Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona

Ironwood Forest National Monument is a site in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. The site covering 189,000 acres (765 sq km) protects the site with a high concentration of Desert Ironwood trees (Olneya tesota). The site is also home to two endangered animal and plant species, as well as about two hundred ruins of ancient Hohokam and Paleoindian tribes.

The Ironwood Forest National Monument is rich with plant-life. There are different types of trees at different elevation. Among the distinctive plants found here include the Elephant tree, Bursera microphylla, and the endangered Nichols Turks' Head Cactus.

Landscape of Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RaggedTop.jpg
Author: Tillman


The Ironwood trees are admired for their longevity. Some of the trees here are more than 800 years old. These trees provide a nursery environment for the seedlings of other plants to grow within the harsh desert environment.

Ironwood Forest National Monument also harbor a variety of wildlife, including 64 species of mammals and 57 species of birds. Researchers have also studied the endangered Lesser Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris curasoae), which roost in the area at night.

Evidence of early human habitation is in the form of petroglyphs and ancient daggers fashioned from volcanic rock mided by the Hohokam people in the area.

Visiting Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona

The Ironwood Forest National Monument is located to the northwest of Tucson, beyond the town of Marana. To go there, take Interstate 10 north of Tucson and exit it at Exit 236 to W. Marano Road. Go west on W. Marano Road until the junction with W. Silverbell Rd. Turn right and go along W. Silverbell Road and it takes you into Ironwood Forest National Monument. There are no park fees, as the area has no developed facilities.

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