In the heart of the city of Phoenix, Arizona, sits the natural wonder of South Mountain Park and Preserve. It is an oasis of mountain terrain and desert landscapes, comprising more than ninety miles of hiking trails in over sixteen thousand acres, easily accessible to the residents and visitors of the fifth-largest city in the United States. Longtime Phoenix resident and outdoor enthusiast Andrew Lenartz guides readers through the extensive history of the park; the park’s ecosystem, with an overview of the plants, animals, landscape, and topography of the Sonoran Desert environment; the many trails in each of the four sections of South Mountain Park; and a variety of other outdoor activities found within the park. Designed for all ages, the trail maps and descriptions note access points, facilities, elevation gain, and level of difficulty, pointing the way for all hikers to enjoy their trek. A true southwestern treasure, this all-inclusive guide encourages readers to discover the nature and adventure available in this massive outdoor playground.

High above the noise and traffic of metropolitan Phoenix, Native American rock art offers mute testimony that another civilization once thrived in the Arizona desert. In the city's South Mountains, prehispanic peoples pecked thousands of images into the mountains' boulders and outcroppings—images that today's hikers can encounter with every bend in the trail. Todd Bostwick, an archaeologist who has studied the Hohokam for more than twenty years, and Peter Krocek, a professional photographer with a passion for archaeology, have combed the South Mountains to locate nearly all of the ancient petroglyphs found in the canyons and ridges. Their years of learning the landscape and investigating the ancient designs have resulted in a book that explores this wealth of prehistoric rock art within its natural and cultural contexts, revealing what these carvings might mean, how they got there, and when they were made. Landscape of the Spirits is the first book to cover these ancient images and is one of the most comprehensive treatments of a rock art location ever published. It conveys the range of different rock art elements and compositions found in the South Mountains—animals, humans, and geometric shapes, as well as celestial and calendrical markings at key sites—through accurate descriptions, drawings, and photographs. Interpretations of the petroglyphs are based on Native American ethnographic accounts and consider the most recent theories concerning shamanism and archaeoastronomy. Written in a simple and accessible style, Landscape of the Spirits is an indispensable volume for anyone exploring the South Mountains, and for rock art enthusiasts everywhere who wish to broaden their understanding of the prehistoric world. It is both an authoritative overview of these ancient wonders and an unprecedented benchmark in southwestern rock art research at a single geographic location.

A true southwestern treasure, this all-inclusive guide to South Mountain Park and Preserve encourages readers to discover the nature and adventure available in this massive outdoor playground.