Weird Things In the Arizona Mountains

Yeah, that title grabbed you, huh? After stopping and taking a moment to realize some things about the AZ mountains, the title just rolled from my lips.

Want some examples of what's up with our mountains?




South Mountain: The ancient site of HoHoKam tribes who made glyphs on the rocks often portraying UFOs and strange anthropomorphic creatures was also the site of the viewing of the Phoenix Lights UFO event (above this mountain).  There is also the mystery castle (above) that has a rather romantic and quirky history. 

Superstition Mountains: In 1845, the first man found gold in this mountain range. Several came out with gold including one called the Dutchman, but many dozens have gone in and never come back out again. The Apache said the gold was protected and to this day locals look up at those mountains with admiration and fear, knowing they contain gold, but knowing it also could mean the end of a man.  Also the area has had reported time shifts and dimensional shifts as well as a past that included pygmies guarding the mountains.  Some have perpetuated a legend about an opening and a spiral stairway that leads into a subterranean land of Reptoids. There is also the ancient Sinagua tribe Circlestone Medicine Wheel -

 

It is believed that the Circlestone might have marked solstices and equinoxes. Of course, as always, lots of UFO reports.

Estrella Mountains: This mountain range is known for a very large amount of UFO sightings.  Some folks call them the "Estrella Lights." They are also located strategically between Barry Goldwater Range and Luke Air Force Base, so you draw your own conclusions, but admittedly this mountain range has a very odd feel to it. Some just have odd "mojo" and this is both gorgeous to look at and unsettling when you get near.

Camelback Mountain: An orthodontist taught himself the art of stone cutting just so he could build a castle on the side of Camelback Mountain. It ended up making him lose a wife, 2 girlfriends and all his money. Now, that was a man possessed! My son and a friend toured the abandoned castle years ago. No one would buy it. Lots of looters had gone in and broken the place apart, but what remained was a fortress defying anyone to take it down completely.

Apache Leap:   Apache Leap near the town of Superior. Up on a rock ledge up high over the town an Apache group lived and was able to watch the comings and goings of troops and citizens below. They had apparently not secured one path up and they were found. Many of their tribe killed and the remainder ran to the west, leaping to their deaths off the cliff.

White Mountains: This beautiful mountain range in Arizona is known for its Bigfoot sightings and supposedly the Tribal Police have more official police reports of BF sightings documented than any other US police department.  Native legends tell of skinwalkers or people practicing bad medicine and shapeshifting and causing havoc.

Mogollon Rim:  The Mogollon Rim in Central Arizona runs about 200 miles and up to 8000 feet and one can still walk around the top of it and find fossils lying on the ground, but it is also known for something called the "Mogollon Monster" by some locals, but is reportedly the Bigfoot of the area.

Sedona Vortexes:   This magical red-rocked land has 4 vortexes or supposed energy areas where leylines converge and the earth creates healing energy.  I admit to visiting them and they absolutely do have something to them. As well, many believe that there suspicious underground bases in Sedona. The Airport Mountain has a vortex where it is said that earth energies converge and create an amazing and healing power.

Grand Canyon: There are a lot of legends here but the most popular one is that an explorer found a cave within that held an Egyptian tomb. It doesn't help that many paths in the Grand Canyon have Egyptian names and there are portions no one is allowed in, raising speculation.

Jerome the Mining Town:  At 5200 feet, this old retired mining town is not only a precarious drive up, but once there, you learn it's chock full of ghosts! This haunted mining town is a great destination and the Jerome Grand is probably the hub of it as the old retired hospital turned hotel.  It is a quirky artist colony of sorts now, but the haunted feel is always present.

Apache-Sitgreaves Forest: This is the forested mountainside where logger Travis Walton was abducted by a UFO in a famous case with an awesome movie done about it called “Fire in the Sky.”

Bradshaw Mountains: An historic location and very beautiful, but also carries a legend of an underground military base and UFO visitations.  In fact, the Bradshaw Ranch reportedly had similar events to the infamous Skinwalker Ranch and details can be found in the book "Merging Dimensions"

Casa Grande Mountain:  This location is said to have a black shadowy mist that makes a person feel very uneasy. Some have reported voices and shadow people in this location, as well.


Is it our geology that makes our beautiful mountains the thing of legends and weirdness or is there something just odd about Arizona's Mountains? Honestly, having lived here most of my life, I do think there is an odd chemistry about this place.