“5,500 acres is plenty big enough for me… who needs a gym?” That’s what 83-year-old RoseMary Minter says! RoseMary has volunteered at Catalina State Park since 1995 and says her weekly service has always kept her busy.

Nearly three decades ago, RoseMary enjoyed fixing up the trails and today she still keeps the grounds looking great. When we asked her about her experience with the park, she had just wrapped up her volunteer shift for the day, spending her time helping our rangers cut down overgrown branches.

It takes a special person and a true passion to stay with a volunteer role for so long. You can hear RoseMary’s love for the park when she speaks about it. She and her friends used to ride their horses in the area before the park opened in 1983, at times following cattle trails from when the area was used for ranching.

She remembers the park’s opening day those 40 years ago. The morning after, RoseMary’s husband walked in with a copy of the newspaper and there she was, on the front page in a picture of the event.

Twelve years later, RoseMary decided it was time for her to give back and officially became a volunteer at the park. She’s proud of the facility improvements she’s seen over the years like the additions of the amphitheater and the bandstand, the expanded equestrian campground corrals and trailer area, the benches, and the beautiful campgrounds. Many of these projects were completed with volunteer labor.

Aside from the good exercise, RoseMary enjoys the beauty of the park’s sweeping views of the Catalina Mountains, its stand of saguaros, and all the wildflowers. Visitors enjoy it too, she says. “Being in the park, it just makes people feel good. The hikers are friendly and very happy to be there in the outdoors. They have a lovely place to camp and everybody I’ve ever spoken to that’s camped there has been really appreciative.”

Next time you visit Catalina State Park, look for RoseMary’s name on a monarch in the mosaic tile mural at the trailhead and try out her favorite trail: the Alamo Loop Trail. Of course, if you see a volunteer at the park, be sure to thank them—they deserve it! 

Thank you, RoseMary for sharing your volunteer story and for your dedication to Arizona State Parks! If you feel inspired by RoseMary's service to Arizona's natural resources, follow her lead and start your own volunteer journey at AZStateParks.com/Volunteer.