Kachina Peaks Wilderness
Encyclopedia
Kachina Peaks Wilderness is a 18616 acres (75 km²) wilderness area located approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Flagstaff
within the Coconino National Forest
in the U.S.
state of Arizona
.
The Wilderness encompasses most of the upper reaches of the San Francisco Peaks
including Humphreys Peak
, Arizona's highest point at 12643 feet (3,854 m). The area is named for the Hopi gods, or Kachinas, whom according to Hopi mythology live here for part of every year. In mid-summer these Gods fly from the top of the peaks to the Hopi mesas as clouds bringing the rains of the seasonal monsoons. These peaks are sacred to tribes including the Havasupai, Hopi
, Navajo
, and Zuni. Several religious shrines have been identified in the Wilderness, some of which are still in use.
(11,460 ft), Fremont Peak
(11,969 ft), and Agassiz Peak
(12,365 ft). These mountains form the rim of the volcano's inner basin, a huge caldera
which was formed during its last eruption.
Kachina Peaks Wilderness features Arizona's best examples of Ice Age
glaciation, found in lateral and medial moraines and abandoned stream beds.
San Francisco Peaks groundsel
(Packera franciscana) is found.
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
within the Coconino National Forest
Coconino National Forest
The Coconino National Forest is a 1.856-million acre United States National Forest located in northern Arizona in the vicinity of Flagstaff. Originally established in 1898 as the "San Francisco Mountains National Forest Reserve", the area was designated a U.S...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
The Wilderness encompasses most of the upper reaches of the San Francisco Peaks
San Francisco Peaks
The San Francisco Peaks are a volcanic mountain range located in north central Arizona, just north of Flagstaff.The highest summit in the range, Humphreys Peak, is the highest point in the state of Arizona at in elevation. The San Francisco Peaks are the remains of an eroded stratovolcano...
including Humphreys Peak
Humphreys Peak
Humphreys Peak is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Arizona, with an elevation of and is located within the Kachina Peaks Wilderness in the Coconino National Forest, about north of Flagstaff, Arizona. Humphreys Peak is the highest of a group of extinct volcanic peaks known as the...
, Arizona's highest point at 12643 feet (3,854 m). The area is named for the Hopi gods, or Kachinas, whom according to Hopi mythology live here for part of every year. In mid-summer these Gods fly from the top of the peaks to the Hopi mesas as clouds bringing the rains of the seasonal monsoons. These peaks are sacred to tribes including the Havasupai, Hopi
Hopi
The Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of indigenous Native American people, who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people. Their Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language...
, Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
, and Zuni. Several religious shrines have been identified in the Wilderness, some of which are still in use.
Geology
Kachina Peaks Wilderness is part of a large composite volcano that last erupted roughly two million years ago. Some of the area's trails lead to the top of the Kachina Peaks: Humphreys Peak, Doyle PeakDoyle Peak
Doyle Peak is in the San Francisco Peaks of northern Arizona and is the fourth highest peak, but the sixth highest named point in the state of Arizona with an elevation of 11,460 feet. Both Aubineau Peak and Rees Peak are higher, but they do not have enough prominence from their neighbors to be...
(11,460 ft), Fremont Peak
Fremont Peak (Arizona)
Fremont Peak is in the San Francisco Peaks of northern Arizona. It is the third highest point in the state of Arizona. The peak is within the Coconino National Forest and the Kachina Peaks Wilderness...
(11,969 ft), and Agassiz Peak
Agassiz Peak
Agassiz Peak is the second highest mountain in U.S. state of Arizona at . It is located in the San Francisco Peaks within the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona. The peak was named for Louis Agassiz, the celebrated naturalist....
(12,365 ft). These mountains form the rim of the volcano's inner basin, a huge caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
which was formed during its last eruption.
Kachina Peaks Wilderness features Arizona's best examples of Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
glaciation, found in lateral and medial moraines and abandoned stream beds.
Vegetation
The only Arctic-Alpine vegetation in Arizona is found in a fragile 2 square miles (5.2 km²) zone on the peaks of Kachina Peaks Wilderness. This is the only place where the threatenedThreatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
San Francisco Peaks groundsel
Packera franciscana
Packera franciscana is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name San Francisco Peaks groundsel, or San Francisco Peaks ragwort. It is endemic to Arizona in the United States, where it is known only from the San Francisco Peaks in Coconino County. It is...
(Packera franciscana) is found.
Recreation
Common recreational activities in Kachina Peaks Wilderness include hiking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and hunting.See also
- List of Arizona Wilderness Areas
- List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
- Wilderness ActWilderness ActThe Wilderness Act of 1964 was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. The result of a long effort to protect federal wilderness, the Wilderness Act was signed...
External links
- Kachina Peaks Wilderness - Coconino National Forest
- Kachina Peaks Wilderness - Wilderness.net
- Kachina Peaks Wilderness - GORP