Mt. Wrightson Wilderness
Rising a magnificent 7,000 feet from the desert floor, 9,452-foot-high Mount Wrightson is visible from great distances. At the core of the Santa Rita Mountains, this Wilderness has rough hillsides, deep canyons, and lofty ridges and peaks surrounded on all sides by semiarid hills and sloping grasslands. Ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir dominate the upper elevations. The stream-fed canyons support an abundance of plant and animal life, including many montane Mexican plants that grow nowhere else north of the border. There are also many species seen in few other places in the United States. At the foot of Madera Canyon on the edge of the Wilderness, a developed recreation area serves as a popular jumping-off point for backpackers.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Arizona |
| Size | 25,141 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 31.70° N, 110.85° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 15) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
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
None of the 1 federal campground within ten miles sits inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
25 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 94 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Crest ↗ | 25.7 | |
| Temporal Gulch ↗ | 6.6 | |
| Agua Caliente ↗ | 5.2 | |
| Ditch Mountain ↗ | 5.1 | |
| Florida Canyon | 4.3 | |
| Old Baldy | 4 | |
| Gardner | 3.9 | |
| Cave Canyon | 3.7 | |
| Super Trail | 3.6 | |
| Madera Nature Trail #88 ↗ | 3.5 |
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.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedNogales Piles Rx
9 mi from the center point · 101 acres
- PrescribedSierra Vista Piles Rx
22 mi from the center point · 161 acres
- PrescribedMica Mountain Rx
39 mi from the center point
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 10 miTumacacori Museum ↗National Historic Landmark
- 12.3 miTitan Missile Museum ↗National Historic Landmark
- 7.6 miCady Hall ↗Patagonia, AZ
- 7.8 miTubac Presidio ↗Tubac, AZ
- 7.8 miRojas House ↗Tubac, AZ
- 7.8 miOld Tubac Schoolhouse ↗Tubac, AZ
- 9.6 miEmpire Ranch House ↗Greaterville, AZ
- 13.3 miFinley, James, House ↗Patagonia, AZ
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Arizona
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Mt. Wrightson Wilderness?
25,141 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Mt. Wrightson Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Mt. Wrightson Wilderness in?
Arizona.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Mt. Wrightson Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Mt. Wrightson Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Mt. Wrightson Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 31.700° N, 110.855° W. Tumacácori National Historical Park is 10 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Mt. Wrightson Wilderness right now?
3 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Nogales Piles Rx at 9 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Mt. Wrightson Wilderness?
Tumacácori National Historical Park (10 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Mt. Wrightson Wilderness?
The National Register has 8 listings within 15 miles, including Tumacacori Museum and Titan Missile Museum.
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.