PHOENIX — The Bureau of Land Management's Phoenix District said Monday said it would break ground and begin construction this week on the first of five planned outdoor recreational shooting sites in Arizona.
The five sites are located on BLM-managed land around the Phoenix area. Here is where the five shooting sites will be located:
Baldy Mountain: Located north of Phoenix, north of State Route 74, and west of Lake Pleasant
Saddleback Mountain: Located southwest of Lake Pleasant near State Route 74 and Church Camp Road (south)
Church Camp: Located north of the Saddleback Mountain location north of State Route 74 and Church Camp Road.
Box Canyon: Located southwest of Maricopa near Hidden Valley Road and Steen Road.
Narramore Road: Located west of Buckeye and southwest of Interstate 10 and Maricopa County Road 85.
The Baldy Mountain site (proposed layout embedded below) will be the first to be built, which began construction on Monday, May 4, and could take approximately six months to complete, BLM said in its news release. A spokesperson told ABC15 that the site could potentially open in November.
As for the remaining four sites, a spokesperson said the construction timelines would vary and that some sites could take six months or longer. It was not exactly known when those sites would begin construction or open, but would likely be staggered.
“We are very proud to be breaking ground on the Baldy Mountain site, the first developed shooting sports site in our 2.5 million-acre district,” said Phoenix District Manager Leon Thomas in a news release. “This has truly been a collaborative process involving many valuable stakeholders, including partners and public land users.”
According to the "Final Environmental Assessment" about the project, here are some of the features that each location is expected to have (not all features listed below):
Baldy Mountain: Five steel targets, 100-, 200-, 300-, 400- and 500-yard shooting lanes, a shooting platform, information signs, kiosk, and 14 gravel parking spaces
Saddleback Mountain: Six steel targets, 200-, 300-, 400-, 500- and 700-yard shooting lanes, a shooting platform, trash receptacles, and gravel parking
Church Camp: 50-, 100-, and 200-yard shooting lanes, two concrete shooting platforms, gravel parking area, vault toilet, trash receptacles, two shade structures, and a pedestrian path
Box Canyon: Three steel targets, one steel target frame, three 25-, two 50-, and one 100-, 200- and 300-yard shooting lane(s), five shooting platforms, a sporting clay area, gravel parking lot, two vault restrooms, signs, and kiosk
Narramore Road: 25-, 50-, 100-yard shooting lanes or bays, sporting clay/skeet shooting area, three gable roof concrete shooting platforms, metal shade structures, graded area and gravel parking.
