A great place to experience nature near the city
Government Canyon is still a great place to visit and is often over looked by people who want to experience nature, but not drive too far to get to it.
It is only open Friday-Monday with camping only Friday and Saturday night.
The campsites are all walk in, but not a great distance. Camp sites vary in size, but all have fire rings, a place to hang trash, and a storage cupboard.
There are water spigots at the top of each trail and two composting toilets.
Because this is a State Natural Area, you may not connect anything to the trees in the park as you could A) damage the trees of B) bring in pests from other parks without knowing it.
There are front country trails, back country trails and trails that are only open at certain times of the year.
If there is too much rain, the park will close down all the trails as they don't want to ruin the area with people walking in mud.
In the summer time, make sure you bring enough water with you. Rangers some times patrol the trails to help people, but you are on your own for the most part.
The visitor center is very nice and modern. They often have ranger hikes leading from the center.
Near by, they have a group shelter that can be rented for weddings or parties.
All in all, it is a very enjoyable park to visit.