The Gila Bend Mountains are a long
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 ...
of the north-central
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Ariz ...
southwest 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 ...
, Arizona and in southwest
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 ...
.
The
Gila River of
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
and Arizona transects the entire state of Arizona, and the watershed covers about 65% of Arizona. The famous Gila Bend of the river changes the west-southwest flow to south-flowing, then back to west-flowing.
Painted Rock Reservoir and the
Dendora Valley are nestled at the south of the Gila Bend Mountains, the monolith which causes the diversion of the Gila Bend.
Gila Bend, Arizona is located at the southeast of the bend, on
Interstate 8.
Centennial Wash
Centennial Wash is an ephemeral dry wash that forms the final watershed of the Gila River in central Arizona – before the river turns south. From the Centennial Wash confluence, the Gila turns south, then southwest to exit Arizona on the Calif ...
borders the north of the range and has its junction with the Gila River in the
Arlington State Wildlife Area.
Peaks, and landforms
The highest elevation in the mountains is Woolsey Peak at , in the range's center-east. Two peaks are slightly west. In the north-center, Signal Peak, at , anchors the center of the small
Signal Mountain Wilderness
Signal Mountain Wilderness is a protected wilderness area centered around its namesake Signal Mountain, rising to a summit at in the Gila Bend Mountains in the U.S. state of Arizona. Established in 1990 under the Arizona Desert Wilderness Act ...
. The peak south is Bunyan Peat at . Bunyan and Woolsey Peak slightly east are part of the larger
Woolsey Peak Wilderness. Bunyan Peak is located at . Woolsey Peak is located at .
Woolsey Peak Summit, MountainZone.com
/ref> The closest access town to Woolsey Peak is Arlington, Arizona
Arlington is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located west of downtown Phoenix on old U.S 80. It follows the street numbering system of Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, th ...
.
See also
* List of mountain ranges of Maricopa County, Arizona
References
External links
*
Bunyan Peak, trails.com (coordinates)
Woolsey Peak, mountainzone.com (coordinates, (elevation)); list of trails
{{Authority control
Gila River
Mountain ranges of the Sonoran Desert
Mountain ranges of Maricopa County, Arizona
Mountain ranges of Arizona