The Phoenix Mountains Preserve (sometimes called the Phoenix Mountain Preserve) is a group of parks located among the Phoenix Mountains in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, United States. The Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area (better known as

Piestewa Peak Piestewa Peak ( ; , formerly Squaw Peak), at is the second highest point in the Phoenix Mountains, after Camelback Mountain, and the third highest in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. It is located in the Piestewa Peak Recreation Area within the ...

; formerly Squaw Peak), the first of these parks to be preserved, has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride. Two of the parks rank among the world's largest city parks (along with McDowell Sonoran Preserve in

Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...

). Largest City Parks

Parks

The parks include: Ocotillo

recreation area (formerly known as Squaw Peak; officially named the Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area) :* Dreamy Draw Recreation Area, the trailhead and northern part of this park *

Camelback Mountain Camelback Mountain () is a mountain in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The English name is derived from its shape, which resembles the hump and head of a kneeling camel. The mountain, a prominent landmark of the Phoenix metropolitan area, is l ...

Park *

Papago Park Papago Park () is a Urban park, municipal park of the cities of Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, United States. It has been designated as a Phoenix Points of Pride, Phoenix Point of Pride. It includes Hunt's Tomb, which is listed on ...

* Lookout Mountain Preserve * North Mountain and Shaw Butte Preserves * Phoenix Sonoran Preserve (under development) Additionally,

South Mountain Park South Mountain Park in Phoenix, Arizona, is the largest municipal park in the United States, and one of the largest urban parks in North America and in the world. It has been designated as a Phoenix Points of Pride, Phoenix Point of Pride. Geog ...

is sometimes included in this group. These parks largely consist of small

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

s and adjacent

foothills Foothills or piedmont are geography, geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an highland, upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low terrain, relief hill ...

that reach about 2,000 feet (roughly 600 meters) above the

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

floor. They also interrupt the checkerboard pattern of Phoenix's

built environment The term built environment refers to human-made conditions and is often used in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, public health, sociology, and anthropology, among others. These curated spaces provide the setting for human ac ...

and are quite prominent, especially since most of the city is flat and gridded. Since the largest part of the Phoenix metropolitan area sits at just over 1,000 feet (around 300 meters) above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, that means most of the peaks reach about 3,000 feet (under 1,000 meters) above sea level. Originally, the park system began with Piestewa Mountain Park and North Mountain Park as county parks. However, most of the existing municipal park system was acquired in the early 1970s when Phoenix's ever-expanding development threatened to encroach on these mountainous areas. All feature extensive

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

trails and many have public access areas with parking, ramadas (picnic tables) and restrooms. Some offer nearby horse stables where horses can be rented and ridden into the park.

References

External links

Phoenix Mountain Parks/Preserves and Hiking Trails
at City of Phoenix
History of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve
at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phoenix Mountain Preserve Phoenix Points of Pride Parks in Phoenix, Arizona

Parks

See also

References

External links