Arizona Canals

The Arizona Canal Trail runs for 16 miles between Phoenix and Peoria. On nice days and evenings the trail seems to get a lot of use - hiking, biking and horseback riding.
No motor vehicles are allowed so it's a great trail for families.

It was starting to turn twilight when I took this photo- the canals (especially the ancient system) fascinate me from both engineering and historical perspectives.

A little history:
The present system of canals was developed by three groups: the ancient Hohokam Indians, the pioneers, and the federal government.
The Hohokam canal system traversed nearly 500 miles and may have served as many as 50,000 people at a time- amazing. The Indians lived here for more than 1,000 years, but left the Valley by about A.D. 1450. Nobody knows exactly why they left. I love a mystery.

The Hohokam set the groundwork for today's major canal system, which follows many of the same paths.
The nine canals that make up the Valley's canal system were developed over the past 100 years. In addition to the main canals, the Valley is home to 924 miles of 'laterals,' ditches that take water from the large canals to various delivery points in irrigated areas.