Pinaleño Mountains

The Pinaleño Mountains, capped by 10,720 ft. Mount Graham is the tallest of southeastern Arizona’s sky island mountain ranges. State Route 366, also known as the Swift Trail Parkway, offers easy access to this beautiful mountain range. The route climbs more than 7,000 feet over 35 miles and offers incredible views of the surrounding landscape. The first 22 miles are paved; the last 13 miles are dirt and require a high-clearance vehicle.

The Pinaleños rise like a forested island out of a sea of desert. Ascending this mountain is the ecological equivalent of traveling from Mexico to Canada in just a few short hours. Varied biotic communities, layered in life zones, provide an ideal habitat for a diverse array of plants and animals, including endemic species found nowhere else in the world. The uppermost life zone is home to relic species from the last ice age, including the southernmost stand of Englemann spruce in the United States. High-elevation meadows, cool forests, groves of aspen, perennial streams, and an alpine lake make for an enchanting escape from the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts below.

Numerous picnic areas, campgrounds, and hiking trails are accessed along the Swift Trail Parkway. Scroll down for a list of recreation opportunities.