Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area is a 56,430 acre (228.36 km2) wilderness area. It is located within the Coronado National Forest in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. Established in 1978, the area varies greatly in elevation and biodiversity, rising from 2,800 feet to over 9,100 feet in elevation.
The area was originally created in an ill-fated effort to preserve and protect the sensitive Desert Bighorn Sheep population on Pusch Ridge, one of the last remaining populations in Arizona. Due in part to increased residential and commercial development around the Santa Catalina Mountains in Oro Valley and the Catalina Foothills, however, the Desert Bighorn Sheep population in the wilderness area has dwindled dramatically, and sightings have nearly ceased in recent years. In November 2013, 31 adult bighorn sheep were reintroduced to the area. In early February 2014, 2 lambs were spotted by an Arizona Game and Fish Department official. These two are the first Catalina-born desert bighorn sheep in nearly 25 years.[1]
Plant life at lower elevations includes saguaro cactus and other desert plants. Trees found at mid-level elevations include mountain mahogany, juniper and pinyon pine. Forests of fir and aspen grow above 8,000 feet.[2]
In the middle of the Santa Catalina mountains there is a dome-shaped core of Catalina granite, formed in the Triassic period. The south face of the mountains is formed by Catalina gneiss with bands of white quartzite, this face is the form of a steep anticline and it is separated from the rest of the mountains by a series of valleys.[2]
^Greenberg, Max (February 18, 2014). "Milestone: baby bighorn sheep born in Arizona Wilderness". The Wilderness Society. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
^ abWarren, Scott S. (2002). Exploring Arizona's Wild Areas. pp. 184–185. ISBN 978-0898867749.
and 23 Related for: Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area information
PuschRidgeWildernessArea is a 56,430 acre (228.36 km2) wildernessarea. It is located within the Coronado National Forest in the Santa Catalina Mountains...
PuschRidge is the most prominent feature in the PuschRidgeWildernessArea of the Santa Catalina Mountains, managed by the Coronado National Forest north...
located in the Coronado National Forest, and also include the PuschRidgeWildernessArea. The mountain range is considered a prominent range in the Madrean...
The National Wilderness Preservation System includes 806 wildernessareas protecting 111,889,002 acres (174,826.566 sq mi; 452,798.73 km2) of federal land...
Mountains. Included in this area are the highest peak of the Santa Catalinas, Mount Lemmon, the rugged PuschRidgeWildernessArea, and the popular Sabino...
included: the 56,430 acre PuschRidgeWilderness in the Coronado National Forest the 306,000 acre Golden Trout Wilderness in the Inyo and Sequoia National...
Valley, Arizona, located 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Tucson at the base of PuschRidge. Established in 1964, CDO is one of three high schools of Amphitheater...
The Baboquivari Peak Wilderness or La Bestia is a 2,065-acre (8 km2) wildernessarea in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is located in the Baboquivari Mountains...
Peaks Wilderness in the Tonto National Forest, 40 miles (64 km) east-northeast of Phoenix. In winter, Four Peaks offers much of the Phoenix metro area a view...
400 acres (5,800 ha) of BLM land is protected as the Sierra Estrella Wilderness. On the highest peaks, temperatures are usually 8–12 degrees (Fahrenheit)...
gold and silver. List of mountain ranges of Arizona List of Arizona WildernessAreas D. W. Grantham (1984). "The Story of Harqua Hala". Desert Magazine...
a prominent mountain and landmark of the eastern Phoenix area. The Mazatzal WildernessArea protects 252,500 acres (1,022 km2) of the Tonto and Coconino...
The Mount Trumbull Wilderness is a 7,880 acre (31 km2) wildernessarea located on the Uinkaret Plateau in the Arizona Strip. It is managed by the Bureau...
County, Arizona List of mountain ranges of Arizona List of Arizona WildernessAreas The Mountains Next Door by Janice Emily Bowers Papers of the Manning...
Crater Sunset Crater Santa Catalina Mountains Mount Bigelow Mount Lemmon PuschRidge Thimble Peak Santa Rita Mountains Mount Hopkins Mount Wrightson Santa...
the remoteness of the area. Popular tourist and hiking destinations in the volcanic field include the Kendrick Mountain Wilderness, 20 miles northwest of...
Part of the range lies within the 87,700-acre (35,500 ha) Chiricahua Wilderness, managed by the Coronado National Forest. The earliest evidence of humans...
Verde Valley, Sycamore Canyon Wilderness and the towns of Cottonwood, Jerome, and Clarkdale. The Woodchute Wilderness, north of the summit of 89A, also...
tracts to form Coronado. Much of the range lies within the Mt. Wrightson Wilderness, managed by the Coronado National Forest. The Santa Rita Mountains were...
Superstition Mountains (within the federally designated Superstition WildernessArea) and is a popular outdoor recreation destination, home to numerous...
Juniper Mesa Wilderness is a 7,406-acre (2,997 ha) wildernessarea in the Prescott National Forest in the U.S. state of Arizona. The mesa is about an...
Global Information
