A Tribute to My Home State of Arizona

	Arizona
A Tribute to the State I Call Home

Please be patient; this page will take a while to load.

First, let's clear up a misconception about what a desert is.

This is what you probably think of when you hear the term "desert":

But this is also the desert:

        A desert is simply a place where lack of water is severely limiting to living things most of the time. Depending on who's counting, there are about twenty major deserts on our planet, each a unique and fascinating world in itself, and it's no easy task to find one description that fits them all. The deceptively simple definition above is as good as any, and it has much to say about what a desert is. But let's start with what it doesn't say.

        First, it says nothing about what a desert looks like. For many of us, the word "desert" calls to mind expanses of sun-baked sand dunes, but the world's deserts also encompass barren salt flats, snow-swept plateaus, fog-cloaked coastal plains, cactus-studded mountains, and a great many other distinctive and beautiful landscapes besides.

        Second, and perhaps more surprisingly, the definition says nothing about heat. Freezing temperatures are actually commonplace in many deserts, especially those far from the equator and the ameliorating effects of oceans -- for example the deserts of Central Asia and our own Great Basin Desert. At the chilliest extreme are the polar deserts of Antarctica and Greenland, where the frigid air can hold scant moisture, and what little precipitation there is comes in frozen form.

        So what do all deserts have in common? The definition has the answer: aridity. A desert is a dry place, not necessarily a hot one (though heat is one way to make a desert dry). It's a place where plants, animals, and human beings have adapted to -- even thrive in -- an environment where water is usually scarce and its arrival almost always unpredictable.

Grand Canyon

As one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon shows an impressive display of erosion and mother earth's natural beauty. Stretching for 277 miles, the Grand Canyon ranges in elevation from 2,400 feet to over 7,000 feet above sea level. Many attractions and activities are located within the serene canyon. The breathtaking beauty of the Grand Canyon is enjoyable for all who visit.

Where Is Grand Canyon?

      Grand Canyon is in the northwest corner of Arizona, close to the borders of Utah and Nevada. The Colorado River, which flows through the canyon, drains water from seven states, but the feature we know as Grand Canyon is entirely in Arizona.

       Most of Grand Canyon lies within Grand Canyon National Park and is managed by the National Park Service. Adjacent lands are administered by other units of the National Park Service (Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area), other federal agencies (the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service) or neighboring Indian tribes (the Havasupai, Hualapai, and Navajo Indian Reservations).

How Big Is It?

        The park includes over a million acres of land: 1,218,376 acres/493,077 hectares, or 1,904 square miles/4931 square km. Most people measure the canyon in Colorado River miles. By that standard, Grand Canyon is 277 miles/446 km long. It begins at Lees Ferry and ends at Grand Wash Cliffs.

        The Colorado River is longer than Grand Canyon, flowing 1450 miles/2333 km from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the Gulf of California in Mexico. Grand Canyon is only one of many beautiful canyons carved by the river. Others include Cataract Canyon and Glen Canyon, the latter now lying beneath the waters of Lake Powell. Most people agree, however, that Grand Canyon is the most spectacular. No other place in the world looks quite like it.

        Width and depth of the canyon vary from place to place. At the South Rim, near Grand Canyon Village, it's a vertical mile (about 5000 feet/1524 m) from rim to river, or 7 miles/11.3 km by trail. At its deepest, it is 6000 vertical feet/1829 m from rim to river. The width of the canyon at Grand Canyon Village is 10 miles/16 km (rim to rim), though in places it is as much as 18 miles/29 km wide.

        A trip to the bottom of the canyon and back (on foot or by mule) is a two-day journey. Rim-to-rim hikers generally take three days one-way to get from the North Rim to the South Rim. A trip through Grand Canyon by raft can take two weeks or longer. Experienced backpackers have spent weeks in the more remote areas of the canyon.

What lives in the Grand Canyon?

        At Grand Canyon 75 species of mammals, 50 species of reptiles and amphibians, 25 species of fish, and over 300 species of birds exist.

        The South Rim of Grand Canyon lies on the edge of a high plateau whose gray-green forests stand out in sharp contrast to the arid lands below the rim. From here the cliffs drop 5000 feet/1524 m to the Colorado River, crossing several biotic zones in the process. It is a landscape characterized by abundant sunshine, extremes of temperature, and long periods of drought punctuated by torrential downpours in summer and snow in winter. The soil is thin; bedrock lies just a few inches below the surface. The competition for moisture in this dry land is keen.

