| Harcuvar Mountains | |
|---|---|
  Harcuvar Mountains Harcuvar Mountains, (La Paz & southwest Yavapai Counties), inArizona | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Smith Peak (Arizona) |
| Elevation | 5,242 ft (1,598 m) |
| Coordinates | 33°56′30″N113°35′03″W / 33.9416943°N 113.5840954°W /33.9416943; -113.5840954 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 25 mi (40 km) SW-NE |
| Width | 5 mi (8.0 km) |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| Regions | Maria fold and thrust belt andSonoran Desert |
| Districts | La Paz County, AZ andYavapai County, AZ |
| Settlement(s) | Wenden, Arizona–Salome, Arizona-(SW) Vicksburg,Harcuvar & Aguila, AZ-(SW & SE) |
| Borders on | Buckskin Mtns,Butler Valley,McMullen Valley,Harquahala Mtns andBill Williams River |
TheHarcuvar Mountains (Yavapai:Ahakuwa) are a narrowmountain range in western-centralArizona, United States. The range lies just east of the north–southColorado River, and south of the east–west, west-flowingBill Williams River, fromAlamo Lake.
The range is part of a three-range sequence of mildlyarc-shaped ranges, and twointermountain range valleys in theMaria fold and thrust belt, a region in western-centralArizona and southeastSouthern California, with the Colorado River flowing south through the western part of the belt. The fold-and-thrust-belt region contains numerous plains, valleys, and mountain ranges, about 30 landforms in all.
The range is a narrow range about 25 mi long, and 5 mi wide, and trends southwest to northeast. TheMcMullen Valley is the southeast border of the range, and is traversed byU.S. Route 60.
Four peaks are found in the range; the highest peak isSmith Peak (Arizona), 5,242 feet (1,598 m) in the northeast, but not easily accessible by road. In the southwest, is Harcuvar Peak, at 4,618 feet (1,408 m),[1] accessible by unimproved road, via Cottonwood Pass. Two other peaks lie in the center of the range; one lies adjacent and north of Cunningham Pass, called ECC Peak, at 3,000 feet (914 m), and further northeast, ECP Peak, at 4,593 feet (1,400 m).
In 1990, theHarcuvar Mountains Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System established by the Wilderness Act of 1964. The Harcuvar Mountains Wilderness is in northeast La Paz County 82 miles northwest of Phoenix, Arizona.
One of the more important aspects of the Harcuvar Mountains is the major, and southern access route toAlamo Lake State Park approximately 30 miles (48 km) upriver on theBill Williams River. The access road is the southern access to the lake, about 30 miles of unimproved road. It begins atWenden, Arizona, and immediately climbs through the Harcuvars toCunningham Pass. Another 24 miles traverses the Butler Valley's northeast, and the flatlands northeast of the Buckskin Mountains.
The entire southeast perimeter of the Harcuvar Mountains borders the McMullen Valley, with U.S. Route 80. The series of communities starting at the southwest are Vicksburg,Hope, and Harcuvar, (also located south of a small range, theGranite Wash Mountains), thenSalome,Wenden, and lastly after a 26 miles (42 km) straight stretch,Aguila. At Aquila roads connect either northeast, or east toU.S. Route 93, the road toKingman–Phoenix
The major mountain ranges that run southeast to northwest in theMaria fold and thrust belt region are, from north to south:
Some of the thirty landforms in the fold-and-thrust-belt listed in a circular path around these three ranges are: 1. NE,Alamo Lake State Park, NE Buckskin Mtns; 2. Access roads fromU.S. Route 93, northwest, dirt, and southwest,Arizona State Route 71 terminating atAguila, Arizona, at the northeast of the Harquahala's; 3. Southeast of the Harquahalas, three mountain ranges, and the Hassayampa and Harquahala Plains-(Harquahala Valley); 4. The southwest and west perimeter of the three ranges is theBouse Wash Drainage; the drainage is in the Ranegras Plain, but two small ranges, and the Bouse Hills abut the perimeter as well; 5. The northwest abuts theCactus Plain and theCactus Plain Wilderness; 6. The northwest also has the Buckskin Mountains extending into awestern section at the confluence of the Colorado and Bill Williams Rivers.Buckskin Mountain State Park is located here. 7. TheBill Williams River downstream fromAlamo Lake State Park is the northern border of the three ranges, as well as the de facto border of fold-and-thrust-belt. The river is also a dividing line between theMojave Desert north and northwest, and theSonoran Desert, south and southeast; in California, theColorado Desert subsection of the Sonoran Desert lies southwest.
33°56′30″N113°35′03″W / 33.9416943°N 113.5840954°W /33.9416943; -113.5840954
