The Sierra Prieta is a longArizona Road & Recreation Atlas, Benchmark Maps, c. 1998, pp. 74–75.

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 ...

in central-northwest

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 range is the mountainous region west of Prescott, with prominent Thumb Butte, , a

volcanic plug A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic object created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When present, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of high gas pressure if rising volatile-charged mag ...

, on the city's west perimeter. The range is attached to the northwest of the

Bradshaw Mountains The Bradshaw Mountains ( yuf-x-yav, Wi:kañacha, "rough, black range of rocks") are a mountain range in central Arizona, United States, named for brothers Isaac and William D. Bradshaw after their deaths, having been formerly known in English as ...

, and Granite Mountain, a recreation site, as well as a rockclimbing location, is part of the range's northeast section, overlooking Williamson Valley, further northeast. The Sierra Prieta range is adjacent the northwest perimeter of the

Arizona transition zone The Arizona transition zone is a diagonal northwest-by-southeast region across central Arizona. The region is a transition from the higher-elevation Colorado Plateau in Northeast Arizona and the Basin and Range region of lower-elevation deserts ...

, mostly known by its perimeter

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 ...

Description

Sierra Prieta is a mostly northwest by southeast section of mountains. The highest peak in the south is Mount Francis, , which borders the Bradshaw Mountains;

Arizona State Route 89 State Route 89 (SR 89) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is part of the former route of U.S. Route 89 (US 89) throughout the state. Route description The southern terminus of SR 89 is located at an intersection ...

traverses between the two mountain ranges. The range highpoint is Granite Mountain, , anchoring the range's N & NNE; it is separated from the central section by Little Granite Mountain, to the southwest, and by Tonto Mountain, , which is due west. Two other peaks form the range's center, West Spruce Mountain, , and Williams Peak, .

Routes

Besides Arizona 89 going southwest from Prescott between the Bradshaw Mountains, County 10 rises to Iron Springs, (Iron Springs Pass) in the range's north. It is often used as a shorter route through the lower elevation Skull Valley during winter snowstorms. File:Prescottscenic.jpg, Northerly view of Thumb Butte, Granite Mountain

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

, and S & W Prescott.
(The Sierra Prieta is to the photo-left.)

Notable

The Sierra Prieta range is known in cowboy camps around the world as "The Sierry Petes" a colloquial and period pronunciation of the name made famous in the cowboy poem by the same name but more widely known as "Tyin' A Knot In The Devil's Tail" by Arizonan, Gail Gardner.Gail I. Gardner on Cowboy Poetry website
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References

* Lucchitta, 2001. ''Hiking Arizona's Geology;'' Part 2, ''Arizona Transition Zone'', Graphic, w/text, Hikes 18–26. Ivo Lucchitta, c 2001, Mountaineers's Books. 272 pages, 41 Hikes. (Transition zone: Hikes 18–26, p. 143–182.) (softcover, )

External links

West Spruce Mountain, summitpost, (coordinates)
{{Mountains of Arizona Arizona transition zone mountain ranges Mountain ranges of Yavapai County, Arizona Mountain ranges of Arizona Prescott National Forest