San Pedro House

San Pedro House, a historic ranch house restored by the Friends of the San Pedro River, is a bookstore and gift shop run by volunteers. The area around the San Pedro House features interpretive signs which inform visitors about various native plants, riparian areas, watersheds and aquifers, and wildlife.

The American Bird Conservancy has identified the San Pedro House area as being significant for world bird conservation and has officially designated it as a globally important bird area.

The San Pedro House has a parking area, trash facilities, double-vault toilet, and picnic tables for public use. The area features a trail network for a variety of recreational uses such as hiking, bicycling, equestrian, and wildlife viewing. Some of the natural interests around the areas include:

• The Big Cottonwood Tree (west of the house), which is not as old as you might think. Cottonwoods grow very quickly in favorable conditions. This one is estimated to be between 90 and 130 years old, whereas the the cottonwood behind the house was planted in 1956.
• Abandoned agricultural fields dominate the landscape here and were once used for growing alfalfa and other feed for cattle. Native vegetation is steadily returning as can be seen along the Del Valle Trail.
• The riparian forest, one of the most rare forest types in the world, stands in stark contrast to the adjacent fields. The cottonwood and willow trees provide essential habitat for a variety of wildlife, including over 350 species of birds. The trees and other riparian vegetation also promote soil deposition, which over time, will refill the incised channel.
• Linear pools, which often form along rivers, provide excellent habitat for turtles, frogs and fish. They are created by a wash coming into the river, thick vegetative growth or changes in underground geology. Kingfisher Pond was created years ago when this area was a sand and gravel quarry. The large hole created by the operation eventually filled up with ground and flood water. There are no surface inlets or outlets. Green kingfishers are often spotted here!