        On the rim at elevations above 7000 feet/2134 m, ponderosa pine is the dominant tree in the forest. Below 7000 feet/2134 m, pinyon pine and Utah juniper are the dominant trees. Gambel oak is another common member of the forest. The trees are interspersed with drought-resistant shrubs like cliffrose, fernbush, and serviceberry. Warm, sunny areas along the rim may be home to desert plants like banana yucca and claretcup cactus.

        Below the rim, it's another world. The temperature within the inner canyon can be as much as 30 degrees F/18 degrees C higher than temperatures on the rim. Summertime highs along the Colorado River can reach 120 degrees F/49 degrees C. Much of the inner canyon is considered desert, excluding the areas along the river and tributary streams which have rich riparian (streamside) habitat. Much of the vegetation in the inner canyon is typical of that found in deserts to the south: cacti and drought-resistant shrubs. Riparian plants include thickets of willow and tamarisk.

        The park is home to a wide variety of animals. Mule deer are common throughout the park and are the mammals most commonly seen on the rim. Desert bighorn inhabit the remote slopes of the inner canyon but are occasionally seen on established trails. Bobcats and coyotes range from rim to river, and a small population of mountain lions exists in the park. Among the smaller mammals that inhabit Grand Canyon are ringtails (closely related to raccoons), beavers, gophers, chipmunks, several varieties of squirrels, rabbits and bats. Reptiles and amphibians are represented by a wide variety of lizards, snakes (including the unique Grand Canyon "pink" rattlesnake), turtles, frogs, toads and salamanders. Hundreds of species of birds make their home in the park, along with countless insects and arachnids (spiders and scorpions).

        Grand Canyon National Park is home to a number of threatened and endangered species. The native Colorado River fish have suffered as a result of the dramatic changes in water volume, temperature and sediment load since the completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. These fish include the Colorado squawfish, humpback chub, and bonytail chub. Several species of endangered birds make Grand Canyon home, including the peregrine falcon, bald eagle, and willow flycatcher. A number of endangered plants can also be found in the park, including. More and more, protected lands like Grand Canyon National Park provide a refuge for plants and animals that are under increasing pressure elsewhere.

Petrified Forest National Park

200 million years ago, much of northeastern Arizona was blanketed by dense forests of mosses, ferns and tall Conifers in what was then a low-lying swamp basin. Fallen logs slowly became petrified as water-borne sediment seeped through the wood tissue, crystallizing it into quartz. Today, the Petrified Forest is a unique land of scenic wonders located in what is now high-plateau country, about 2 hours east of Flagstaff. Covering some 93,533 acres, it features one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood. The park also encompasses the multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert, archaeological sites and displays of 225 million year old fossils. Remember: The removal of petrified wood is strictly prohibited by law. Gift shops sell petrified wood that comes from private land, outside the park.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Situated against the Mexican border in southwestern Arizona (take Exit 115 on I-8 and drive about 55 miles south on Arizona Highway 85), this amazing site covers over 330,000 acres in the Sonoran desert, a starkly gorgeous region teeming with the site's titular cactus, found nowhere else in America. Organ pipe cacti can reach 25 feet high. And that's nothing: another cactus variety here, the saguaro, reaches 50 feet! Two dirt-road driving loops -- one takes about two hours, the other about twice that long -- provide spectacular views of the cacti and the majestic Ajo Mountains in the distance. Consider visiting in the evening, when the desert sky and remote location make for fantastic stargazing.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Centuries ago, before Europeans began moving in droves to the New World, an agrarian civilization inhabited much of what is now Arizona. Among the most impressive and mysterious artifacts of this culture is Casa Grande -- the "big house" -- a four-story prehistoric structure that serves as the centerpiece to a village that had been abandoned by the time European settlers arrived. Casa Grande is in Coolidge, Arizona -- pretty much in the middle of nowhere (take Exit 211 off I-10 and drive about 20 miles north on Arizona Highway 87), and its relative isolation just adds to its surreal appeal.

