Kaibab National Forest
Kaibab National Forest | |
---|---|
Location | Coconino, Yavapai, and Mohave counties, Arizona, U.S. |
Nearest city | Williams, AZ |
Coordinates | 36°24′45″N 112°8′6″W / 36.41250°N 112.13500°W |
Area | 1,600,000 acres (6,500 km2) |
Established | 1909 |
Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
Website | Kaibab National Forest |
Kaibab National Forest (/ˈkaɪbæb/, KY-bab) borders both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, in north-central Arizona. Its 1.6 million acres (650,000 ha) is divided into three sections: the North Kaibab Ranger District (offices in Fredonia), the Tusayan Ranger District (offices in the Grand Canyon), and the Williams Ranger District (offices in Williams). It is managed by the United States Forest Service. Grand Canyon National Park separates the North Kaibab and the South Kaibab (Tusayan and Williams). The South Kaibab covers 1,422 square miles (3,680 km2) and the North Kaibab stretches over 1,010 square miles (2,600 km2). Elevations vary on the forest from 5,500 feet (1,676 m) in the southwest corner to 10,418 feet (3,175 m) at the summit of Kendrick Peak on the Williams Ranger District. The forest as a whole is headquartered in Williams.
North Kaibab
The Kaibab Plateau is an island surrounded by lower elevations. The plateau, with elevation up to 9,215 feet (2,800 m) is bordered on the south by the Grand Canyon, on the east and the west by tributary canyons of the Colorado River, and on the North by tiers of uplifted cliffs.
North Kaibab history
The North Kaibab Ranger District was part of the lands withdrawn from the public domain in 1893 and included in the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve. President Theodore Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon Game Preserve in 1906. The game preserve which includes 612,736 acres (2,479.65 km2) of the Kaibab National Forest, is "set aside for the protection of game animals and birds," and is "to be recognized as a breeding place therefore." in 1908, the Forest Reserve north of the Grand Canyon, including the game preserve, was renamed Kaibab National Forest. In 1919, the National Park was created from the forest service lands surrounding the Grand Canyon. In 1934, the Tusayan National Forest south of the Grand Canyon was consolidated into the Kaibab National Forest, forming the present forest boundaries. Up until 1972 the North Kaibab consisted of two ranger districts, Big Springs and Jacob Lake. The headquarters of each were somewhat remote, particularly the Big Springs district. The two were combined and the forest area north of the canyon became the North Kaibab Ranger District and the district ranger station moved to Fredonia. The headquarters for the Kaibab National Forest is in Williams, Arizona.
North Kaibab climate
The climate of the North Kaibab, which encompasses the
Climate data for Jacob Lake, Arizona (Elevation 7,920ft) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) |
65 (18) |
70 (21) |
71 (22) |
85 (29) |
93 (34) |
92 (33) |
95 (35) |
95 (35) |
80 (27) |
68 (20) |
61 (16) |
95 (35) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 40.9 (4.9) |
41.6 (5.3) |
45.1 (7.3) |
52.3 (11.3) |
64.1 (17.8) |
74.5 (23.6) |
79.5 (26.4) |
77.6 (25.3) |
71.4 (21.9) |
58.8 (14.9) |
46.9 (8.3) |
41.0 (5.0) |
57.8 (14.3) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 28.4 (−2.0) |
29.4 (−1.4) |
32.7 (0.4) |
39.4 (4.1) |
50.1 (10.1) |
59.3 (15.2) |
65.0 (18.3) |
63.3 (17.4) |
57.0 (13.9) |
45.7 (7.6) |
35.0 (1.7) |
29.0 (−1.7) |
44.5 (7.0) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 15.9 (−8.9) |
17.3 (−8.2) |
20.2 (−6.6) |
26.4 (−3.1) |
36.2 (2.3) |
44.1 (6.7) |
50.5 (10.3) |
49.0 (9.4) |
42.6 (5.9) |
32.6 (0.3) |
22.9 (−5.1) |
16.9 (−8.4) |
31.2 (−0.5) |
Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) |
−13 (−25) |
−9 (−23) |
1 (−17) |
15 (−9) |
28 (−2) |
35 (2) |
30 (−1) |
18 (−8) |
−2 (−19) |
−8 (−22) |
−10 (−23) |
−20 (−29) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.39 (35) |
1.22 (31) |
2.56 (65) |
1.49 (38) |
1.19 (30) |
0.78 (20) |
2.70 (69) |
2.77 (70) |
1.39 (35) |
1.68 (43) |
1.73 (44) |
1.98 (50) |
20.89 (531) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 15.2 (39) |
14.9 (38) |
27.7 (70) |
11.6 (29) |
3.3 (8.4) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
2.9 (7.4) |
14.0 (36) |
15.6 (40) |
105.4 (268) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.7 | 5.5 | 7.2 | 5.2 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 67.9 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.8 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 25.9 |
Source 1: Western Regional Climate Center[1] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: XMACIS2[2] |
Climate data for Bright Angel Ranger Station, Arizona, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1925–present | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 63 (17) |
64 (18) |
67 (19) |
74 (23) |
85 (29) |
91 (33) |
92 (33) |
90 (32) |
88 (31) |
82 (28) |
66 (19) |
68 (20) |
92 (33) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 49.4 (9.7) |
50.7 (10.4) |
58.0 (14.4) |
66.0 (18.9) |
76.2 (24.6) |
84.2 (29.0) |
87.7 (30.9) |
83.9 (28.8) |
78.6 (25.9) |
68.6 (20.3) |
58.5 (14.7) |
50.5 (10.3) |
88.0 (31.1) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 36.2 (2.3) |
37.3 (2.9) |
44.3 (6.8) |
52.2 (11.2) |
62.0 (16.7) |
73.4 (23.0) |
77.2 (25.1) |
74.1 (23.4) |
67.1 (19.5) |
55.6 (13.1) |
44.7 (7.1) |
36.4 (2.4) |
55.0 (12.8) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 27.1 (−2.7) |
28.2 (−2.1) |
33.6 (0.9) |
40.2 (4.6) |
48.8 (9.3) |
58.2 (14.6) |
63.3 (17.4) |
61.2 (16.2) |
54.5 (12.5) |
44.3 (6.8) |
34.3 (1.3) |
26.9 (−2.8) |
43.4 (6.3) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 18.0 (−7.8) |
19.0 (−7.2) |
23.0 (−5.0) |
28.2 (−2.1) |
35.6 (2.0) |
42.9 (6.1) |
49.3 (9.6) |
48.3 (9.1) |
41.9 (5.5) |
33.0 (0.6) |
23.9 (−4.5) |
17.4 (−8.1) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 0.0 (−17.8) |
2.1 (−16.6) |
7.4 (−13.7) |
14.8 (−9.6) |
23.9 (−4.5) |
31.8 (−0.1) |
40.2 (4.6) |
39.8 (4.3) |
30.1 (−1.1) |
20.3 (−6.5) |
7.1 (−13.8) |
−0.1 (−17.8) |
−4.3 (−20.2) |
Record low °F (°C) | −23 (−31) |
−23 (−31) |
−14 (−26) |
−4 (−20) |
10 (−12) |
22 (−6) |
26 (−3) |
24 (−4) |
18 (−8) |
6 (−14) |
−11 (−24) |
−22 (−30) |
−23 (−31) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.56 (90) |
3.48 (88) |
2.95 (75) |
1.56 (40) |
0.79 (20) |
0.37 (9.4) |
1.78 (45) |
2.75 (70) |
1.93 (49) |
1.75 (44) |
1.40 (36) |
1.86 (47) |
24.18 (613.4) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 33.0 (84) |
26.6 (68) |
23.6 (60) |
11.4 (29) |
2.7 (6.9) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
3.4 (8.6) |
10.3 (26) |
15.0 (38) |
126.2 (321.01) |
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 31.7 (81) |
38.4 (98) |
37.7 (96) |
18.0 (46) |
2.4 (6.1) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.5 (6.4) |
7.8 (20) |
18.6 (47) |
43.6 (111) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 7.3 | 7.3 | 6.1 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 2.3 | 9.1 | 11.0 | 7.1 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 6.5 | 75.2 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 6.9 | 6.8 | 5.0 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 6.1 | 33.1 |
Source 1: NOAA[3] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: National Weather Service[4] |
South Kaibab
The South Kaibab includes the Tusayan Ranger District and the Williams Ranger District. The Tusayan Ranger District is part of Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.