AZ-Mt.+Graham--Shannon+Campground

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

Graham County
=Mt. Graham= =Shannon Campground= Coronado National Forest Safford, Arizona 85546 Mt. Graham webpage Shannon Campground webpage Mt. Graham--Shannon Campground map

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Mt. Graham--Shannon CG
Coordinates: 32.6585532, -109.8574984 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Shannon Campground
Shannon Campground is small and tucked away along the upper reaches of Marijilda Creek, a pleasant little brook that winds through a setting of tall trees and green grass. Campsites are shaded under mature Engelmann spruce and Douglas-fir. Two three-sided wood shelters of the type originally developed in the Adirondack Mountains of New York add to the historic atmosphere of this campground.

The Arcadia Trail, which leads down the mountain to Arcadia Campground, has been designated a National Recreation Trail. A one-mile spur leads from this trail to the top of Heliograph Peak, a vantage point with a history as well as a view. This 10,022-foot vantage point once served as a location for signal mirrors used to communicate messages during the Apache Wars of the late 1880’s. Today you’ll find a Forest Service lookout tower on the mountaintop as well as some of the most panoramic views in southeastern Arizona.

Directions: From Safford drive south 8 miles on US-191 to AZ-366. Turn right (southwest) onto AZ-366 and drive 21.8 miles to the campground entrance on the right side of the road. Check local road conditions during winter months. From Shannon Campground 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

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media type="custom" key="29253197" || L600770 US US-AZ US-AZ-009 32.6585532 -109.8574984 Mt. Graham--Shannon CG