Mount Hopkins (Arizona)

Mount Hopkins
Summit of Mount Hopkins from the entrance to the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory that has two locations, one at the bottom of the mountains and the second (this one) located on the slopes of Mount Hopkins.
Elevation	8,553 ft (2,607 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence	1,430 ft (436 m)[1]
Location
Location	Santa Cruz County, Arizona, U.S.
Range	Santa Rita Mountains
Coordinates	31°41′18″N 110°53′07″W / 31.6884218°N 110.8853648°W / 31.6884218; -110.8853648Coordinates: 31°41′18″N 110°53′07″W / 31.6884218°N 110.8853648°W / 31.6884218; -110.8853648[2]
Topo map	USGS Mount Hopkins

Mount Hopkins is a mountain in Santa Cruz County, Arizona part of the Santa Rita Mountains range. Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is located on it. It is within the Coronado National Forest and was named after Gilbert Hopkins who was killed nearby in 1865 during the Battle of Fort Buchanan. The prime mover was Fred Whipple a professor at Harvard University who was in charge of the small 25 in mirror telescope in Cambridge Massachusetts. In Cambridge the ambient light was so great, that is "polluting" the incoming starlight. the lead engineer appointed by Whipple was Tom Hoffman to search for a Site in the U.S. that would provide a clear view of the sky, high elevation, minimal surroundings of light pollution. After searching many locations, southern Arizona with its dry air and high elevations and with the assistance of The University of Arizona Hoffman focused upon Mt Hopkins. Whipple agreed and the challenge became how to build and transport an 8 meter diameter glass mirror and telescope up an 8,583-foot (2,616 m) mountain that had no road.

The mountain is in the Coronado National Forest and is bounded on three sides by the Mount Wrightson Wilderness.

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