What is to become of Apache Leap? Area now under special management
Apache Leap Mountain is one of the Copper Corridor’s treasures./CopperArea photo
The Town of Superior is nestled in the shadows of the Apache Leap mountain. It’s an iconic face of the town. The mountain and its future has been a hot button topic for the townspeople over the years. Concerns in the past have been mostly about the mining of the mountain and what that could mean to the mountains wellbeing. But now what is at stake is the continued use of Apache Leap by hikers, climbers, equestrians, and ATV users.
It was during the Land Exchange that legislation was drafted that called for a Special Management Area to be formed, a group that would be run by the Forest Service. This group is now the official caretakers of the Apache Leap Mountain. The legislation directed that this Special Management Group create a plan within three years for the preservation and use of the area. The land involved is actual two land parcels: 697 acres of Tonto National Forest and 110 acres of Resolution Copper land.
The original legislation states that the purpose of the management group is to: Preserve the natural character of Apache Leap, to allow for the traditional uses of the area by Native American people, and to protect and conserve, the cultural and archeological resources of the area.
