Mogollon Rim

The Mogollon Rim is a major escarpment in central Arizona that forms the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau and extends for roughly 200 miles (about 320 km).

The rim provides numerous overlooks, forested plateaus, and access to trails, lakes, and campgrounds; elevations around the rim create cooler, forested habitats distinct from nearby low deserts. Recreational uses include hiking, fishing in rim lakes, and scenic drives along forest roads.

The rim is a long-lived physiographic boundary formed by uplift and erosion of plateau rocks; it has long marked a geologic and ecological transition in Arizona. Human history includes Native American use of rim resources and later recreational and forest management activities.

The escarpment runs across central Arizona, forming a clear topographic boundary between the higher Colorado Plateau to the north and lower country to the south. It is a prominent regional landmark visible from many central Arizona communities.

• Elevation range: Elevations along the rim commonly range from about 5,000 to over 8,000 feet, producing a clear climatic and ecological transition between the plateau and lower desert lands.
• Hydrology: The rim functions as a major watershed divide, feeding rivers and streams that flow off the plateau into central Arizona valleys.

What to See #

• Rim escarpment: A continuous escarpment of bedrock and forest that stretches roughly 200 miles (about 320 km) across central Arizona and forms the abrupt southern edge of the Colorado Plateau.