Pinal Peak, located in southern

Gila County, Arizona Gila County ( ) is a county 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 which is inclu ...

, 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 In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

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 geographical distance, horizontal 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 is ...

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 is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern ...

. 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 Stati ...

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

Mogollon Rim The Mogollon Rim ( or or ) is a topography, topographical and geological feature cutting across Northern Arizona, the northern half of the U.S. state of Arizona. It extends approximately , starting in northern Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapa ...

which forms the county line with

Coconino County Coconino County is a County (United States), county in the North Central Arizona, North-Central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff, Arizon ...

. The nearest population is in the

Globe A globe is a spherical Earth, spherical Model#Physical model, model of Earth, of some other astronomical object, celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but, unlike maps, they do not distort the surface ...

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, min ...

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

History

The areas around the Pinal Mountains have 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 culture, 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 muse ...

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 several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

and

Yavapai The Yavapai ( ) are a Native American tribe in Arizona. Their Yavapai language belongs to the Upland Yuman branch of the proposed Hokan language family. Today Yavapai people are enrolled in the following federally recognized tribes: * Fort ...

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 primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

scouted the mountains, and used Signal Peak as a

heliograph A heliograph () is a solar telegraph system that signals by flashes of sunlight (generally using Morse code from the 1840s) reflected by a mirror. The flashes are produced by momentarily pivoting the mirror, or by interrupting the beam with a s ...

station, which is how that peak got its name. Today there are

radio masts and towers Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antenna (radio), antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the ...

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 within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

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), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

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