South Mountains (Arizona)

The major peaks of the South Mountains are (from West to East): • Maricopa Peak (2,523 ft) • Goat Hill (2,526 ft) • Mount Suppoa (South Mountain, TV Tower Peak), highest point in the mountains at . Contains numerous radio and television transmitting towers serving the Phoenix area, including those of the ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC network-affiliated stations. == Features ==

• The South Mountains comprise three mountain ranges: the Guadalupe Range, Gila Range and Ma Ha Tuak Range. • Gila Valley Lookout is the highest point accessible by trail at 2,620 ft (800 m). • Alta Ridge is the ridge on the eastern end of Maricopa peak. • Telegraph Pass is a gap that separates the Guadalupe Range to the east and the Gila Range to the west. • ''Fat Man's Pass, formerly known as Wonder Rift, and Natural Tunnel are rock formations that provide access to Hidden Valley Trail''. • Mystery Castle is in the foothills on the north side and was built from odd materials and trash around 1930 as a private residence. • There are more than 30 communications towers on the summit of Mount Suppoa. • There are ruins of both ancient Indian and more contemporary origin, and there are many petroglyphs carved into the desert varnish on the rocks. ==Geography and ecology==

A spur plateau of the Salt River Mountains was described by an early survey of the area as the dividing feature of the Salt River valley. There are a variety of flora and fauna within the Salt River Mountains. One of the notable tree species here is the elephant tree, Bursera microphylla. ==References==