Hart Prairie Nature Walk

The Nature Conservancy’s Hart Prairie Preserve offers free guided nature walks on the western slope of the San Francisco Peaks. These ninety-minute walks offer the opportunity to learn more about birds, wildflowers, forest ecology, and the Conservancy’s work across the region. To join the walks, meet at the Fort Valley Plaza Shopping Center, 1000 N. Humphreys Street at the southwest corner by the guardrail, each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. The following items are essential to the walks: sturdy shoes, sun protection, rain gear or jacket, and water.

The Nature Conservancy’s Hart Prairie Preserve is a truly unique landscape at the base of the magnificent San Francisco Peaks. At an elevation of 8500’, it boasts the largest known Bebb willow community, a rare wet meadow riparian habitat, Aspen groves, and mixed conifer forest stands with the tallest peak in Arizona as a stunning backdrop. There is also a rich human history, as the 130 year-old homestead at Hart Prairie was the first stop on the Flagstaff to Grand Canyon stagecoach route. The high diversity of forest and grassland types within the San Francisco Peaks supports over 80 species of native mammals, over 250 plant species, and over 120 species of birds, including many neotropical migrants, old-growth dependent birds, and a wide variety of raptors.