At 1.6 million acres (650,000 ha) the Kaibab National Forest borders both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, in north-central

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. It is divided into three major sections: the ''North Kaibab Ranger District'' (offices in Fredonia) and the South Kaibab and are managed by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

. The South Kaibab is further divided into two districts, the ''Tusayan Ranger District'' (offices in the Grand Canyon), and the ''Williams Ranger District'' (offices in Williams). Grand Canyon National Park separates the North Kaibab and the South Kaibab. The South Kaibab covers and the North Kaibab stretches over . Elevations vary on the forest from 5,500 feet (1,676 m) in the southwest corner to 10,418 feet (3,175 m) at the summit of

Kendrick Peak Kendrick Peak or Kendrick Mountain is one of the highest peaks in the San Francisco volcanic field north of the city of Flagstaff in the U.S. State of Arizona and is located on the Coconino Plateau in Coconino County. Kendrick Peak rises to ...

on the Williams Ranger District. The forest as a whole is headquartered in Williams.

North Kaibab

The

Kaibab Plateau The Kaibab Plateau is a plateau almost entirely in Coconino County, Arizona (but extending slightly north into Kane County, Utah) in the Southwestern United States. The high plain is also known as the Buckskin Mountain, Buckskin Plateau, and ...

is an island surrounded by lower elevations. The plateau, with elevation up to 9,215 feet (2,800 m) is bordered on the south by the Grand Canyon, on the east and the west by tributary canyons of the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

, and on the North by tiers of uplifted cliffs.

North Kaibab history

The North Kaibab Ranger District was part of the lands withdrawn from the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

in 1893 and included in the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve. President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

created the Grand Canyon Game Preserve in 1906. The game preserve which includes of the Kaibab National Forest, is "set aside for the protection of game animals and birds," and is "to be recognized as a breeding place therefore." in 1908, the Forest Reserve north of the Grand Canyon, including the game preserve, was renamed Kaibab National Forest. In 1919, the National Park was created from the forest service lands surrounding the Grand Canyon. In 1934, the Tusayan National Forest south of the Grand Canyon was consolidated into the Kaibab National Forest, forming the present forest boundaries. Up until 1972 the North Kaibab consisted of two ranger districts, Big Springs and Jacob Lake. The headquarters of each were somewhat remote, particularly the Big Springs district. The two were combined and the forest area north of the canyon became the North Kaibab Ranger District and the district ranger station moved to Fredonia. The headquarters for the Kaibab National Forest is in Williams, Arizona.

North Kaibab climate

The climate of the North Kaibab, which encompasses the

, is a snowy highland climate, qualifying as ''Dsb/Csb'' under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

, a type often described as Continental climate. There are two weather stations in this area: Jacob Lake, which is near the center of the plateau, and Bright Angel Ranger Station, which is located at a more southerly location and is higher in altitude. The higher altitude is reflected in Bright Angel's cooler temperatures and increased precipitation versus Jacob Lake. Using the isotherm between temperate and continental climates preferred by some climatologists, Bright Angel Ranger Station is ''Dsb'', the dry-summer version of the warm summer humid continental climate. The North Kaibab is unusual for either a ''Csb'' or ''Dsb'' climate, featuring lower precipitation in early summer, with July and August being wetter (courtesy of the

North American Monsoon The North American monsoon, variously known as the Southwest monsoon, the Mexican monsoon, the New Mexican monsoon, or the Arizona monsoon is a pattern of pronounced increase in thunderstorms and rainfall over large areas of the southwestern Uni ...

). This is followed by a slightly drier period during the autumn months, and then a wetter period from December to March. Summers in this area feature warm days and cool nights. Winters are chilly, especially at night, and snowy. Jacob Lake averages of snow per annum, and Bright Angel Ranger Station .

South Kaibab

The South Kaibab includes the Tusayan Ranger District and the Williams Ranger District.

Vegetation

Vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characte ...

in the forest varies by elevation and exposure. Principal tree species are

ponderosa pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the ...

Douglas-fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...

Engelmann spruce ''Picea engelmannii'', with the common names Engelmann spruce, white spruce, mountain spruce, and silver spruce, is a species of spruce native to western North America. It is mostly a high-altitude mountain tree but also appears in watered canyon ...

aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the '' Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (Chin ...

blue spruce The blue spruce (''Picea pungens''), also commonly known as green spruce, Colorado spruce, or Colorado blue spruce, is a species of spruce tree. It is native to North America, and is found in USDA growing zones 1 through 7. It is found naturall ...

