MOUNTAIN TANKS SERIES

The diesel engine is less affected by altitude than gas engines, giving the tank an advantage in mountainous regions. One of China's newer tanks is a Type 15 tank, equipped with a 1,000-hp diesel engine, giving it a 28-to-1 horsepower-to-weight ratio. The Defense Intelligence Agency reported in 2018 that China's tanks were a mix of older and more modern vehicles. Others represented religious concepts.According to the Global Fire Power index, China is a top five world power. They were a magical way to control nature so rain would fall or mountain sheep would let themselves be caught. The symbols recorded events and marked locations. While no one can say precisely what most of them “mean”, we know they had important functions in the lives of their makers. Another big group is near the entrance to the box canyon that gives the trail its name.Ī rock drawing was serious business to its maker. The largest group of rock-art panels is along the Waterfall Canyon Trail at “Petroglyph Plaza”. The Black Rock Trail circles through a Hohokam village site, though the pit houses and trash mounds are hidden to all but the trained eye of an archeologist. All have withstood sun, rain, and vandals for 700 or 800 years or more. White Tank Petroglyphs:Īncient Arizonans pecked hundreds of figures and symbols on the rock faces of the White Tank Mountains. The short loop of Black Rock Trail, which is about 1/2 mile long, begins at Ramada 4.

The handicap accessible portion now ends about 1/10 of a mile past Petroglyph Plaza. Waterfall Trail is barrier-free for 5/10 of a mile. These include two short trails that are hard-surfaced and barrier free. In addition, there are 2.5 miles of pedestrian-only trails. Horseback and mountain bike riders are welcome, although caution is stressed as some of the trails may be extremely difficult. Day hikes can provide some breathtaking views of the mountains and panoramas of the Valley below. Overnight backpacking, with a permit, is allowed in established backcountry campsites. White Tank Mountain Regional Park offers approximately 30 miles of excellent shared-use trails, ranging in length from 0.9 mile to 7.9 miles, and difficulty from easy to strenuous. The discovery of possible agricultural terraces or check dams indicates that farming may have been carried on in the various canyons of the White Tank Mountains, by utilizing seasonal runoff and rain water. Pottery sherds along the Agua Fria and Hassayampa signify the presence of villages and a good possibility that an Indian trail connected the streams with the White Tank long before Europeans came into the area. Petroglyphs on rocks indicate the Indians were more than transients. The Tanks probably held water the year-round and thereby drew people to the region. Most of the sites in the area are concentrated around the White Tanks themselves. Several of the villages appear to have been occupied for long periods by sizeable populations, while the sherd areas may represent temporary camps of hunters and gatherers.

In these canyons, the sites include seven villages, varying from 1 to 75 acres in area, a rock shelter in the face of a steep cliff overlooking the white tanks, and several sherd areas. Ruggedness of terrain and scarcity of water restricted the sites to large canyons leading out of the mountains. There is no further indication of human occupation until the historic period, when the Western Yavapai controlled the area.

The White Tanks were apparently abandoned by the Hohokam about A.D. All of these sites can be attributed to the Hohokam Indians. 500-1100, are located within the boundaries of White Tank Mountain Regional Park. Campground at a Glanceįamily Campground- White Tank Mountain Regional ParkĮleven archeological sites, occupied during the time period A.D. All restrooms offer flush toilets and showers. Most sites have a large parking area to accommodate up to a 45′ RV and all are “Developed Sites,” with water and electrical hook-ups, a picnic table, a barbecue grill, a fire ring and nearby dump station. White Tank Mountain Regional Park offers 40 individual sites for tent or RV camping.

MOUNTAIN TANKS SERIES

These torrential flows, pouring down chutes and dropping off ledges, have scoured out a series of depressions, or tanks, in the white granite rock below, thus giving the mountains their name. Infrequent heavy rains cause flash floodwaters to plunge through the canyons and pour onto the plain. The range, deeply serrated with ridges and canyons, rises sharply from its base to peak at over 4,000 feet. Most of the park is made up of the rugged and beautiful White Tank Mountains on the Valleys west side. With nearly 30,000 acres, White Tank Mountain Regional Park is the largest park in Maricopa County. Click image to view more pictures Campground Overview:

Mountain tanks