Cactus Plain

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Cactus Plain is a plain east of the Colorado River and Parker Valley, in La Paz County, western Arizona, United States.

Contents

Geography

Cactus Plain is a landform within the Lower Colorado River Valley. It is adjacent to Bouse Wash, which is on the south. The wash drains northwest-west into the Colorado River.

Protected areas

Recreation activities in both protected areas includes backpacking, day hiking, sightseeing, horseback riding, photography, and botanical and wildlife study. [1] [2]

Cactus Plain Wilderness Study Area

The 59,100 acres (23,900 ha) Cactus Plain Wilderness Study Area protects the western two-thirds of the Cactus Plain, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It is 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Parker, and 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Bouse. [1]

The wilderness study area is an immense open area of stabilized and semi-stabilized sand dunes, unique in western Arizona. Recreation activities include backpacking, day hiking, sightseeing, horseback riding, and botanical and wildlife study.

East Cactus Plain Wilderness

The 14,630 acres (5,920 ha) East Cactus Plain Wilderness area protects the eastern third of the Cactus Plain, managed by the BLM. It is 10 miles (16 km)3 miles (4.8 km) north of Bouse. [2]

It is predominantly a complex crescent dune, with dense dune–scrub vegetation, known only from this area in Arizona. The plant community is unique in its denseness and flora species diversity.

See also

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Little Harquahala Mountains

The Little Harquahala Mountains are a small, arid, low-elevation mountain range of western-central Arizona, in the southeast of La Paz County.

Eagletail Mountains Wilderness Protected wilderness area in Arizona, United States

The 100,600-acre (407 km2) Eagletail Mountains Wilderness is part of the Eagletail Mountains of central-west Arizona, about 65 mi west of Phoenix. The wilderness is of moderate size, with the Eagletail Mountains forming its northeast perimeter, and the much shorter Cemetery Ridge section, forming its southwest border. The wilderness covers nearly all of the Eagletail Mountains and the plains on its southwest. The wilderness lies at the southeast of the Ranegras Plain, the headwater region of Bouse Wash, and lies adjacent to the northwest border of the extensive Gila Bend Mountains, the mountain range causing the great Gila Bend excursion of the Gila River, in Arizona.

References

  1. 1 2 "BLM Arizona: study area". Archived from the original on 2008-03-07. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  2. 1 2 "East Cactus Plain – Lake Havasu Field Office – BLM Arizona: wilderness area". Archived from the original on 2012-07-02. Retrieved 2014-06-05.

Coordinates: 34°02′49″N114°04′48″W / 34.047°N 114.080°W / 34.047; -114.080