Wettest/greenest spot in AZ (Phoenix, Douglas: landscaping, neighborhoods, rating)

[chazk14]

pinaleno mountains. up to 40 inches a year.

[Fiddlehead]

I love that name. Pinaleno. For some reason it makes me think of some sort of Shangri-La with beautiful scenery and stunning women like Elizabeth Pena or Penelope Cruz.


Ah....

Ok, back to reality. While I think the Pinolenos probably get some good snow and an epic monsoon, I suspect they are too steep to be truly lush. Only in the White Mts. or Inner Basin of the San Francisco peaks (or some awesome riparian canyon in the Pinalenos or Chiracahuas) are you likely to get a super lush feeling. You need a lot of rain, snow, and some way for groundwater flow or stream flow to fill in the dry bits. I am still voting for somewhere in the Whites above 8500', though that shot of the North Rim looked nice too.

[chazk14]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

I love that name. Pinaleno. For some reason it makes me think of some sort of Shangri-La with beautiful scenery and stunning women like Elizabeth Pena or Penelope Cruz.


Ah....

Ok, back to reality. While I think the Pinolenos probably get some good snow and an epic monsoon, I suspect they are too steep to be truly lush. Only in the White Mts. or Inner Basin of the San Francisco peaks (or some awesome riparian canyon in the Pinalenos or Chiracahuas) are you likely to get a super lush feeling. You need a lot of rain, snow, and some way for groundwater flow or stream flow to fill in the dry bits. I am still voting for somewhere in the Whites above 8500', though that shot of the North Rim looked nice too.

Have you been to the Pinaleno's during Monsoon season? Theres always a ton of water up there but during July and August its overflowing with water, tons of moss, spruce and fir galore. It can honestly can feel and look like a rainforest up there. Anyone else who has been up there during monsoon will agree with me. The whites, mogollan rim, chiricahuas, san fran peaks, north rim grand canyon all are comparable though.

[AZguy99]

Originally Posted by teddyearp

AZguy99, shush! Don't give away some of the best kept secrets, lol. Or at least one of mine. Hawley lake is one of my favorite places to 'be'. I go there every chance I get.

My apologies Teddy.

[teddyearp]

Originally Posted by AZguy99

My apologies Teddy.

It's all good, just making fun . . .

[AZguy99]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

I was going to say Hawley, as well. That is the highest precip. total I have seen. Also, the high elevation and frequent summer thunderstorms would make it seem extra lush. Geology/soils seem to have an important role too. Up here at Flagstaff, we get a lot of rain, but most of it percolates quickly down through the volcanic soils. I am sure our snow does wonderful things for water table and the various streams draining the Mogollon Rim, but there is precious little standing water around here. Also, that soil factor would affect the vegetation. The wettest area would be a concave area that gathers water, preferably with a northeast exposure. Given all that, I think that the area around Greer in the Whites would be lushest. High precipitation, especially in summer, supplemented with ground water and stream flows to create nice forest and meadow/wetland environment.

With respect to the rainforest discussion, I think that an area that stays wet all through the growing season can seem rainforestlike. It is more about the frequency of rain than the amount. Frequent rains in summer are pretty key. For example many of the species of trees that occur in the Hoh Rainforest of NW Washington (hemlock, red cedar, red alder), that gets 150" inches of rain also occur in N. Idaho where total precip is much lower (about 50"-70"), but with more snowpack to help with soil water in summer. Both areas get a lot of clouds too, so don't dry out. Daily monsoon rains can be like rainforest for a while, but the early summer drought throughout Arizona pretty much kills "rainforest" status anywhere in the state. Having done some fieldwork here and there, I do think southern parts of the San Juan Mtns of S. Colorado have a misty rainforest feel at times. They are the wettest spot in the S. Rockies, and seem to have higher diversity than places farther north. I think the White/Mogollon Rim Country has some similarities, but that early summer drought, and lower elevation, limits things.

I forgot to mention that Hawley Lake holds the record for most precipitation in a year of any Arizona location. In 1978, 58.92 inches of precipitation fell at Hawley Lake.

[saffordpastor]

Just came home from a hike in the Grahams this afternoon....very green, very moist, very beautiful,.

[cacto]

My pool.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by AZguy99

I forgot to mention that Hawley Lake holds the record for most precipitation in a year of any Arizona location. In 1978, 58.92 inches of precipitation fell at Hawley Lake.

1978 was an exceptionally wet year in all of Arizona. Even Phoenix received nearly 16 inches of rain that year. I'm actually heading up in the direction of Hawley Lake today for a three day stay in the White Mountains. I'm expecting it to be pretty cool for this time of year (and possibly rainy) thanks to the low pressure system that enhanced the monsoon storms even further.

[saffordpastor]

I have tried to post pics of my recent hikes on Mt Graham here but the way I used to do it no longer works...any suggestions? I am posting from photobucket.