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The
Santa Rita Mountains
, located about 65 km (40 mi) southeast of
Tucson, Arizona, extend 42 km (26 mi) from north
to south, then trending southeast. They merge again
southeastwards into the
Patagonia Mountains, trending northwest by
southeast.
The
highest point in the range, and the highest point in
the
Tucson area, is
Mount Wrightson, with an elevation of 9,453 feet
(2,881 m), The range contains
Madera Canyon, one of the world's premier
birding areas. The
Smithsonian Institution's
Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is located on
Mount Hopkins. The range is one of the
Madrean sky islands.
The
Santa Rita Mountains are mostly within the
Coronado National Forest. Prior to 1908 they
were the principal component of
Santa Rita National Forest, which was combined
with other small forest tracts to form Coronado.
Much
of the range is protected by the
Mount Wrightson Wilderness. The Santa Rita
Mountains were severely burned in July 2005 in the
Florida Fire.
Other mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley
include the
Santa Catalina Mountains,
Rincon Mountains,
Tucson Mountains,
Tortolita Mountains.
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