1996 Map of Cabeza Prieta Peak

About this map

Cabeza Prieta Mountains dominate this arid landscape in Yuma County, illustrating a complex overlapping of federal land management at the end of the twentieth century. The terrain is characterized by sharp elevation changes, from the heights of Cabeza Prieta Peak and Tordillo Mountain down into the broad A-1 Basin. This area serves a dual purpose as both a restricted military corridor and a protected desert sanctuary, with the Barry M Goldwater Air Force Range sharing boundaries with the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and the Cabeza Prieta Wilderness. Natural drainage patterns like Surprise Canyon and the Smoke Tree Wash define the desert floor, while the isolated Halfway Tank and the strategic Cabeza Prieta Pass mark the few named points of human orientation in this vast, undeveloped reach of the Sonoran Desert.