The Eagletail Mountains Wilderness is part of the
Eagletail Mountains of central-west
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, about 65 mi west of
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 wilderness is of moderate size, with the Eagletail Mountains forming its northeast perimeter, and the much shorter Cemetery Ridge section, forming its southwest border. The wilderness covers nearly all of the Eagletail Mountains and the plains on its southwest. The wilderness lies at the southeast of the
Ranegras Plain, the headwater region of
Bouse Wash
Bouse Wash is one of the larger eastern-bank dry washes that enter the Colorado River in the Lower Colorado River Valley. It is located in La Paz County, extreme western Arizona.
Geography
Bouse Wash is located on the north rim of the La Posa P ...
, and lies adjacent to the northwest border of the extensive
Gila Bend Mountains, the mountain range causing the great Gila Bend excursion of the
Gila River, in
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
.
The Eagletail Mountains Wilderness lies in extreme southeast
La Paz County
La Paz County is the 15th county in the U.S. state of Arizona, located in the western part of the state. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,557, making it the second-least populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Parker. Th ...
, and is also at the intersection of
Maricopa County
Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about ...
to the east, and
Yuma County to the southwest.
[Arizona Road & Recreation Atlas, Benchmark Maps, c 1998, pp. 78–79.]
Access
The Eagletail Mountains, and the wilderness parallel a slightly southeast-trending stretch of
Interstate 10 in Arizona
In the U.S. state of Arizona, Interstate 10 (I‑10), the major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States Sun Belt, runs east from California, enters Arizona near the town of Ehrenberg and continues through Phoenix and Tucson a ...
. The region lies to the south; Centennial, Arizona is the closest exit, only 5 mi north.
Tonopah is further east on I-10, at about 20 mi. The wilderness can be accessed from the south by unimproved roads from
Hyder, about 25 mi away.
See also
*
List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
The National Wilderness Preservation System includes 803 wilderness areas protecting of federal land . They are managed by four agencies:
*United States National Park Service (NPS)
*United States Forest Service (USFS)
*United States Fish and Wild ...
*
List of Arizona Wilderness Areas
The National Wilderness Preservation System includes 803 wilderness areas protecting of federal land . They are managed by four agencies:
* United States National Park Service (NPS)
*United States Forest Service (USFS)
*United States Fish and Wil ...
*
Wilderness Act
The Wilderness Act of 1964 () was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected 9.1 million acres (37,000 km²) of federal land. The result of a lon ...
References
External links
Eagletail Mountain Wilderness Area, BLM
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Protected areas of La Paz County, Arizona
Protected areas of Maricopa County, Arizona
Protected areas of Yuma County, Arizona
Wilderness areas of Arizona
IUCN Category Ib
Bureau of Land Management areas in Arizona
Protected areas established in the 1990s
1990s establishments in Arizona