| Little Ajo Mountains | |
| Range | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Arizona |
| Highest point | Ajo Peak |
| - elevation | 3,220 ft (981 m) |
The Little Ajo Mountains is a mountain range in southern Arizona, in extreme western Pima County, Arizona. The city of Ajo-(spanish for garlic), sits on the northeast of this small mountain range.
The range is a 13 by 13-mile (21 by 21-km) long range and is connected loosely northwest to Childs Mountain a northwest-southeast small mountain at the south of Childs Valley. Ajo, is in the center-east of the range, and is famous for the Ajo Mine, open pit mine located in the Little Ajo Mountains.
The highest southeast peak in the Little Ajo Mountains is Black Mountain at 3,009 feet (917 m). Three peaks comprise the northeast: Cardigan Peak at 2,922 feet (891 m), Ajo Peak-(highest of the range), at 3,220 feet (981 m); also North Ajo Peak.
Three valleys drain from the Little Ajo Mountains region because the range is on a water divide and forms a triple divide point. Northwesterly from around Childs Mountain, the Childs Valley drains into the Growler Wash. From the south of the Little Ajo's the drainage is south-west-north, at the northern perimeter of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The east flank of the northwest-southeast Growler Mountains merge into the Little Ajo Mountains. The Growler Valley to the west merges with the Childs Wash drainage, and enters the San Cristobal Wash Drainage on its southeast. The wash only heads towards the Gila River Valley, but disappears into the ground.
To the northeast of the Little Ajo Range, and Ajo is the origins of Tenmile Wash. The wash also is northwest-draining through the northwest-southeast Childs Valley - but on the east of the valley. The Childs Valley is also part of the water divide between the San Cristobal Wash Drainage west and the Tenmile Wash Drainage east. The two drainages begin the Gila River's turn from south-to-west to end at the Gila River's confluence with the Colorado River at Yuma, Arizona–Winterhaven, Clifornia.
Ajo, Arizona and the mountains are 70 miles (113 km) south of Interstate 8 by way of State Route 85; they are also 80 miles (129 km) west of Quijotoa, Arizona and the Tohono O'odham Reservation.