Pinal Peak, located in southern

Gila County, Arizona Gila County ( ) is in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,272. The county seat is Globe. Gila County comprises the Payson, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area. Gila County contains p ...

, is the highest point in the

Pinal Mountains The Pinal Mountains (Yavapai: Walkame – "pine mountains", Western Apache: Dził Nnilchí' Diyiléé – "pine-burdened mountain") are a mountain range located in Gila County, Arizona. They have a maximum elevation of at Pinal Peak and a promine ...

, with an elevation of . It is the highest point of land located in between the

Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

and Gila rivers in Arizona before they merge, making it visible from miles away on a clear day. The peak ranks as the 11th most prominent in Arizona and has a

topographic isolation The topographic isolation of a summit is the minimum distance to a point of equal elevation, representing a radius of dominance in which the peak is the highest point. It can be calculated for small hills and islands as well as for major mountain ...

of , with the nearest point of land of equal or greater elevation being to the southeast in the

Santa Teresa Mountains The Santa Teresa Mountains are a mountain range located within the Coronado National Forest and partly within the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, in western Graham County, Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣona ...

. Pinal Peak is slightly east of the approximate center of the Pinal Mountains. Despite being the most prominent peak in Gila County, it is not the highest point in the county. That title goes to

Myrtle Point Myrtle Point is a city in Coos County, Oregon, United States, established in 1887. The population was 2,514 at the 2010 census. Located in the Coquille River Valley, Myrtle Point is part of the Coos Bay/ North Bend/ Charleston Metropolitan Statist ...

with an elevation between , which lies atop the edge of the

Mogollon Rim The Mogollon Rim ( or or ) is a topographical and geological feature cutting across the northern half of the U.S. state of Arizona. It extends approximately , starting in northern Yavapai County and running eastward, ending near the border ...

which forms the county line with

Coconino County Coconino County is a county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff. The county takes its name from ''Cohonino'', a name applied to the Havasupai p ...

. The nearest population is in the

Globe A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model globe ...

Miami, Arizona Miami (Western Apache: Goshtłʼish Tú) is a town in Gila County, Arizona, United States. Miami is a classic Western copper boom-town. Miami's old downtown has been partly renovated, and the Bullion Plaza Museum features the cultural, minin ...

area, just a few miles north of the range and peak.

History

The areas around the Pinal Mountains has been populated by Native Americans since the 12th century, and were an important resource for them. The

Besh-Ba-Gowah Besh-Ba-Gowah is a 200-room prehistoric Salado masonry pueblo located atop a broad ridge overlooking Pinal Creek. The site is situated one mile southwest from Globe, Arizona and surrounded by a small city park and adjacent museum with excavate ...

ruins are located in the foothills of the Pinal Mountains. In the late 17th century the mountains were scouted by Spanish explorers who gave it its modern name. They translated the native

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

and

Yavapai The Yavapai are a Native American tribe in Arizona. Historically, the Yavapai – literally “people of the sun” (from ''Enyaava'' “sun” + ''Paay'' “people”) – were divided into four geographical bands who identified as separate, i ...

terms for the mountains as ''"Pinal"'' or Pine Mountains. Later still, in the mid-19th century, the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

scouted the mountains, and used Signal Peak as a

heliograph A heliograph () is a semaphore system that signals by flashes of sunlight (generally using Morse code) reflected by a mirror. The flashes are produced by momentarily pivoting the mirror, or by interrupting the beam with a shutter. The heliograp ...

station, which is how that peak got its name. Today there are radio masts and towers on both Pinal and Signal Peaks.

Recreation

Several maintained dirt roads lead to the peak, and at least two of eight hiking trails in the mountains connect to the summit. The Upper Pinal Campground, located on the shallow saddle between Pinal and Signal Peaks, is open from May to November. The

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

maintains the recreational facilities in the mountains, which are inside the

Tonto National Forest The Tonto National Forest, encompassing , is the largest of the six national forests in Arizona and is the ninth largest national forest in the United States. The forest has diverse scenery, with elevations ranging from 1,400 feet (427 m) in ...

References

External links

*
Official 7.5 minute quadrangle USGS topographic survey map of the Pinal Mountains
. Elevation listed for Pinal Peak as 7,848 ft by the

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

. {{Mountains of Arizona Landforms of Gila County, Arizona Mountains of Arizona Mountains of Gila County, Arizona