The San Rafael Valley is a high intermontane grass valley in eastern
Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Santa Cruz is a County (United States), county in southern Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population is 47,669. The county seat is Nogales, Arizona, Nogales. The county was established in 1899. It ...
. The valley is bounded to the west by the
Patagonia Mountains, to the north and northeast by the
Canelo Hills
The Canelo Hills are a range of low mountains or hills in eastern Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The range consists of a series of northwest–southeast trending ridges extending from the Sonoita Creek valley southwest of Sonoita to the Parker Ca ...
and to the east by the
Huachuca Mountains
The Huachuca Mountains are part of the Sierra Vista Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest in Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, approximately south-southeast of Tucson and southwest of the city of Sierra Vista. Included in this ...
in
Cochise County
Cochise County ( ) is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after Cochise, a Chiricahua Apache who was a key war leader during the Apache Wars.
The population was 125,447 at the 2020 census. The county ...
. The valley forms the headwaters of the
Santa Cruz River which flows south into
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
just east of the historic
Lochiel townsite.
The San Rafael de la Zanja Land Grant lies in the valley center just north of
Lochiel. The
Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
Founded in ...
purchased the former land grant ranch in 1998 and Arizona established the "San Rafael State Natural Area" in the valley in 1999 on the southern part of that property. The protected areas are not open to the public. The land grant is privately owned. The State Natural Area is south of the land grant, and borders Mexico. The valley is a crucial migration path for jaguars, ocelots, and other wildlife.
In 2008, the
San Rafael Ranch headquarters was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
as the "San Rafael Ranch Historic District".
Santa Rita Mountains
The Santa Rita Mountains ( O'odham: To:wa Kuswo Doʼag), located about southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend from north to south, then trending southeast. They merge again southeastwards into the Patagonia Mountains, trending northwest by sout ...
in the background.
Cattle Grazing In San Rafael Valley Arizona 2014.JPG, Cattle grazing in San Rafael Valley.
Cattle Next To Water Tank San Rafael Valley Arizona 2014.JPG, Cattle next to a water tank.
See also
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Cienega Valley (Arizona)
*
Sulphur Springs Valley
References
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{{Authority control
Landforms of Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Valleys of Arizona
Chihuahuan Desert