Nogales Recreation Area

Recreation opportunities in the Nogales Recreation Area are dispersed among the Santa Rita Mountains, the Pajaritos, the Tumacacorisand the grassy hill country that seperates them. The Santa Ritas are topped by 9.453 foot Mt. Wrightson, which is surrounded by the 25,260 acre Wilderness area of the same name. Madera Canyonin the Santa Ritas is famous among birdwatchers the world over. A number of Forest roads, including the Madera Canyon Road, provide access to campgrounds, picnic areas and dozens of forest trails. Pena Blanca Lake, at the edge of the Atascosas, offers developed campgrounds, picnic areas and fishing for stocked and resident species. The Pajaritos are home to scenic Sycamore Canyon, a 7,420 acre Wilderness and a history of mining boomtowns and hardy pioneers.