Piestewa Peak

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Piestewa Peak (formerly Squaw Peak), at 2608 feet (795 meters) is the second highest point in the Phoenix Mountains, and the third highest in the City of Phoenix. It is located in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve at the end of Squaw Peak Drive. Piestewa Peak was known as Squaw Peak until it was renamed in honor of Lori Piestewa, a Native American soldier from Tuba City, Arizona who was killed in Iraq in 2003. Piestewa Peak is composed of a billion year old gray schist, in contrast to the red granite and conglomerate of nearby Camelback Mountain.

The Piestewa Peak Summit Trail is climbed thousands of times per week by locals and visitors seeking a cardio-vascular workout, great views, or a family outing. Views from the summit include, in clear weather, Pinnacle Peak, the McDowell Mountains, Four Peaks, the Superstition Mountains, Mount Lemmon, Tabletop Mountain, the Estrella Mountains, Woolsey Peak, the White Tanks Mountains, the Harquahala Mountains and the Bradshaw Mountains.

AZ-51, formerly the Squaw Peak Parkway, was also renamed the Piestewa Freeway.

Piestewa Peak has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride[1].

[edit] References

  1. ^ Phoenix Points of Pride. Retrieved on October 18, 2006.

[edit] External links