wheel
10-14-06, 12:51 AM
The largest municipal park in the USA At over 16,000 acres,
South Mountain Park/Preserve often is referred to as the largest municipal park in the country. It boasts 51 miles of trails for horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking for all ability levels skills.
I am taking a cycle to the 2330 summit during the night. YEAH! Nice widing road around cliffs.
> PHOENIX AZ- Bicyclists, strollers, in-line skaters and
> wheelchair users
> are among those who will get to call the roadways of
> South Mountain
> Park their own on Oct. 22.
>
> The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department is
> sponsoring "Silent
> Sunday" at the preserve, which will close the park's
> Central
> Avenue-access roadways to motor vehicles from 5 a.m.
> to 11 p.m.
>
> The roads will be reserved for the day for all
> non-motorized uses.
>
> The goal is to promote awareness of alternative
> modes
> of
> transportation and give South Mountain a day of rest
> from lots of
> traffic.
>
> Only the roadways accessible from the preserve's
> Central Avenue
> entrance will be closed for Silent Sunday.
>
> Other access points and parking areas in the
> preserve,
> including
> trailheads at Pima Canyon, Desert Foothills, Beverly
> Canyon, and
> Mormon Trail, will be open.
>
It is important to remember that the Phoenix mountain preserves are open, undeveloped desert areas. Please use care when heading out as hikers can encounter rocky terrain, rattlesnakes and other potential hazards native to the Sonoran Desert. If you encounter a rattlesnake, allow it space and time to escape.
South Mountain Park/Preserve actually consists of three mountain ranges, the Ma Ha Tauk, Gila and Guadalupe. They stretch diagonally from northeast to southwest. Diagonal mountain ranges that protrude from desert floors, like those of South Mountain, are typical features of the Sonoran Desert. Various minerals were mined in the park in the early 1900s before its birth as a park.
> --History
The history of South Mountain as a city of Phoenix park dates back to 1924. Prominent local citizens, with the help of Sen. Carl Hayden, bought 13,000 acres from the federal government for $17,000. In 1935 the National Park Service developed a master plan for the park with riding and hiking trails, picnic areas and overlooks, all in rustic regional character. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built many of the facilities in the park, based on this master plan. Visitation at the park has gone from 3,000 a month in 1924 to three million a year today. Photos and artifacts at the South Mountain Environmental Education Center give a glimpse into the early history of the park and the CCC's construction work.
The major plant species found in the park are bursage, brittlebush, creosote cush, palo verde trees and saguaro cactus. More than 300 species of plant life are found in the park. Only the hardiest plants survive, and even they grow slowly. The varieties of cacti include: saguaro, barrel, hedgehog, pincushion, jumping cholla, christmas cactus, staghorn, cholla and prickly pear. Palo verde, mesquite, elephant and ironwood trees, along with the ocotillo plant, are also numerous in the park.
The fauna found in South Mountain is typical of the lower Sonoran Desert ecosystem. The desert arthropoda - sun spiders, scorpions, centipedes, beetles and ants are common, but mostly nocturnal, spending the day underground due to high daytime temperatures. Reptilian inhabitants include desert tortoises and several species of snakes, including rattlesnakes, and lizards - Gila monsters, horned lizards, geckos and chuckwallas. The mammal population, which is restricted by food supply, habitat and the presence of man, includes the California jackrabbit, cottontail rabbit, ground squirrel, mice, ringtail, coyote, javalina, gophers and kit fox. Bird populations vary according to season and moisture but include Gambel’s Quail, great horned owls, roadrunners, mourning doves, and red-tailed and Harris’s hawks.
South Mountain Park/Preserve often is referred to as the largest municipal park in the country. It boasts 51 miles of trails for horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking for all ability levels skills.
I am taking a cycle to the 2330 summit during the night. YEAH! Nice widing road around cliffs.
> PHOENIX AZ- Bicyclists, strollers, in-line skaters and
> wheelchair users
> are among those who will get to call the roadways of
> South Mountain
> Park their own on Oct. 22.
>
> The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department is
> sponsoring "Silent
> Sunday" at the preserve, which will close the park's
> Central
> Avenue-access roadways to motor vehicles from 5 a.m.
> to 11 p.m.
>
> The roads will be reserved for the day for all
> non-motorized uses.
>
> The goal is to promote awareness of alternative
> modes
> of
> transportation and give South Mountain a day of rest
> from lots of
> traffic.
>
> Only the roadways accessible from the preserve's
> Central Avenue
> entrance will be closed for Silent Sunday.
>
> Other access points and parking areas in the
> preserve,
> including
> trailheads at Pima Canyon, Desert Foothills, Beverly
> Canyon, and
> Mormon Trail, will be open.
>
It is important to remember that the Phoenix mountain preserves are open, undeveloped desert areas. Please use care when heading out as hikers can encounter rocky terrain, rattlesnakes and other potential hazards native to the Sonoran Desert. If you encounter a rattlesnake, allow it space and time to escape.
South Mountain Park/Preserve actually consists of three mountain ranges, the Ma Ha Tauk, Gila and Guadalupe. They stretch diagonally from northeast to southwest. Diagonal mountain ranges that protrude from desert floors, like those of South Mountain, are typical features of the Sonoran Desert. Various minerals were mined in the park in the early 1900s before its birth as a park.
> --History
The history of South Mountain as a city of Phoenix park dates back to 1924. Prominent local citizens, with the help of Sen. Carl Hayden, bought 13,000 acres from the federal government for $17,000. In 1935 the National Park Service developed a master plan for the park with riding and hiking trails, picnic areas and overlooks, all in rustic regional character. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built many of the facilities in the park, based on this master plan. Visitation at the park has gone from 3,000 a month in 1924 to three million a year today. Photos and artifacts at the South Mountain Environmental Education Center give a glimpse into the early history of the park and the CCC's construction work.
The major plant species found in the park are bursage, brittlebush, creosote cush, palo verde trees and saguaro cactus. More than 300 species of plant life are found in the park. Only the hardiest plants survive, and even they grow slowly. The varieties of cacti include: saguaro, barrel, hedgehog, pincushion, jumping cholla, christmas cactus, staghorn, cholla and prickly pear. Palo verde, mesquite, elephant and ironwood trees, along with the ocotillo plant, are also numerous in the park.
The fauna found in South Mountain is typical of the lower Sonoran Desert ecosystem. The desert arthropoda - sun spiders, scorpions, centipedes, beetles and ants are common, but mostly nocturnal, spending the day underground due to high daytime temperatures. Reptilian inhabitants include desert tortoises and several species of snakes, including rattlesnakes, and lizards - Gila monsters, horned lizards, geckos and chuckwallas. The mammal population, which is restricted by food supply, habitat and the presence of man, includes the California jackrabbit, cottontail rabbit, ground squirrel, mice, ringtail, coyote, javalina, gophers and kit fox. Bird populations vary according to season and moisture but include Gambel’s Quail, great horned owls, roadrunners, mourning doves, and red-tailed and Harris’s hawks.