The South Mountains known locally as simply South Mountain, is a mountain range in central Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 in south 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...

. It is on public land managed by the city of Phoenix as South Mountain Park

South Mountain Park

South Mountain Park in Phoenix, Arizona, is the largest city park in the United States, one of the largest urban parks in North America and in the world. It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride.-Geography and Ecology:...

. Geologically, the South Mountains are thought to be a metamorphic core complex

Metamorphic core complex

Metamorphic core complexes are exposures of deep crust exhumed in association with largely amagmatic extension. They form, and are exhumed, through relatively fast transport of middle and lower continental crust to the Earth's surface...

: evidence of movement of the North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 tectonic plates from southwest to northeast and northeast to southwest, pushing up a series of mountain ranges including the South Mountains, which are some of the few remaining ones, the other ones having been covered up by silt (forming the current Phoenix metro area, which looks flat like a lake around mountains that kind of stick up over it like islands). The underlying mountains are in the same orientation as the South Mountains, about one km high, and about one km apart from peak to peak, perhaps about 15 of them underneath the land.

The mountain, along with the nearby Sierra Estrella

Sierra Estrella

The Sierra Estrella is a mountain range located southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. Much of the range falls within the Gila River Indian Reservation, but of BLM land is protected as the Sierra Estrella Wilderness.-Description:...

, is considered sacred by the Akimel O'odham and the Kwevkepaya band of Yavapai

Yavapai

Yavapai can refer to:* The Yavapai people, a Native American people of central and western Arizona, with reservations at:**The Yavapai-Apache Nation near Camp Verde, AZ**The Yavapai-Prescott Tribe at Prescott, AZ...

.

The South Mountain Preserve is part of the Phoenix Parks System and is the largest municipal park in the world. The preserve features recreational facilities such as ramada

Ramada (shelter)

For the hotel chain, see RamadaIn the southwestern United States, a ramada is a temporary or permanent shelter equipped with a roof but no walls, or only partially enclosed....

s, hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

 and mountain biking

Mountain biking

Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...

 trails, and equestrian

Equestrianism

Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...

 facilities. The mountains overlook downtown Phoenix, AZ.

Peaks

The major peaks of the South Mountains are (W to E):

• Maricopa Peak
• Goat Hill
• Mount Suppoa (South Mountain, TV Tower Peak), highest point in the mountains at 2690 ft (820 m). Contains numerous radio and television transmitters serving the Phoenix area, especially those of the major network-affiliated stations.

Features

• Dobbins Lookout is the highest point accessible by trail at 2,330 feet (710 meters).
• Alta Ridge is the ridge on the eastern end of Maricopa peak.
• Telegraph Pass is the gap between South Mountain to the east and Goat Hill to the West.
• Fat Man's Pass is located on the National Trail and is a rock formation.
• Mystery Castle
  Mystery Castle
  Mystery Castle is located in the city of Phoenix, Arizona, in the foothills of South Mountain Park. It was built in the 1930s by Boyce Luther Gulley for his daughter Mary Lou Gulley. After learning he had tuberculosis, Gulley moved from Seattle, Washington, to the Phoenix area and began building...
  
   is in the foothills on the north side and was built from odd materials and trash around 1930 as a private residence.
• There are approximately 20 communications towers on the peak of South Mountain.
• There are ruins
  Ruins
  Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
  
   of both ancient Indian
  Hohokam
  Hohokam is one of the four major prehistoric archaeological Oasisamerica traditions of what is now the American Southwest. Many local residents put the accent on the first syllable . Variant spellings in current, official usage include Hobokam, Huhugam and Huhukam...
  
   and more contemporary
  United States Cavalry
  The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, is the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army. The role of the U.S. Cavalry is reconnaissance, security and mounted assault. Cavalry has served as a part of the Army forces in every war in which the United States has participated...
  
   origin, and there are many petroglyph
  Petroglyph
  Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
  
  s carved into the desert varnish
  Desert varnish
  Desert varnish, or rock varnish is a orange-yellow to black coating found on exposed rock surfaces in arid environments. Desert varnish is usually around one micron thick and present nanometre-scale layering...
  
   on the rocks.
• Ponderosa stables

Geography and Ecology

A spur plateau of the Salt River Mountains was described by an early survey of the area as the dividing feature of the Salt River

Salt River (Arizona)

The Salt River is a stream in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the largest tributary of the Gila River. The river is about long. Its drainage basin is about large. The longest of the Salt River's many tributaries is the Verde River...

 valley.

There are a variety of flora and fauna within the Salt River Mountains. One of the notable tree species here is the Elephant Tree, Bursera microphylla

Bursera microphylla

Bursera microphylla, known by the common name Elephant Tree, is a tree in genus Bursera. It grows into a distinctive sculptural form, with a trunk resembling that of an elephant. The Elephant Tree is quite rare...

.

External links

• Map of mountains in the Phoenix area