Upper Verde River Wildlife Area — Attraction in Arizona

I did this hike with 2 kids (4+2) and there was minimal whining which is a plus. The hike from the parking lot to the actual water is about a mile exactly. The first 100 ft or so has a slight decline when starting the height but after that a wagon would have no problem making it through which I recommend if you're carrying children and/or lunches, waters, etc. with two adults it would be easy to get it back up out of the gate as well. There are some bathrooms & picnic tables fairly close to the water area but I did not go inside so I do not know how clean they are. Seems like there were quite a few trash cans around so that's nice. The water itself was amazing! Very clear and cool water with only a slight current, not enough to take away an adult but keep an eye on the kids for sure. The deepest part of the water was about 4-5 feet at the main beach area. There are not really any major shade opportunities once you are down there just an FYI. Overall totally where's the hike and will definitely be returning. Seems like a...

The hike down to the river is a bit steep and a little challenging for young children, but we did it with 2 adults and 5 children (ages 6 weeks to 8 years old) with minimal whining. The stream has a fun swimming area (4ft deep) and a water-measuring-structure that doubles as a little water slide. This was...

About 3/4 of a mile from the parking area, walk down the hill to the river and enjoy. It's not an easy hike, but not hard either. Pretty steep at the beginning. Several places along a narrow beach to relax, right next to the water. Plenty of shade as well. Even saw a few baby trout, but nothing worth...