Pinal Peak
History
The areas around the Pinal Mountains has been populated by Native Americans since the 12th century, and were an important resource for them. The Besh-Ba-Gowah ruins are located in the foothills of the Pinal Mountains. In the late 17th century the mountains were scouted by Spanish explorers who gave it its modern name. They translated the native Apache and Yavapai terms for the mountains as "Pinal" or Pine Mountains. Later still, in the mid-19th century, the U.S. Army scouted the mountains, and used Signal Peak as a heliograph station, which is how that peak got its name. Today there are radio masts and towers on both Pinal and Signal Peaks.
Recreation
Several maintained dirt roads lead to the peak, and at least two of eight hiking trails in the mountains connect to the summit. The Upper Pinal Campground, located on the shallow saddle between Pinal and Signal Peaks, is open from May to November. The United States Forest Service maintains the recreational facilities in the mountains, which are inside the Tonto National Forest.
References
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Arizona's Top 100 Peaks by Prominence : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost".
- ^ "Pinal Peak Lookout Tower". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
- ^ "Pinal Peak Quadgrangle 7.5 minute series topographic map" (PDF). United States Department of Interior. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
- ^ "Arizona's Top 100 Peaks by Prominence". SummitPost.org. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
- ^ "Myrtle Point, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
- ^ "The Pinal Mountains". WindSpiritCommunity.org. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
- ^ "Pinal & Upper Pinal". Tonto National Forest. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
External links
- "Pinal Peak". SummitPost.org.
- Official 7.5 minute quadrangle USGS topographic survey map of the Pinal Mountains Archived 2020-08-10 at the Wayback Machine. Elevation listed for Pinal Peak as 7,848 ft by the USGS.