USFS · Arizona

Santa Teresa Wilderness

Looking for an extraordinary desert mountain Wilderness experience? Then head to the Santa Teresa Mountains, but be forewarned: the going's not easy. Between Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness and the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation adjoining the BLM's North Santa Teresa Wilderness, access here is difficult. The Santa Teresas are a network of rugged mountains with bald summits, deep canyons, and sprawling mesas. Elevation ranges from less than 4,000 feet to 7,481 feet on the summit of Cottonwood Peak. Holdout and Mud Spring Mesas dominate the central Wilderness. Extremely rugged Holdout Canyon typifies the Santa Teresas: abundant caves and alcoves hollow into eroded cliffs with picturesque formations.

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).

Wilderness26,912 acresUSFSAZDesignated 19847 trails
Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Santa Teresa Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
1 fire
active
Safford Piles Rx (prescribed burn) · 31 mi from the center · 367 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateArizona
Size26,912 acres
Designated1984, by Congress
Center point32.90° N, 110.23° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 24)

Boundary map

1 outline

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

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Santa Teresa Wilderness40°50°60°70°80°90°January: 1.01 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.98 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.60 inches of precipitationApril: 0.25 inches of precipitationMay: 0.37 inches of precipitationJune: 0.15 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.74 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.85 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.10 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.73 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.50 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.92 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 44.7°F averageFebruary: 48.9°F averageMarch: 55.5°F averageApril: 62.9°F averageMay: 71.5°F averageJune: 81.2°F averageJuly: 85.3°F averageAugust: 83.2°F averageSeptember: 77.6°F averageOctober: 65.8°F averageNovember: 53.0°F averageDecember: 44.1°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Ft Thomas 2 SW, 16 miles from the center point at 2,835 feet, station USC00023150 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 10 inches a year. The station sits about 1,500 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

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

Campsite Atlas →

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

Trailhead Atlas →

7 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 37 miles in all.

TrailMiles
Cottonwood Mountain ↗8.8
Black Rock ↗7.7
Holdout ↗6.9
Gardner Canyon ↗5.5
Black Canyon3.7
Fisher Canyon3.3
Fourmile Spring1.5

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

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Safford Piles Rx

    31 mi from the center point · 367 acres

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

National Register listings within 15 miles · 1 in all · Register Atlas

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 Santa Teresa Wilderness?

26,912 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Santa Teresa Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Santa Teresa Wilderness in?

Arizona.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Santa Teresa Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1984.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How do I get to Santa Teresa Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 32.902° N, 110.233° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Is there a fire near Santa Teresa Wilderness right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Safford Piles Rx at 31 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there historic places near Santa Teresa Wilderness?

The National Register has 1 listing within 15 miles, including West Peak Lookout Tower.

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.