An Underrated State Park Near Arizona's 'Haunted City' Is A Breathtaking Location With Panoramic Desert Views

State parks are often coveted destinations for visitors, as they highlight history, natural beauty, and offer outdoor recreational opportunities across the United States. The Southwest state of Arizona is home to some of the most underrated state parks, according to visitors, with 33 unique parks across 64,000 acres of land managed by Arizona States Parks and Trails. In the central high desert region of the state near the "Haunted City" of Jerome, a picturesque haven for artists once called the "Wickedest Town in the West', is one of the underrated state parks known for panoramic desert views, the Jerome State Historic Park (JSHP).

The 1876 historic former copper mining town of Jerome earned the moniker as a haunted city due to the large number of deaths in the town's past, either in mining accidents or at the former hospital-turned Jerome Grand Hotel. The Jerome Grand Hotel and several other sights in town are believed by some to be haunted by ghosts, with evidence of paranormal activity observed by locals and visitors. You can even book a ghostly tour from companies including Jerome Ghost Tours, which also offers a history walk, and a Wild West tour, and Tours of Jerome, the town's oldest tour company, featuring a two-hour haunted tour.

JSHP provides an introduction to the town's past, with exhibits showcasing mining equipment inside and outside of a visitor center its approximately 2.5 acres. It opened in 1965 as the state's fifth state park, with a main mission to preserve the town for visitors to experience, which had been mostly abandoned when mining ceased in 1953.  Depending on which way you've arrived in Jerome along the steep Route 89A (from Prescott to the southwest or Cottonwood to the east), follow signs for the historic park, just 1.5 miles from Jerome.

The state park's visitor center is housed inside the former Douglas Mansion, built in 1916, and home to James S. Douglas, who was the owner of the Little Daisy Mine. Its dual purpose during the mining heyday was as a hotel to mine visitors, and you can see the concrete remains of the separate Little Daisy Hotel, constructed to house miners, on the property as well. You'll pay the admission fee to tour the park inside the former mansion, which, as of this writing, is $10 for adults (ages 14 and up), and $5 for children 7 to 13, with children 6 and under free. The park observes general hours of 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, with adjustments for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, noted on their website. Be sure to pick up a park map or download a printable version online.

Once inside, you can watch a 28-minute movie, view a 3-D model of the town and the below-ground mines, and peruse exhibits with historic photos and historical pieces. Two rooms, the Douglas library and a bathroom, are decorated in period style. Heading outside on the grounds, stroll and view historic mining equipment, along with information panels explaining the history and function of the machinery. 

Among the mining equipment you can see is a stamp mill, a crusher exhibit, and mining cars. An outdoor Carriage House features the owner's former buggy and a 1929 Ford Model A truck, named "Smokey Joe." Be sure to leave time to shop for a souvenir at the park store. For another look at Arizona's mining past, venture five minutes away to the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town, an unusual mining hub known as 'Arizona's strangest museum'.

The state historic park's location perched on a hilltop provides an excellent vantage point for panoramic views of the desert and surrounding Verde Valley below. You can partake in several scenic landscapes directly from the parking lot, so you'll want to leave time to walk to those vantage points. There's also a designated picnic area with a landscaped patio at the Douglas Mansion so after you've worked up an appetite touring the park, you can relax with lunch and a view. On the second Saturday of each month, you can experience a guided walk of the Douglas Estate by a local environmental geologist with other seasonal special events, including a Flashfright tour through the mansion after dark and learn about its haunted side.

Immediately adjacent to the state historic park is the Audrey Shaft Headframe Park, managed by the Jerome Historical Society, and site of the former Little Daisy Mine and its 1900-foot shaft. While temporarily closed for restoration as of this writing, when it reopens, visitors can stand above a glass viewing area, and look down into the shaft which is the largest wooden-made headframe still existing within the state. 

The family-friendly Jerome State Historic Park is ranked the No. 1 thing to do in Jerome by TripAdvisor, where reviewers describe it as "an amazing state park" and "well worth the stop" and a MUST-see, with a recommendation to plan at least two hours for exploration, and longer if you're enjoying a picnic. If you're touring Arizona's state parks, don't miss out on the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, home to the world's largest natural travertine bridge, offering stunning trails, which is 73 miles southeast from Jerome.