Arizona is a land filled with beauty and wonder, and the best part is that we don’t need to travel far to find it! Our home is brimming with beauty from the low desert to the mountain tops. In fact, our unique sky islands possess an allure difficult to find anywhere else. Let’s take a look!

First, let’s define sky island.
Bureau of Land Management/Flickr
It sounds like something you might find in a science fiction or fantasy novel with islands floating in the clouds but Arizona’s sky islands are a little more grounded than that. Here, sky islands refers to isolated mountain ranges found across the Southwest, particularly in southern Arizona. What makes them unique from other mountain ranges are the dramatically different environments found between the base of the mountain and the top.
In the foothills and at least part way up the mountain, you’ll find desert land and all its flora.
Alan English CPA/Flickr
However, as you progress up the sky island, these suddenly become greener. The plants and animals you’ll find here are more typical of our forested regions, making these like isolated little environments.
Katja Schulz/Flickr

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Hence the name sky island!
Donna Sutton/Flickr
The mountain ranges make for excellent hiking spots, when the temperatures are low, and will show you how rugged our landscape is.
Natalie McNear/Flickr
The views up here are gorgeous and you'll feel like you're on top of the world.
Daina Dajevskis/Flickr
You can read more about our sky islands at the Forest Service website.

Read about more wondrous places to visit in 12 Places In Arizona That Are Better Than Anywhere Else In The Country.

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