Red Mountain

Photo by Lisa E White

Having lived in the flatland of Chandler, I appreciate the mountains that frame Scottsdale.  Looking across the fields of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation, one favorite landmark is Red Mountain also known as Mt. McDowell.  I remember taking a field trip there with my geology class at ASU where we looked at the exposed fragments of ancient landslides.  The mountain is 2830 feet high, and made of the same material as Camelback and Papago Mountains.  It is hard to imagine that this valley was under the ocean, but the sedimentary rocks colored red with iron oxide tell the story.  The mountain looks most glorious from Scottsdale or Fountain Hills at sunset, when the mountain seems to glow.