South Mountain Preserve
South Mountain Preserve is a nature reserve in Arizona, at a modelled elevation of 413 m. Hayes Peak stands 1,375 m to the west-southwest, 15 miles off. Apache Trail Historic Road passes 28 miles off.
What to expect
How to reach it
- 28.3 mi off the Apache Trail Historic Road
Named places within 25 miles
- Two Peaks: 0.9 mi
- Dobbins Lookout: 1.8 mi
- Mount Suappoa: 2.8 mi
- Goat Hill: 4.2 mi
- Twin Butte: 4.6 mi
- Francisco Highland Park: 0.9 mi
- Highline Park: 1.1 mi
- Phoenix South Mountain Park: 2.1 mi
- Hermoso Park: 2.2 mi
- Copper Leaf Park Three: 2.2 mi
- A Brief History of Technology: 1.3 mi
- Cuatro Animales Salvajes: 1.3 mi
- El Espiritu del Desierto: 1.3 mi
- Our Lade of Guadlupe: 2.8 mi
- Unity Wall: 3.0 mi
- old stone houses: 1.9 mi
- Blue Star Memorial: 3.8 mi
- Lost Ranch: 5.2 mi
- Cesar Chavez Memorial: 5.9 mi
- Bower Park Commemoration: 6.1 mi
- Mill of Madness: 3.4 mi
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 3.9 mi
- Axe Adventures: 5.2 mi
- Sculpture Garden: 6.9 mi
- Pillar of Knowledge: 7.0 mi
- The Learning Patch: 6.6 mi
- The Rover Vine: 6.8 mi
- Secret Garden: 7.0 mi
- Japanese Friendship Garden: 7.1 mi
- Life Sciences Courtyard: 7.1 mi
- Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center: 4.3 mi
- Arizona Science Center: 6.1 mi
- Create at Arizona Science Center: 6.2 mi
- Rosson House Museum: 6.2 mi
- Children's Museum of Phoenix: 6.2 mi
- Piedras Grandes Picnic Ground: 2.6 mi
- Las Lomitas Picnic Ground: 2.7 mi
- Ruben Romero Picnic Area: 5.6 mi
- Ramada #1: 5.7 mi
- Ramada #2=: 5.7 mi
- South Mountain Preserve: 0.3 mi
- South Mountain Preserve: 0.6 mi
- Rio Salado Audubon Center: 4.4 mi
- Hayden Butte Preserve: 7.3 mi
- Desert Breeze Hummingbird Habitat: 7.5 mi
- Chinese Wall: 1.7 mi
- Illinois: 11.0 mi
- Marinette: 21.1 mi
- Mountain Spring: 24.7 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 24.1 miles of South Mountain Preserve. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayes Peak | WSW 246° | 1,375 m | 15.4 mi |
| Montezuma Peak | SW 217° | 1,313 m | 15.5 mi |
| Quartz Peak | SW 230° | 1,235 m | 14.5 mi |
| McDowell Peak | NNE 32° | 1,230 m | 24.0 mi |
| Butterfly Mountain | SW 228° | 1,221 m | 14.0 mi |
| Thompson Peak | NNE 34° | 1,214 m | 23.3 mi |
| Drinkwater Peak | NNE 31° | 1,192 m | 23.9 mi |
| Montezuma Sleeping | WSW 237° | 1,113 m | 14.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:33 | 18:07 | 18:40 |
| June solstice | 05:20 | 19:05 | 19:42 |
| September equinox | 06:17 | 17:54 | 18:26 |
| December solstice | 07:29 | 16:47 | 17:25 |
Local time (America/Phoenix).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Oct–May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 54 | 58 | 63 | 69 | 77 | 85 | 90 | 89 | 84 | 73 | 61 | 53 |
| Precip in | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — South Phoenix, 2 mi away.
- saguaro259 obs
- Brittlebush256 obs
- Creosote Bush179 obs
- ocotillo138 obs
- California Barrel Cactus121 obs
- Common Chuckwalla113 obs
- little-leaved palo verde89 obs
- Harris' Antelope Squirrel88 obs
Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element way/665446963
Day trips start here
- Guadalupe · 4 mi
- Greater Phoenix · 5 mi
- Tempe · 8 mi
- Phoenix · 10 mi
- Scottsdale · 11 mi
- Chandler · 12 mi
Take the scenic way to South Mountain Preserve.
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