The Swisshelm Mountains are a small mountain range adjacent to the southwest corner of the Chiricahua Mountains of eastern Cochise County , Arizona . They are separated from the Pedrogosa Mountains to the southeast, the Chiricahuas to the northeast, and by Leslie Creek , bordering the south and east; the area is now notable for the Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge .
6-466: The mountain range is named for John Swisshelm, a miner, a local settler of the late 1800s. The range is a north-south range, with three notable peaks. In the south, Swisshelm Mountain is the highest at 7,185 feet (2,190 m). In the north, an unnamed peak is 5225 ft, and is adjacent to Whitewater Draw of the lower stretch of Rucker Creek. A second unnamed peak is in the northeast, at 5847 ft and also adjacent to Rucker Creek. Leslie Creek forms
12-540: Is from north to south, with a moderately sized endorheic basin , named the Willcox Playa , occupying the northern area. The southern portion of the valley drains into Mexico through Douglas, Arizona through Agua Prieta , Sonora , and into the Yaqui River . During plentiful rain the mountain foothills contain plentiful grasslands. The region is otherwise an arid part of the northeastern Sonoran Desert , influenced by
18-491: Is northwest-( Pearce, Arizona ). Geology Sulphur Springs Valley The Sulphur Springs Valley is a valley in the eastern half of Cochise County, Arizona . The valley covers an approximated vertical rectangle west of the Chiricahua Mountains – Dos Cabezas Mountains complex. The Sulphur Springs Valley is the large flatland to the west. The valley gets its name from two sulfur springs located there. Drainage
24-639: The Chihuahuan Desert just southeast in New Mexico and northwest Chihuahua . The highest mountain areas of this southeast Arizona section contains Madrean Sky Islands of mountain sky islands . Sulphur Springs Valley is one of the largest and driest subsections in this otherwise mountainous region. From north to south at the west of the valley are the Little Dragoon Mountains , the Dragoons , and
30-613: The Mule Mountains . The south end of Sulphur Springs Valley also has three small ranges associated with the southern Chiricahua Mountains, the Swisshelm , Pedregosa, and Perella Mountains. The valley is traversed north-south by U.S. Route 191 connecting Douglas, AZ north to Willcox on Interstate 10 , at the Willcox Playa. Arizona 181 in the east accesses the west and northwest Chiricahua's, including Chiricahua National Monument. It
36-688: The eastern and southern border of the Swisshelm Mountains. The Chiricahuas are directly adjacent eastwards; the Pedregosa Mountains are southeast and are drained by a tributary of Leslie Creek, Big Bend Creek. The communities of Elfrida and McNeal are directly west of the Swisshelms in the Sulphur Springs Valley ; Douglas and Agua Prieta , Sonora are due south at about 15 miles (24 km). The historical area of Sunizona, Arizona ,
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