Mummy Mountain (Arizona) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mummy Mountain |
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Mummy Mountain
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,260 ft (689 m) |
| Prominence | 820 ft (250 m) |
| Geography | |
 Mummy Mountain
Location in Arizona
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| Location | Maricopa County, Arizona, U.S. |
| Topo map | USGS Paradise Valley |
Mummy Mountain is a mountain located in Paradise Valley, Arizona, United States. This mountain is mostly made of very old rock called granite, which formed billions of years ago. You can also find smaller pieces of quartz and a mineral called schorl on its surface.
The lower parts of Mummy Mountain have many homes built on them. However, the higher areas near the top are protected natural spaces. A famous hotel called Camelback Inn has been on the mountain's southern side since 1936. Mummy Mountain is special because it's the only part of the Phoenix Mountains that isn't inside the main Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Instead, parts of it are looked after by a group called the Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust and the town of Paradise Valley.
Why is it Called Mummy Mountain?
This mountain wasn't always called Mummy Mountain. At first, people knew it as Windy Gulch or Horseshoe Mountain. But in the 1940s, a businessman named Charles Mieg bought most of the land. He paid $12,000 for it.
Charles Mieg noticed that the shape of the mountain looked like an Egyptian mummy lying down. A mummy is a preserved body, often wrapped in cloth. When he started selling pieces of the land for building homes, he decided to call it Mummy Mountain. The name stuck, and that's what it's known as today.
Protecting Mummy Mountain's Nature
The Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust is a special group that works to keep the mountain's natural beauty safe. It was started in 1997. Their goal is to protect about 320 acres (1.3 square kilometers) of land along the mountain ridge.
To do this, they asked property owners to donate land. Some well-known people, like historian Marshall Trimble and sports announcer Joe Garagiola, helped support this effort. By August 1999, the trust had managed to get control of 218 acres (0.88 square kilometers) of land. This land came from private donations and from Maricopa County, where the mountain is located. This helps make sure that parts of Mummy Mountain will stay wild and natural for a long time.
