborative public-private project dedicated to preserving this riparian area. No dates are official on the opening date of the new Rockin River Ranch State Park, but Thurman said construction is expected to start soon.
