- Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area
The Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area is a group of mountain parks located in and around the city of
Phoenix, Arizona ,USA . It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride [cite web|url=http://phoenix.gov/ARTS/pridepts.html|title=Phoenix Points of Pride|accessdate=October 18|accessyear=2006] .The parks include:
* Dreamy Draw Recreation Area
* Lookout Mountain Preserve
* North Mountain Preserve
* Piestewa Mountain Park (formerly known as Squaw Peak Park)These parks largely consist of small
mountains and adjacentfoothills that reach about 2,000 feet (roughly 600 meters) above thedesert floor. They also interrupt the checkerboard pattern of Phoenix'sbuilt environment and are quite prominent, especially since most of the city is flat and gridded. Since the largest part of the Phoenix metropolitan area sits at just over 1,000 feet (around 300 meters) abovesea level , that means most of the peaks reach about 3,000 feet (under 1,000 meters) above sea level.Originally, the park system began with Piestewa Mountain Park and North Mountain Park as county parks. However, most of the existing municipal park system was acquired in the early 1970s when Phoenix's ever-expanding development threatened to encroach on these mountainous areas. All feature extensive
hiking trails and many have public access areas with parking, ramadas (picnic tables) and restrooms. Some offer nearby horse stables where horses can be rented and ridden into the park.References
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