Just south of town is the Picacho Peak State Park near Red Rock, Arizona. At Picacho Peak, visitors can enjoy several different hiking trails of varying degrees of difficulty. Some of these trails lead you to scenic desert overlooks while others take you up and down the peaks of the park. Regardless of your hiking preferences, can you recall ever learning about the Battle of Picacho Pass? The state park is on the battlefield of Arizona’s largest Civil War battlefield. You can learn all about this often overlooked part of the war in between hiking along the various trails. Just north of town, on the way to Phoenix, is the San Tan Mountain Regional Park near Queen Creek, Arizona. At San Tan, you can view historic petroglyphs, hike along the Goldmine Mountains, attend a class about gardening, and stargaze, all in one packed day. San Tan has a wealth of opportunity awaiting any traveler and here, you will get to see a whole new side to the Arizona desert. Who knows, you may even see a javelina or coyote. Even farther north of Eloy is the expansive Tonto National Forest near Payson, Arizona. Covering almost three million acres of land, the Tonto National Forest is the largest national forest in the entire state of Arizona. When you visit Tonto National Forest, you are giving yourself the opportunity to visit just about every ecosystem that is available in Arizona. You will get to see saguaro cacti-studded deserts, powerful mountains decorated with towering pine trees, and even lakes and rivers. You can hike the mountains, sail or canoe over the lakes, and even try your hand at a little target shooting. You are sure to have a fun-filled day as you explore the many sides to Arizona, all within easy reach of one another.