AZ-Camelback+Mountain+Recreation+Area


 * =Birding in Arizona=

Maricopa County
=Camelback Mountain Recreation Area= Phoenix, Arizona 85018 Camelback Mountain Recreation Area webpage Camelback Mountain Recreation Area map

media type="custom" key="26841864"

Camelback Mountain Recreation Area
Coordinates: 33.5207371, -111.9744161 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Camelback Mountain Recreation Area
The summit of Camelback Mountain is at 2,704 feet above sea level. The mountain's two summit trails gain approximately 1,200 feet in elevation.

During the late 1800s, the federal government reserved Camelback Mountain for an Indian reservation. By the 1940s, however, almost the entire mountain fell into private hands and remained so for most of the next two decades. Efforts on the county, state and federal level to restrict development above the 1,600-feet level largely were unsuccessful, including failed efforts in 1963-64 in the state Legislature to arrange land exchanges.

In 1965, the Preservation of Camelback Mountain Foundation led by Barry Goldwater spearheaded community efforts to save as much of the summit as possible. This effort ultimately succeeded and was capped off by a ceremony in 1968 marking a land exchange that President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall attended.

The “head” of Camelback Mountain, which comprises the area of Echo Canyon Recreation Area, is made up of layered sandstone. The hump primarily is composed of granite that, in geologic terms, is much older than the sedimentary rock that makes up the head section of the mountain. Because it's surrounded by residential development, large mammals are not normally found in the park. Smaller animals typical of the Sonoran Desert populate the park including cottontail rabbits, snakes, lizards, Harris antelope squirrels as well as a variety of birds. Rattlesnakes are common on the trail. If you see one, allow it space and time to escape. Plant species are typical of those found in the lower Sonoran Desert and include saguaro, barrel, hedgehog, pincushion, jumping cholla, christmas, staghorn, cholla and prickly pear cacti. Tree species include palo verde, mesquite, and ironwood, along with the ocotillo plant. From Camelback Mountain Recreation Area webpage

|| media type="custom" key="26841896"

media type="custom" key="26841916" || L299206 US US-AZ US-AZ-013 33.5207371 -111.9744161 Camelback Mountain Recreation Area