Arizona Picnic
Guide
Oracle State Park
3820 Wildlife Drive,
Oracle Arizona 85623
(520) 896-2425
Oracle State Park is located
approximately 45 minutes from Tucson, in the northern foothills of the
Santa Catalina Mountains near the community of Oracle in southern
Pinal County
Oracle State Park is located in the
northeastern foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains near the town
of Oracle. Ranging from 3,500 to 4,500 feet in elevation, the nearly
4,000-acre park consists of oak grassland, riparian woodland, and
mesquite scrub habitats which contain a diversity of wildlife and
plant species.
Clovis Man occupied areas along the
San Pedro River 10,000 to 11,000 years ago and quite possibly visited
the current park site during these early times. It is also believed
that the Hohokam resided in the relatively flat, grassy areas of the
park and used the adjacent woodlands for hunting and food gathering
some 600-800 years ago.
In the middle 1880's the Apache Wars
had ceased in central and southern Arizona. This opened up large areas
to ranching, farming, and the settlement of small towns.
In 1902 Neil Kannally arrived in
Oracle from Illinois. Moving to the area for relief from tuberculosis,
he homesteaded the land that would later become the park.
Later, other members of the Kannally
family joined him. The ranch grew substantially over the next several
years and eventually 1100 cattle grazed the land.
In 1976, Lucille Kannally, the last
surviving family member, donated the land to the Defenders of Wildlife
who later transferred the property to the State Parks Board.
The purpose of the park is to act as
a wildlife refuge and environmental learning center. Educational
programs are being developed to focus on basic ecologic principles,
and to enhance public awareness of the importance of safeguarding
natural resources.
Although the land has been a park for just a short
while, the area has been visited and used by man since prehistoric
times. This interaction between man and the park environment has
played an important role in shaping the landscape we see today.
Park Hours
Open 7 days a week. 7a.m. to 5p.m
House tours available on Saturdays and Sundays at 10a.m. and 2p.m.
Closed on Christmas Day.
Park Facilities
- A 4,000 acre environmental education
park and approximately 15 miles of hiking trails
- Historic Kannally Ranch House Tours
- Picnic Area
- Child nature eduction programs
- Access to the Arizona Trail (which is
open for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding
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