Santa Rita Mountains

Santa Rita Mountains
View of the northern end of the Santa Ritas from the Santa Rita Experimental Range
Highest point
Peak	Mount Wrightson
Elevation	9,453 ft (2,881 m)
Coordinates	31°43′23″N 110°52′49″W / 31.72306°N 110.88028°W / 31.72306; -110.88028
Geography
Santa Rita Mountains Pima and Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Country	United States
State	Arizona
Region	Sonoran Desert
District	Tucson, AZ
Topo map(s)	USGS Helvetia, AZ

The Santa Rita Mountains (O'odham: To:wa Kuswo Doʼag), located about 40 miles (60 km) southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend 26 miles (42 km) 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 lies within the Mt. Wrightson Wilderness, managed by the Coronado National Forest. The Santa Rita Mountains were severely burned in July 2005 in the Florida Fire.

On the western side of the northern Santa Rita Mountains, a large cliff face of white marble is visible from the Green Valley and Sahuarita areas. This "white scar" reminded early Spanish missionaries of Saint Rita of Cascia (1381–1457), an Italian nun, who is often depicted with a small wound on her forehead. The mountain range was consequently named after her.^[1]

Other mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley include the Santa Catalina Mountains, the Rincon Mountains, the Tucson Mountains, and the Tortolita Mountains.