The Avra Valley is a 50-mile (80 km) long northwest–southeast valley, bordering the west of

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. The

Tucson Mountains The Tucson Mountains (O'odham: Cuk Doʼag) are a minor mountain range west of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountains, including Wasson Peak, are one of four notable mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson Basin. The Santa Catalina Mountains lie ...

are at the valley's center-east, with suburbs ranging east of the Tucson Mountains and trending northwest to the Avra Valley's northeast. This entire northwest stretch from Tucson contains the northwest trending

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

, the route to

Casa Grande , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Casa Grande-Casa Grande Union High School-1920-2.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Historic Casa Grande Union High School which now serves as the ...

and

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

. The northeast of the valley contains

Marana Marana may refer to: * Maraña, a village in León, Spain * Maraṇa, the Pali/Sanskrit term for death * Marana, Arizona, a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States * Marana, Estonia, a village in Estonia * Marana, Syria, a village in Syria ...

on I-10, the

Pinal Airpark Pinal Airpark , also known as Pinal County Airpark, is a non-towered, county-owned, public-use airport located northwest of the central business district of Marana, in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. Silverbell Army Heliport is co-loca ...

, an aircraft storage park, and other communities along I-10.

Avra Valley Airport Marana Regional Airport , also known as Marana Northwest Regional Airport or Avra Valley Airport, is a non-towered, general aviation airport about 15 miles (13 nmi; 24 km) northwest of Tucson, Arizona in Marana a town in Pima County, ...

is a general aviation airport in Marana, located about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Tucson and being used for storage of classic propeller-era airliners. The center-(west) of the valley is at Cocoraque Butte, , extended northeast from the Roskruge Mountains. Cocoraque Butte's height is .''Arizona Road & Recreation Atlas'', pp. 52–52. Avra Valley from Gates Pass

Description

Avra Valley is a narrow valley, only about 10 miles wide in some locations, and bordered completely on the west by low elevation, arid

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

s. From the northwest, the mountains are the Silver Bell Mountains, Watermans, and then in the southwest the Roskruge Mountains. Much of these ranges to the West of Avra Valley are protected in

Ironwood Forest National Monument Ironwood Forest National Monument is located in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. Created by Bill Clinton by Presidential Proclamation 7320 on June 9, 2000, the monument is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the United State ...

. South of the Roskruge, Arizona Route 86 enters the valley from the Tohono O'odham Nation to the west.

Robles Junction, Arizona Robles Junction is a neighborhood of Three Points, Arizona, Three Pointshttp://roblesjunctionorg.ipage.com/ in Pima County, Arizona, Pima County, Arizona, United States. Robles Junction is located at the intersection of Arizona State Route 86 and ...

, is also in the southwest, at the junction of the valley going southwest to Sasabe, the

Altar Valley The Altar Valley is a 45-mile (72 km) long north–south valley, trending slightly northeast from Sasabe, Arizona on the Mexico border to the Avra Valley west of the Tucson Mountains. It is delimited by Arizona State Route 86, from east-to-w ...

. Robles Junction is also at the northwest of the mountain range on Avra Valley's southern border, the Sierrita Mountains. The north of the Avra Valley narrows at the Silver Bell Mountains and Marana to the east. The region merges into the wider flatlands associated with the floodplain regions of the northwestern Santa Cruz River where it begins to merge with the

Gila River The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of n ...

Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park is an American national park in Pima County, southeastern Arizona. The park consists of two separate areas—the Tucson Mountain District (TMD) about west of the city of Tucson and the Rincon Mountain District (RMD) about ...

protects the northern

in it's West Unit bordering Avra Valley. Saguaro National Park features "forests" of

Saguaro The saguaro (, ) (''Carnegiea gigantea'') is a tree-like cactus species in the monotypic genus ''Carnegiea'' that can grow to be over tall. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, and the Whipple Mountains a ...

, ''

Carnegiea gigantea The saguaro (, ) (''Carnegiea gigantea'') is a tree-like cactus species in the monotypic genus ''Carnegiea'' that can grow to be over tall. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, and the Whipple Mountains a ...

''.

References

External links

Cocoraque Butte Summit, mountainzone, (coord)
{{Authority control Valleys of Arizona Landforms of Pima County, Arizona Landforms of Pinal County, Arizona Interstate 10

Description

Saguaro National Park

See also

References

External links