Community Corner
Phoenix Piestewa Peak Trailhead Project Earns Natural Resources Award
Additionally, Piestewa Peak is named in honor of Lori Piestewa, the first Native American female to die in combat.
August 12, 2020
Find out what's happening in Phoenixfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department’s recent renovation of Piestewa Peak Trailhead was honored with the Natural Resources Award during the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association’s (APRA) Best of the Best Virtual Awards Ceremony held August 11. The ceremony was part of APRA’s annual conference, which is also being conducted virtually this week. Watch video
of the awards ceremony.
In October 2019, the community celebrated the grand opening of new and upgraded amenities at Piestewa Peak Trailhead’s Brittlebush and Mesquite areas. The project is part of a five-year infrastructure improvement plan for the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, which started in 2017, and is funded by the voter-approved Phoenix Parks and Preserve Initiative (PPPI).
Find out what's happening in Phoenixfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Trailhead improvements included reconfigured parking areas that are connected by a new 104-foot-long vehicle/pedestrian bridge that improved traffic flow and access to trails. Reengineering of the parking lots created an additional 22 parking spaces for what is one of the city's most popular hiking destinations. Trail users can also now enjoy a new building with six individual restrooms and a ranger station, three drinking fountains and a water bottle fill station, four new
ramadas and two renovated ramadas, as well as improved sidewalks, curbing, lighting and signage. Additionally, a new 60-foot-tall concrete and steel entry monument was constructed to greet visitors as they enter the trailhead.
The Phoenix Mountains Preserve is located within the ancestral homeland of what is today represented by the Tohono O'odham Nation, Gila River Indian, Ak-Chin Indian and Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian communities. Additionally, Piestewa Peak is named in honor of Lori Piestewa, the first Native American female to die in combat.
The Parks and Recreation Department worked with J2 Engineering and Environmental Design, and Thomas+Crowley Landscape Architects to design the new and renovated features. The design addresses the significance of the location to the tribal community, as well as conservation and natural resource management.
This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
