San Pedro National Conservation Area

I did not read up on the history of this area, though I did see that this was a stretch of land which multiple families attempted to raise cattle on in the 1800’s only to be run off by the Apache. Now the land is in the hands of the BLM and conserved for the wildife… primarily birds.

It is simply a few miles of river-front land and the only trees of any size for as far as the eyes can see. The trees are due to the river, which gets it’s water from the surrounding mountains. The grove of Cottonwood trees can be seen miles out and the single large tree pictured is enormous on scale with the Sequoia’s in California. The trunk is easily 30-40 feet in diameter and the branches reach out nearly 100 yards. Reaching so far out from the trunk that each branch’s weight has pulled it earthbound and appear to be the ‘arms of the old man’ holding the trunk upright.

The fields were overgrown with native weed/plants/cactus. While I’m sure there are months of the year when it is all green, brown and dry was the color of the day. An easy conclusion to jump too is ‘this is where all tumble weeds of the nation are born’.

All the dried foliage become perfect home for the thousands of birds living in the area. An odd feeling it was, to walk the trail with scurrying in the bushes heard in all directions. A more paranoid person may not be able to make such a walk.