Rucker Canyon is a major canyon draining the western central-south of the Chiricahua Mountains

Chiricahua Mountains

The Chiricahua Mountains are a mountain range in southeastern Arizona which are part of the Basin and Range province of the southwest, and part of the Coronado National Forest...

, the central landform of the eastern third of Cochise County, Arizona

Cochise County, Arizona

-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*78.5% White*4.2% Black*1.2% Native American*1.9% Asian*0.3% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*4.0% Two or more races*9.6% Other races*32.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...

's extreme southeast, bordering southwest New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

. It is famous for historic Camp Rucker

Camp Rucker

Fort Rucker, or Camp Rucker, is a former United States Army post in Cochise County, Arizona. First known as Camp Supply and Camp Powers, its name was changed on October 1, 1878 in honor of Lieutenant John Anthony "Tony" Rucker...

.

The canyon contains Rucker Creek, (Rucker Wash), and upstream closer to the headwaters, the small Rucker Lake. The wash drains into the southern region of the slightly north-west by due south Sulphur Springs Valley

Sulphur Springs Valley

The Sulphur Springs Valley is a major valley in the eastern half of Cochise County, Arizona. The valley covers an approximated vertical rectangle west of the Chiricahua Mountains–Dos Cabezas Mountains complex; the Chiricahua's have a valley to the northeast, San Simon Valley, and to the southeast,...

, east of north-south running U.S. Route 191

U.S. Route 191

U.S. Route 191 is a spur of U.S. Route 91 that has two branches. The southern branch runs for 1,465 miles from Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border to the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. The northern branch runs for 440 miles from the northern part of Yellowstone National Park to...

 and the small communities of Elfrida

Elfrida, Arizona

Elfrida is a small unincorporated community in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona in Cochise County. Elfrida is located on U.S. Route 191 northwest of Douglas, north of McNeal...

, McNeal

McNeal, Arizona

McNeal is an unincorporated community in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. McNeal is located on U.S. Route 191 northwest of Douglas. McNeal has the ZIP Code of 85617; in 2000, the population of the 85617 ZCTA was 1,263....

, and Sunizona. The Rucker Wash drains westwards toward the Sulphur Springs Valley and borders the northern small Swisshelm Mountains

Swisshelm Mountains

The Swisshelm Mountains are a small mountain range adjacent to the southwest corner of the Chiricahua Mountains of eastern Cochise County, Arizona...

 traversing the named Whitewater Draw of Rucker Creek.

The Rucker Wash is near a water divide

Water divide

A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...

. The Swisshelm Mountains are adjacent the southern border of the Sulphur Springs Valley, with Rucker Wash draining north towards the Willcox Playa

Willcox Playa

The Willcox Playa is a large endorheic dry lake or sink in Cochise County. It is located south of and adjacent to Willcox, Arizona, in the Sonoran Desert ecoregion. It is the remnant of Pleistocene pluvial Lake Cochise...

, and drainage south toward Douglas, Arizona

Douglas, Arizona

Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico and a history of mining.The population was 14,312 at the 2000 census...

 and Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...