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

pinyon pine The pinyon or piñon pine group grows in southwestern North America, especially in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. The trees yield edible nuts, which are a staple food of Native Americans, and widely eaten as a snack and as an ingredient in Ne ...

, and juniper. Among other things, they enhance the beauty of the landscape, hold soil in place, and provide cover and food for wildlife. As elevation decreases, trees give way to bitterbrush,

Gambel oak ''Quercus gambelii'', with the common name Gambel oak, is a deciduous small tree or large shrub that is widespread in the foothills and lower mountains of western North America. It is also regionally called scrub oak, oak brush, and white oak. ...

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus '' Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub '' Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west. Following is an al ...

, and cliffrose. Within the forest, there are irregular areas entirely free of tree growth.

Wildlife

Commonly seen large wild animals include

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whi ...

, elk,

pronghorn The pronghorn (, ) (''Antilocapra americana'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is known colloquially in North America as the American a ...

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey, which was originally d ...

and coyote. Cougar, bobcat, and

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

are seen less frequently. Bison that live in the forest and national park are owned by the state of Arizona that issues hunting permits within the national forest. Bison were introduced to northern Arizona in the early 1900s as part of a ranching operation to crossbreed them with cattle. Common small animals in Kaibab National Forest include

chipmunk Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of the family Sciuridae. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks may be classified either as ...

ground squirrel Ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents ( Sciuridae), which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known ...

s and

Abert's squirrel Abert's squirrel or the tassel-eared squirrel (''Sciurus aberti'') is a tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' native to the southern Rocky Mountains from the United States to the northern Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico, with concentrations fo ...

s. Less common are porcupines, small lizards, and rattlesnakes. Most common birds are

bluebird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

robins Robins may refer to: Places United States *Robins, Iowa, a small city * Robins, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Robins Township, Fall River County, South Dakota * Robins Island, of the coast of New York state *Robins Air Force Base, Georgia *R ...

, Steller's jays,

nuthatch The nuthatches () constitute a genus, ''Sitta'', of small passerine birds belonging to the family Sittidae. Characterised by large heads, short tails, and powerful bills and feet, nuthatches advertise their territory using loud, simple songs. M ...

es, flickers and other

woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. ...

crow A crow is a bird of the genus '' Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...

s, various hummingbirds, ravens, and a variety of hawks.

Bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

s also occupy the park.

Wilderness

There are four designated

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

s in the Kaibab National Forest. Two in the North Kaibab Ranger District and two in the Williams Ranger District. *

Kanab Creek Wilderness Kanab Creek Wilderness is a wilderness area located along the Coconino/ Mohave County line in the U.S. state of Arizona, approximately south of Fredonia. of the Wilderness are located in the North Kaibab Ranger District of the Kaibab Na ...

''(North Kaibab Ranger District)'' * Kendrick Mountain Wilderness ''(Williams Ranger District)'' (partly in Coconino NF) * Saddle Mountain Wilderness ''(North Kaibab Ranger District)'' * Sycamore Canyon Wilderness ''(Williams Ranger District)'' (partly in Prescott NF and in Coconino NF)

Attractions

The historic Spring Valley Cabin, near Parks, Arizona in the Williams Ranger District, is available for rentals through the "Rooms with a View" Arizona Cabin Rental Program. The cabin was built in 1917. It served as the residence for rangers who worked at the guard station. The

bunkhouse A bunkhouse is a barracks-like building that historically was used to house working cowboys on ranches, or loggers in a logging camp in North America. As most cowboys were young single men, the standard bunkhouse was a large open room with narr ...

was the original office. Located one mile south of the Grand Canyon, Hull Cabin is the oldest surviving historic cabin near the Grand Canyon’s south rim. This rustic cabin was built in 1889 as part of a sheep ranch, and was acquired by the Forest Service in 1907 for use as a ranger station. In 1985, the cabin was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Hull Cabin is also available for rentals through the "Rooms with a View" program. A three-acre fishing facility, Perkins Tank is a blue ribbon trout fishing area. The tank was recently drained because of illegal

green sunfish The green sunfish (''Lepomis cyanellus'') is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. They are usu ...

stocking.

References

External links

Official Kaibab National Forest Home
{{Authority control Protected areas of Coconino County, Arizona Protected areas of Mohave County, Arizona National Forests of Arizona Protected areas of Yavapai County, Arizona Protected areas established in 1909 1909 establishments in Arizona Territory