Kartchner Caverns State Park

This incredible two-mile-long limestone cavern has an even more incredible story. The site was discovered in 1974 by a spelunker named Randy Tufts, who somehow managed to keep it secret for over a decade (even the property owners didn't know about it for the first four years) and then enlisted political support to have it preserved as a state park. Tufts was so worried that the cave would be exploited and ruined if its existence became public that many state legislators weren't even sure what they were voting on when they appropriated funds for the park. Happily, this extraordinary secrecy has resulted in a fascinating place -- tours of the cave allow visitors to see magnificent stalactite and stalagmite formations, a huge "soda straw" (a limestone tube that's 21 feet long but only a quarter-inch in diameter), and an extensive fossil record. There are also hiking trails, camping facilities, and a visitors' center with modern interactive displays.

OK Corral/ Tombstone, Arizona

      Enshrined in several Hollywood movies and in American lore, the OK Corral is where the Earp Brothers -- Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan -- and Doc Holliday fought the McLaurys and Clantons in one of the most storied gun battles of the old American West. The town of Tombstone has essentially become a living museum (okay, it's a tourist trap, but a fun one) devoted to this moment in history, and there are many ways for visitors to learn about the shootout, from simple artifact displays to animatronic reenactments. You can even visit the old Boot Hill Cemetery, where the McLaurys, the Clantons, and many others are interred. Take Exit 303 off I-10 and head about 20 miles south on Arizona Highway 80.

Chiricahua National Monument

      Formed from volcanic stone -- the result of a massive eruption that took place 27 million years ago and was 1,000 times more powerful than the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens -- Chiricahua is a bizarre moonscape of odd geological formations. The 12,000-acre site offers spectacular hiking and bird-watching, and also features the Faraway Ranch, a pioneer homestead that serves as an excellent example of how early settlers carved a way of life from this harsh environment. It is located in Willcox, Arizona.

Sedona

        Sedona is one of Arizona's premier tourism, recreation, resort and art centers. Its location at the mouth of scenic Oak Creek Canyon and at the center of the state's famous Red Rock Country affords breathtaking panoramas, a mild climate and plenty of sunshine. The area is the second most visited site in Arizona after the Grand Canyon. Established in 1902, the community was named for Sedona Schnebly, an early settler. Spreading across the central Arizona counties of Coconino and Yavapai, Sedona sits at an elevation of 4,500 feet (about 3,200 feet higher than Phoenix). Via Interstate 17, the town is 120 miles north of Phoenix and 30 miles south of Flagstaff. Sedona has something for everyone - world-class resorts, small family-run motels, bed & breakfasts, fine restaurants, diverse shops and art galleries. The beauty of the area makes sightseeing and hiking popular; golf and tennis are almost year-round activities. Visitors can take a jeep tour into the backcountry or view the red rock monoliths from horseback or hot air balloon.

Agua Fria National Monument

     The windswept, grassy mesas and formidable canyons of Agua Fria National Monument embrace an extraordinary array of scientific and historic resources. The ancient ruins within the monument, with their breathtaking vistas and spectacular petroglyphs, provide a link to the past, offering insights into the lives of the peoples who once inhabited this part of the desert Southwest. The Yavapai and Hopi people are among those who regard the Agua Fria area as traditionally important. The 71,000-acre monument will be managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

     The monument is characterized by a high semi-desert grassland plateau that is dissected by the steep Agua Fria River canyon and its tributaries. The river bottom is only 600 feet above sea level, while the northern hills in the area rise to 4,300 feet elevation.

      Wildlife is abundant and diverse, including pronghorn, mule deer, and white-tail deer. Javelina, mountain lions, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and neotropical migratory birds also inhabit the area. Elk and black bear are present, but less abundant. Four species of native fish, including the longfin dace, the Gila mountain sucker, the Gila chub, and the speckled dace, exist in the Agua Fria River and its tributaries.



         The monument contains one of the most significant systems of late prehistoric sites in the American Southwest. Several thousand people lived here in pueblo communities between 1250 and 1450 AD. At least 450 prehistoric sites are known to exist within the monument and there are likely mny more. There are at least four major settlements within the area, including Pueblo La Plata, Pueblo Pato, the Baby Canyon Ruin group, and the Lousy Canyon group. These consist of clusters of stone-masonry pueblos, some containing at least 100 rooms. These settlements are typically situated at the edges of steep canyons, and offer a panorama of ruins, distinctive rock art panels, and visually spectacular settings. Many intact petroglyph sites within the monument contain rock art symbols pecked into the surfaces of boulders and cliff faces. The sites range from single designs on boulders to cliffs covered with hundreds of geometric and abstract symbols.