Catalina State Park, State park at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Pima County, Arizona

Catalina State Park spreads across the Santa Catalina Mountains with desert plants, rocky peaks, and natural water sources throughout the landscape. The grounds feature interconnected hiking trails, camping areas, and riding routes that pass through different elevations.

Occupation of the site dates to about 5000 BCE by the Hohokam, whose Romero Ruin holds rock-and-adobe pueblos and a Mesoamerican ballcourt, with the pueblo inhabited from roughly 550–600 CE and used for some 400 years. In the 19th century Francisco Romero built a ranch there, likely reusing stone from the Hohokam structure. A proposed housing development on Rancho Romero land in the early 1970s met public opposition; legislation passed in 1974, and Governor Bruce Babbitt dedicated the park on May 25, 1983.

The Romero Ruin preserves pueblos built of rock and adobe and a Mesoamerican ballcourt, occupied from roughly 550–600 CE and used for nearly 400 years, around 1000–1450 CE. In the 19th century Francisco Romero built a ranch on the site, most likely reusing stone from the Hohokam structure for his house and fortifications against the Apache.

The grounds are open year-round with trails suited to different fitness levels, from easy walks to more demanding climbs. Bring plenty of water and prepare for temperature changes, especially at higher elevations.

The Romero Ruin inside the park holds pueblos built of rock and adobe plus a Mesoamerican ballcourt, occupied roughly 1000–1450 CE. In the 19th century Francisco Romero built his ranch on the site, most likely reusing stone from the Hohokam structure for his house and fortifications against the Apache.