AZ-Mt.+Graham--Ladybug+Trail

Also, see Mt. Graham
 * =Birding in Arizona=

Graham County
=Mt. Graham= =Ladybug Trail= Coronado National Forest Safford, Arizona 85546 Mt. Graham webpage Ladybug Trail webpage Ladybug Trail map

media type="custom" key="27968707"

Mt. Graham--Ladybug Trail
Coordinates: 32.6593851, -109.7945743 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Ladybug Trail
This trail gets its unique name from the fact that it starts near Ladybug Peak, a place where large numbers of these small, orange-colored, black-spotted beetles congregate at various times of the year. In addition to this interesting feature, Ladybug Trail has a number of other notable aspects which make it well worth a visit. For one thing, it’s a good place to see black bear sign or even to catch a glimpse of one of these impressive animals. Virtually all of the upper slopes of the Pinaleños are excellent bear country, serving as home to one of the densest concentrations of black bears to be found in North America. The area this particular trail traverses, however, seems to be especially attractive to them. If that makes you a little uneasy, remember that black bears are shy and not at all as aggressive as their larger grizzly cousins. Still, they deserve your respect. The upper trailhead is located in stands of mixed conifers from which the setting changes gradually to oak woodland and eventually to manzanita and desert scrub as the trail drops into Jacobson Canyon at its lower end. Most people choose to travel the trail in this downhill direction because it is quite steep. A good reason to choose to go the other way, however, is if the upper trailhead is snowed in after a winter storm. The scenery along Ladybug Trail includes good overlooks of Jacobson Canyon and views of the Swift Trail (AZ 366) as it snakes its way up the mountain. In the distance, the Gila Mountains and Gila Valley provide a broad and scenic backdrop.

Directions: From Safford drive south 8 miles on US-191 to the Swift Trail (AZ-366). Turn right (southwest) onto AZ-366 and drive about 17 miles to Ladybug Saddle. From the trailhead at the parking area on the left side of the road follow the Bear Canyon Trail #299 to the Ladybug Trail. From Ladybug Trail webpage

About Mt. Graham
The Pinaleno Mountains are the most dominant mountain feature in southeastern Arizona, the towering range rising over 7,000 feet over the Gila River Valley and the cities of Safford, Thatcher, and Pima in Graham County. Mount Graham is the highest of the peaks that breach the 10,000-foot barrier, while nearby Hawk Peak is home to the Mount Graham Observatory, its buildings visible from below and even from vantage points on distant peaks. The whole range is often informally referred to as "Mount Graham".

The mountain is named for Lt. Col. James Duncan Graham of the United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, the name being given to the mountain in 1846 by his friend, Lt. William Emory. At the time, the mountain was part of Mexico. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War, but the treaty gave the United States jurisdiction to lands north of the Gila River, not south. In 1854, the Gadsden Purchase extended the United States jurisdiction to its current-day boundary. Graham County is named after its most notable feature, the county being formed in 1881. Not surprisingly, Mount Graham is the highest point in Graham County, and somewhat surprisingly, it is also the most prominent mountain in Arizona, its 6,320 feet of prominence beating out Mount Humphreys near Flagstaff. Most people don't need the math to underscore the visual impressiveness of the mountain, as viewed from points around Safford. It is a huge, magnificent mountain. From Mt. Graham webpage

|| media type="custom" key="27968733"

media type="custom" key="29253179"

|| L733905 US US-AZ US-AZ-009 32.6593851 -109.7945743 Mt. Graham--Ladybug Trail