Golden Aspens. White Horse Hills Area, north of Flagstaff, Arizona. Coconino National Road 418. USA
The United States Congress designated the Kachina Peaks Wilderness (map) in 1984 and it now has a total of 18,616 acres. All of this wilderness is located in Arizona and is managed by the Forest Service. Rising to truly majestic summits, Kachina Peaks Wilderness area boasts 12,643-foot Humphrey's Peak, the highest point in Arizona. The Wilderness is part of a large and heavily vegetated composite volcano, which bears signs of a rich geologic past that included violent eruptions and lava flows. Arizona's best examples of Ice Age glaciation can be found here in lateral and medial moraines and abandoned stream beds. Erosion and frost have helped shape this area. The only arctic-alpine vegetation in the state grows up here in a fragile two-square-mile zone. Because of this delicate ecosystem, hikers must stay on designated trails, and no camping or campfires are allowed above the tree line or within the Inner Basin. The climb to the top of Humphrey's Peak is a nontechnical five-mile walk up the sometimes steep Humphrey's Trail. Here and nowhere else on Earth grows the fragile San Francisco Peaks groudsel. Groups are limited to a maximum of 12 people.
Size: 3973px × 5500px
Location: Kachina Peaks area, north of Flagstaff, AZ.
Photo credit: © Morey Milbradt / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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