Arizona Strip

The Arizona Strip is a part of Arizona that lies north of the Colorado River. It is a big area, larger than some whole states, but it has fewer than 10,000 people living there. The main towns in the Arizona Strip are Colorado City, Fredonia, and Beaver Dam, with a few smaller places like Scenic, Littlefield, and Desert Springs.

The Kaibab Indian Reservation is also found in this area. Because it sits along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Arizona Strip is separated from the rest of Arizona by natural barriers. Only a few big roads go through the region. I-15 runs across the northwest corner, while Arizona State Route 389 and U.S. Route 89A cross the northeast part. The Navajo Bridge links the Strip to the rest of the state by crossing the Colorado River.

Most of the land in the Arizona Strip is protected, managed by groups such as the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service. The closest big city is St. George, Utah, and many people in the Strip feel closer connected to it than to other parts of Arizona.

General characteristics

The Arizona Strip is a part of Arizona that lies north of the Colorado River. It is known for its red-rock canyons and dry climate, which supports plants like sagebrush. Some areas, such as House Rock Valley, once had large grasslands, and these are returning with good ranching practices. The land has juniper trees, and at higher elevations, you can find pinyon pine, ponderosa pines, spruce, firs, and aspen trees.

The Strip is split between Coconino County in the east and Mohave County in the west. The main towns are Fredonia and Colorado City, with smaller places like Beaver Dam, Littlefield, and Scenic. The Strip is the only way to reach the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The Strip covers 7,878.11 square miles (20,404.2 km²), which is larger than some entire U.S. states like Rhode Island, Delaware, and Connecticut. Most of this area is land, with only a tiny bit of water. In the year 2000, about 8,095 people lived there.

History

The Arizona Strip has been home to many people for a long time. In the mid-1800s, Mormon Pioneers led by Jacob Hamblin settled there. The area became known for a way of life that some groups still follow today, even though it was no longer supported by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after 1890.

In the early 1900s, the Arizona Strip was a great place for raising cattle. Big companies like the Grand Canyon Cattle Company kept many cattle there. Sometimes, different groups who wanted to use the land had disagreements about space and resources.

For many years, the Arizona Strip was also an important path for people traveling from Utah to Arizona. The Grand Canyon and the Colorado River made travel difficult in other areas, so many used this route instead.

Access

The Arizona Strip has very few roads connecting it to the rest of Arizona. The main links are at Navajo Bridge and the Glen Canyon Dam bridge, both on U.S. Route 89, crossing the Colorado River. There are also some Arizona state highways and U.S. Route 89A near Fredonia, Arizona. The area has closer ties to Utah because it has many roads leading north to Utah.

Four main dirt roads lead into the center of the Strip from Mesquite, Nevada; St. George, Utah; Colorado City, Arizona; and Fredonia, Arizona. These roads are not paved, so drivers with regular cars should be careful. It’s best to check with the BLM before traveling these roads and to be ready for things like snow or washed-out paths.

Nature and monuments

Most of the land in the Arizona Strip is cared for by the United States Bureau of Land Management or the United States Forest Service. This area includes many special places such as U.S. Wilderness Areas, U.S. National Monuments, and the Kaibab Indian Reservation. In the southern part, you can find the north rim of Grand Canyon National Park and part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Some of the important protected places here are Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon–Parashant, Pipe Spring, and the Vermilion Cliffs. Other notable areas include Glen Canyon and Lake Mead, as well as several Wilderness Areas like the Beaver Dam Mountains, Grand Wash Cliffs, Kanab Creek, Mount Trumbull, Mount Logan, Paiute, and Paria Canyon–Vermilion Cliffs.