Beaver Dam Mountains

For the wilderness area of the same name, see Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness.
Beaver Dam Mountains
north section massif
West Mountain Peak (Washington County, UT)
Highest point
PeakWest Mountain Peak (Washington County), (northwest)-Beaver Dam Mountains
Elevation7,680 ft (2,340 m)
Coordinates37°9′19″N 113°53′0″W / 37.15528°N 113.88333°W / 37.15528; -113.88333
Dimensions
Length23 mi (37 km) NNW-SSE
Width13 mi (21 km)
Geography
Beaver Dam Mountains is located in Utah
Beaver Dam Mountains
Beaver Dam Mountains
Beaver Dam Mountains of southwest Utah and Arizona
CountryUnited States
StatesUtah and Arizona
RegionsMojave Desert and Great Basin
CountiesWashington and Mohave
RiversVirgin River and Virgin River Gorge
CommunitiesSaint George, Utah, Shivwits, Utah and Littlefield, Arizona
Range coordinates37°05′09″N 113°48′19″W / 37.0858°N 113.8052°W / 37.0858; -113.8052
Borders onTule Springs Hills, Clover Mountains, Bull Valley Mountains, Red Mountains, Saint George, Virgin Mountains and Virgin Valley
Topo mapJarvis Peak quad

The Beaver Dam Mountains are a 23 miles (37 km) long mountain range located mostly in extreme southwest Washington County, Utah, west of St. George, with the south of the range extending into the Arizona Strip.

The range contains the Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness which straddles the state's borders. The south of the range can be impressively seen from Interstate 15, as it traverses the corridor into Utah through the Virgin River Gorge, as the Virgin River exits the west of the Colorado Plateau.

Description

The range contains two sections. The northern massif is anchored by the highpoint (photo), of the West Mountain Peak (Washington County), 7,680 feet (2,341 m).[1] The eastern flank of the north massif contains Shivwits, Utah in the center of a section of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, the Shivwits Band of Utah. Utah highway 91 traverses the northwest–southeast sections through Utah Hill Summit.[2]

The center of the range is adjacent to the Highway 91 mountain pass, and Tahoari (peak), 5,523 feet (1,683 m).[1][3]

The mountains are the only place in Utah where Dudleya arizonica, a rare plant of the family Crassulaceae, can be found.[4]

Azurite specimen from the old Apex mine near Jarvis Peak

Access

The center of the range at about 4,731 ft (1,442 m),[1] (Utah Hill Summit), can be easily accessed from the west-southwest by Highway 91, from Littlefield, Arizona. The east and southeast of the range can be accessed by routes from St. George and Interstate 15.

References

  1. ^ a b c Utah Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme, 9th ed., 2014, pp. 56–57 ISBN 9780899332550
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Utah Hill Summit
  3. ^ Utah Peaks, Tahoari
  4. ^ Fertig, Walter (2016). "Research Journal of the Utah Native Plant Society" (PDF). Calochortiana. 3. Utah Native Plant Society: 43. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
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