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The
Arizona Trail - Life Zones
The diversity of elevations and ecosystems make
the Arizona Trail a unique long distance trail.
To determine the vegetation type each passage
travels through, compare the passage elevation
with the typical life zone elevations listed
below. Vegetation will vary by locality. The
dominant and conspicuous plants are listed for
each zone, with typical locations along the
Arizona Trail.
Life Zone - Sonoran Desertscrub - Lower Colorado
Elevation - 100'-3000'
Characteristic Plants - creosote, bursage, saltbush,
mesquite, acacia (Tortilla Mts to Superstition
Mts)
Life Zone - Sonoran Desertscrub - Arizona Upland
Elevation - 500' - 4500'
Characteristic Plants - paloverde, mesquite,
bursage, jojoba, creosote, saguaro, ocotillo,
cholla (Oracle to Roosevelt Lake)
Life Zone - Chihuahan Desertscrub
Elevation - 3200'-5000'
Characteristic Plants - creosote, tarbush, acacia,
ocotillo (Cienega Creek to Rincon Valley)
Life Zone - Great Basin Desertscrub
Elevation - 3000'-6500'
Characteristic Plants - sagebrush, blackbrush,
shadscale, mormon-tea (Buckskin Mts at Utah
border)
Life Zone - Mountain Meadow Grassland
Elevation - 7500'-10,000'
Characteristic Plants - grasses, wildflowers
(Kaibab Plateau)
Life Zone - Desert Grassland
Elevation - 5000'-7000'
Characteristic Plants - grama grasses, yucca,
sotol, beargrass, mesquite, cholla (Empire-Cienega,
Redington Pass, Black Hills)
Life Zone - Chaparral
Elevation - 4000'-6000'
Characteristic Plants - oak, manzanita (Superstition
Mts to Mazatzal Mts)
Life Zone - Oak-Pine Woodland
Elevation - 4000'-7000'
Characteristic Plants - oak, pine, juniper,
cypress (Huachuca Mts to Santa Rita Mts, Rincon
& Catalina Mts)
Life Zone - Juniper-Pinyon Woodland
Elevation - 5500'-7500'
Characteristic Plants - juniper, pinyon, sagebrush,
cliffrose (Hardscrabble Mesa, Coconino Rim,
North Kaibab Plateau)
Life Zone - Montane Conifer Forest
Elevation - 6000'-9500'
Characteristic Plants - pine, fir, oak, aspen
(Huachuca Mts, Catalina Mts, Highline Passage
to Flagstaff, South Rim Grand Canyon, Central
Kaibab Plateau
Life Zone - Spruce-Alpine Fir Forest
Elevation - 8500'-11,500'
Characteristic Plants - spruce, fir, pine, aspen
(Kaibab Plateau, San Francisco Peaks)
Life Zone - Alpine Tundra
Elevation - <11,000'
Characteristic Plants - grasses, lichen, mosses
(San Francisco Peaks summit)
Life Zone - Riparian Deciduous Woodland
Characteristic Plants - cottonwood, willow,
sycamore, walnut, ash, tamarisk (along streams,
rivers, and washes)
References:
"The Natural Vegetation of Arizona,"
by C.H. Lowe and D.E. Brown, 1973.
"A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona,"
by Anne Orth Epple, 1995.
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