Mummy Mountain, Paradise Valley.
The one mountain that sits
entirely inside the Town.
The Town of Paradise Valley calls Mummy Mountain the only mountain entirely within its limits, and it has worked to preserve the summit since 1976. About 235 of the 320 acres the Town first identified are now in its preserve, and homes on the slopes go through the Town's Hillside Building Committee.
Mummy Mountain on the map
Approximate outline drawn around the recorded subdivision plats named for Mummy Mountain and La Place du Sommet on the Maricopa County Assessor map. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
A preserved mountain in the middle of Paradise Valley
Mummy Mountain is a hillside residential area around a mountain that the Town of Paradise Valley describes as the only one located entirely within the Town. The Town's hillside regulations name Camelback Mountain, Mummy Mountain and the Phoenix Mountains as scenic resources.
The upper mountain is held as open space. The Town set a goal to acquire open space on Mummy Mountain in 1976, and the Paradise Valley Mountain Preserve Trust now holds about 235 acres there, by title or by conservation easement. Land in the preserve stays in its natural state, and there is no public access.
Homes on the lower slopes follow the Town's one-acre zoning and its hillside development rules. Any building site where the natural slope under the pad is 10 percent or more falls under hillside review.
Fifty years of saving the summit
Surveyors from the Rio Verde Canal Company named Paradise Valley in 1889. Residents incorporated the Town of Paradise Valley on May 24, 1961, with a goal of keeping zoning at one house per acre.
In 1976 the Town formally adopted a goal to acquire open space on Mummy Mountain, and the first donation came in 1978. In 1983 the Council was told that buying 300 acres on top of the mountain would cost $15 million. Instead, the Town created the Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust by Resolution 923 in 1997 to take donations of land and conservation easements.
The Trust was renamed the Paradise Valley Mountain Preserve Trust in 2019. The largest donations on the Town's list include 41.71 acres from Camelback Inn, 32 acres from La Place du Sommet LLC and 28.36 acres from Michael D. Greenbaum.
1961
The Town of Paradise Valley incorporates on May 24.
1976
The Town adopts a goal to acquire open space on Mummy Mountain.
1997
Resolution 923 creates the Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust, renamed the PV Mountain Preserve Trust in 2019.
The preserve and the Town around it
The summit itself is closed preserve land. The Town around it holds resorts, private golf clubs, trail access to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and Town services.
- Mummy Mountain preserve.About 235 acres held by title or conservation easement. Preserve land may not be sold, leased or developed, and no access is allowed except for police and utility purposes. 2025 Preserve Trust update
- Camelback Inn.Camelback Inn opened on December 15, 1936, as a seasonal resort, and Marriott bought it in 1967. The resort donated 41.71 acres to the Mummy Mountain preserve.
- Phoenix Mountain Preserve access.The Town's open space element lists a Trail 100 trailhead at Tatum Boulevard and East Tomahawk Trail that leads west into the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.
- Paradise Valley Country Club.The Paradise Valley Country Club golf course opened on April 10, 1954. The Town lists it as a private 18-hole course.
- Town Hall.Town Hall is at 6401 East Lincoln Drive.
Hillside rules and one-acre zoning
Most of Paradise Valley is zoned R-43, which requires lots of at least one acre. The Town's 2022 General Plan holds to a minimum of one acre per residence.
On the mountain, Article XXII of the zoning ordinance applies wherever the natural slope under the building pad is 10 percent or more. The Hillside Building Committee must approve new homes before a permit issues. Main buildings stay under a 24-foot plane that follows natural grade, nothing may exceed 40 feet, and exterior colors may not exceed a light reflectance value of 38 percent. At and above 1,500 feet above sea level, development may not alter the mapped mountain ridge lines.
The Town's Resident Guide names two public schools in Town: Scottsdale Unified School District operates Cherokee Elementary School at 8801 N 56th St and Kiva Elementary School at 6911 E McDonald Dr.
Mummy Mountain, answered
Is Mummy Mountain inside the Town of Paradise Valley?
Yes. The Town describes Mummy Mountain as the only mountain located entirely within Paradise Valley.
Can you hike Mummy Mountain?
No. Under the Preserve Trust's rules, no access or use of preserve land is allowed except for police and utility purposes.
How much of the mountain is preserved?
Of the 320 acres the Town first identified, about 235 acres are in the preserve, by title or by conservation easement.
Who manages the preserve?
The Paradise Valley Mountain Preserve Trust, with trustees appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Town Council. It was created in 1997 as the Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust and renamed in 2019.
What is the minimum lot size?
Most of the Town is zoned R-43, which requires lots of at least one acre.
When does a home fall under the hillside rules?
Article XXII applies when the natural slope under the building pad is 10 percent or greater, or when the land is shown in the Town's Hillside Development Area map.
How tall can a hillside home be?
The main building must stay under a 24-foot plane that follows natural grade, and no part of the development, chimneys included, may exceed 40 feet.
Can I donate part of my lot to the preserve?
The Town's hillside regulations encourage owners to donate conservation easement areas to the Trust, which may or may not accept them.
Looking at Mummy Mountain?
Whether a lot sits in the hillside area, its zoning and its build year sit in the Town and county records. Send me the addresses and I will pull them. Text 480-485-4261.
Own a home in Mummy Mountain? See what the county has on file and get a real value. Looking? Search homes for sale.
Sources: Town of Paradise Valley, Town History, Town of Paradise Valley, Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust Update, Town of Paradise Valley, 2025 PV Mountain Preserve Trust Update, Town of Paradise Valley Zoning Ordinance, Article XXII Hillside Development, Town of Paradise Valley, Resident Guide, Town of Paradise Valley, 2022 General Plan, Scottsdale Unified School District, Our Schools, Maricopa County Assessor parcel map. All checked 3 November 2026.