It is almost guaranteed that in any given issue of the Arizona Highways, there will be one or more pictures of the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and/or the Oak Creek Canyon area around Sedona. I do have to agree that all of these places, and more, warrant the attention they get from the media. But I am equally impressed with a lot of other areas that are just as beautiful, if not as well known. In the next few posts I will give my impressions of some of these other, less well known, locations throughout the State.
First on my list are Big Lake and Mount Baldy. Located in eastern Arizona, just about midway from the north and south borders, this area known as the White Mountains is spectacular. Mount Baldy is the second highest mountain in Arizona and can be easily climbed by anyone with the stamina to walk up to 11,391 feet. On some lists it is ranked as low as number eight, due to the fact that the San Francisco Peaks, including the highest peak, Humphrey's Peak at 12,562 or thereabouts, have the first seven highest peaks.
Arizona has very few natural lakes. Almost every lake in the State has its origin as a man-made reservoir and Big Lake is no exception. When I have taken people to see this area of Arizona for the first time, almost with out exception, they declare that they had no idea that Arizona had such a beautiful place.
The White Mountains are volcanic in origin and are now covered in thick stands of Ponderosa Pine and Fir, with open meadows called cienegas. Intermixed with the pine and fir are stands of quaking aspen and the fall colors are spectacular.
There are dozens of Web sites that tell the story of the mountains, here are a few of them:
http://azwhitemountains.net/
http://www.go-arizona.com/White-Mountains
http://www.wmonline.com/
http://www.arizonawhitemountains.com/
http://www.biglakeaz.com/Big%20Lake%20AZ.htm
http://www.go-arizona.com/Big-Lake
Check these sites out.
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