Belmont Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Belmont Mountains are a 25 mi (40 km) long, arid, low elevation mountain range
about 50 mi west of Phoenix, Arizona
in the northern Sonoran Desert
, north of the Gila River
. The range is in the south of a region of two parallel washes; the Bouse Wash
flows northwest to the Colorado River
, and the Centennial Wash flows southeast to meet the Gila River.
. The wilderness takes up much of the Belmont's northwest, and the northeast half of the Big Horn's. Most of the rest of the small Big Horn Mountains is the Big Horn Mountains Wilderness. Valleys border both mountain ranges, to the northeast, and the southwest.
The highest peak in the Belmont Mountains is Sugarloaf Mountain
, at 3418 feet (1,042 m), located at 33.67756°N 113.08736°W; it is at the northeast of the Hummingbird Springs Wilderness.
The center of the range is at Belmont Mountain, located at 33.644758°N 112.933236°W.
on U.S. Route 60 in Arizona
. The south of the range can be reached from Interstate 10 in Arizona
, near Tonopah
.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
about 50 mi west of Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
in the northern Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
, north of the Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
. The range is in the south of a region of two parallel washes; the Bouse Wash
Bouse Wash
Bouse Wash is one of the larger eastern-bank dry washes that enter the Colorado River in western Arizona.Bouse Wash is located on the north end of the La Posa Plain and drains into the area along the Colorado River occupied by the Colorado River Indian Reservation, south of Parker, Arizona...
flows northwest to the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, and the Centennial Wash flows southeast to meet the Gila River.
Description
The Belmont Mountains are a northwest by southeast trending range, mostly of low hills; the range curves westwards at the west end. At the west, the range is partially connected to the Big Horn Mountains to the southwest, and between the two ranges is the Hummingbird Springs WildernessHummingbird Springs Wilderness
The Hummingbird Springs Wilderness is a wilderness administered by the Bureau of Land Management . The wilderness is located in the northwest of Maricopa County in northern regions of the central Sonoran Desert of Arizona....
. The wilderness takes up much of the Belmont's northwest, and the northeast half of the Big Horn's. Most of the rest of the small Big Horn Mountains is the Big Horn Mountains Wilderness. Valleys border both mountain ranges, to the northeast, and the southwest.
The highest peak in the Belmont Mountains is Sugarloaf Mountain
Sugarloaf Mountain (Arizona)
Sugarloaf Mountain, of Arizona is the tallest peak in the arid, low elevation Belmont Mountains of northwest Maricopa County, and about west of Phoenix. It is also the highest peak of the Hummingbird Springs Wilderness at the northwest end of the Belmont mountain range...
, at 3418 feet (1,042 m), located at 33.67756°N 113.08736°W; it is at the northeast of the Hummingbird Springs Wilderness.
The center of the range is at Belmont Mountain, located at 33.644758°N 112.933236°W.
Access
The north of the Belmont Range can be reached from Aguila, ArizonaAguila, Arizona
Aguila is a CDP in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is located on U.S. Route 60 approximately 20 miles west of Wickenburg, or at approximately 50000 N. 510th Ave. Major economic activities include cantaloupe farming and formerly included mining. It uses the same street numbering system...
on U.S. Route 60 in Arizona
U.S. Route 60 in Arizona
U.S. Route 60 is an east–west United States highway within Arizona. The highway runs for from a junction with Interstate 10 near Quartzsite to the New Mexico State Line near Springerville...
. The south of the range can be reached from Interstate 10 in Arizona
Interstate 10 in Arizona
In the U.S. state of Arizona, Interstate 10, the major east–west Interstate Highway in the southern United States, runs east from California, enters Arizona and continues through Phoenix and Tucson and exits at the border with New Mexico.-Route description:...
, near Tonopah
Tonopah, Arizona
Tonopah is a census-designated place in western Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, approximately 50 miles west of downtown Phoenix off Interstate 10...
.