With the five mile and 1,200 foot elevation gain of the summit road, and 22 miles of trails, the visitation has soared from 3,000 a month in 1924 to over three million a year in the 1990's. In 1959 Phoenix was 187 square miles and had a population of 437,000. The City fathers dedicated themselves to the acquisition and development of 1,100 acres of unique land forms and a premier recreation area from the State of Arizona. In 1964 Papago Park was established. The park now boasts The Phoenix Zoo, Desert Botanical Gardens, picnicking and urban fishing lakes, and one of the ten best municipal golf courses in the country.
Visitation is exceeds two million annually.
The late 1960's saw the preservation of a regional landmark as U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater and Lady Bird Johnson teamed up to acquire 350 acres of Camelback Mountain. The Save Camelback Foundation promoted the acquisition and preservation of land above the 1,800' elevation. In 1971 the City acquired 76 acres in Echo Canyon for a trail head from architect Joe Lort. The Camelback Summit trail is the second most popular trail in our system with an estimated 350,000 users per year. In the 1980's a second trail access was acquired at the east end of the mountain.