AZ-Mt.+Graham--Riggs+Lake

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

Graham County
=Mt. Graham= =Riggs Lake= Coronado National Forest Willcox, Arizona 85643 Mt. Graham webpage Riggs Lake news article Riggs Flat Campground webpage

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Mt. Graham--Riggs Lake
Coordinates: 32.7080834, -109.964819 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Riggs Lake
The history of Riggs Lake on Mount Graham in the Coronado National Forest is relatively new compared to the rest of the mountain.

It has become the jewel of recreational areas on Mount Graham and was rated in the top 10 best camping spots in Arizona in the most recent issue of Arizona Highways magazine.

At 8,600 feet above sea level, Riggs Lake offers a tremendous 11-acre trout fishery.

A natural spot to accumulate water, as far back as 1870, the area was used by rancher Lew Riggs to water his livestock. It was the Arizona Game and Fish Department that financed the dam in 1957, creating the lake that provides tremendous trout fishing.

Today there are 31 areas allowed for fee camping with trailers up to 22 feet allowed. With its fishing, boating, hiking, bicycling, camping and horseback riding, Riggs Lake is considered one of the premier camping locations in the Coronado National Forest From Riggs Lake news article

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="29253193" || L456902 US US-AZ US-AZ-009 32.7080834 -109.964819 Mt. Graham--Riggs Lake