The Apaches were particularly ferocious and it was not until after the problem was resolved in 1886, that permanent settlers and traders flocked to Arizona. Statehood was granted to the 48 th state in 1912. The extensive parklands are some of the most spectacular in the United States. Arizona's famous canyon complex is the Grand Canyon, one of the world's most beautiful with intricately sculpted, multi-colored rock formations. Daily and seasonal differences in light create an ever-changing canyon that presents a vast range of moods varying from harsh, bold and rugged to mystical and ethereally sublime.
Smaller canyons harbor ancient cliff dwellings and dramatic nature sculptures.
However, nature sculptures are not limited to Arizona's canyonlands. They can be found in the magnificent red rock buttes and bluffs, the intricate crystalline structures of the Petrified Forest, and the patterns of the vast deserts made by shifting sands and arroyos. Deserts, too, have their own allure. The evening sky glows with shades of blue, lavender, blood red, pink, bronze, and gold while springtime showers create carpets of vividly colored wildflowers on the desert floor. High in the northern mountains, alpine flowers frolic in the meadows under a summer sun where cool breezes sweep down slopes cloaked in luxuriant pine forests.