Juniper Mesa Wilderness
Juniper Mesa is located in the southern Juniper Mountains on the northwest half of the Prescott National Forest. It is about one hour north of the city of Prescott. The views from the mesa top to the south are hard to beat. One can see all of Apache Creek Wilderness, and portions of Granite Mountain, Woodchute, and Sycamore Canyon Wilderness areas. This Wilderness is characterized by its abrupt south facing limestone cliff bands making up Juniper Mesa on the southern end of the Juniper Mountains. This flat-topped mesa stands out in the surrounding landscape of granite. The cliff forming members of this face are the Tapeats sandstone and the Martin and Redwall limestones.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Arizona |
| Size | 7,566 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 34.96° N, 112.91° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 19) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.
Trails
7 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 24 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Juniper Mesa ↗ | 6.3 | |
| Oaks and Willows ↗ | 5.5 | |
| Miltary | 4.4 | |
| Pine Creek | 3.4 | |
| Juniper Springs | 3 | |
| Happy Camp | 1.2 | |
| Bull Spring | 0.5 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 1.4 miWalnut Creek Ranger Station ↗Prescott, AZ
- 2 miWalnut Creek Bridge ↗Simmons, AZ
- 7 miHyde Mountain Lookout House ↗Camp Wood, AZ
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Arizona
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Juniper Mesa Wilderness?
7,566 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Juniper Mesa Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Juniper Mesa Wilderness in?
Arizona.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Juniper Mesa Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How do I get to Juniper Mesa Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 34.959° N, 112.908° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Juniper Mesa Wilderness?
The National Register has 3 listings within 15 miles, including Walnut Creek Ranger Station and Walnut Creek Bridge.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.