South Mountains (Arizona)

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The South Mountains (originally and still officially named the Salt River Mountains), known locally as simply South Mountain, is a mountain range in central Arizona in south Phoenix, Arizona. It is on public land managed by the city of Phoenix as South Mountain Park. Geologically, the South Mountains are thought to be a metamorphic core complex: evidence of stretching of North America from southwest to northeast.

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 ramadas, hiking and mountain biking trails, and equestrian facilities.

[edit] 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)

[edit] 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.
There are approximately 20 communications towers on the peak of South Mountain.
There are ruins of both ancient indian and more contemporary origin, and there are many petroglyphs carved into the desert varnish on the rocks.