20 Attractions to Explore Near Whitlock Valley

Hot Well Dunes provides the opportunity to ride 2,000 acres of sand dunes, set up a camp, and then soak in relaxing hot tubs, all in the same location.The sands at the Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area were a beach surrounding a lake approximately two million years ago. What remains today is one of the most unique recreation spots in Arizona.

The Peloncillo Mountains of Cochise County is a mountain range in northeast Cochise County, Arizona. A northern north-south stretch of the range extends to the southern region of Greenlee County on the northeast, and a southeast region of Graham County on the northwest. The north stretch of the Peloncillo's forms the border between the two counties. It lies east and northeast of the Willcox Playa, and the San Simon Valley.

The Black Hills of Greenlee County are a 20 mi long mountain range of the extreme northeast Sonoran Desert bordering the south of the White Mountains of eastern Arizona's transition zone. The mountain range is bordered by the Gila River, and the range is a large block that forces the Gila to flow northwest, west, southwest; at the west, the Gila River begins an excursion northwest at the start of the Gila Valley, where Safford and Thatcher lie in the valley.

Black Hills rockhound area is located on the north side of Arizona route 191, between Safford and Clifton, about 18 miles north of Safford.This rockhound area makes a great day adventure for rock collectors. The principal attraction for rock collectors here is fire agate. Fire agate is a relatively new gemstone, only identified and formally recognized in the 1930s. It has the color play of precious opal with gem quality reds, greens, and blues.

Guthrie Peak is the highest point of the Black Hills, the northern extension of the Peloncillo Mountains in eastern Arizona. It isn’t a major Arizona summit. However, it does enjoy a prominence of over 2,000’, making it a worthwhile destination in its own right. Although it is far from any major Arizona cities. The summit is easily accessible because it starts right off US-191 and has a road to the top. For this reason, Guthrie Peak can be hiked any time of year.

The San Simon Valley is a broad valley east of the Chiricahua Mountains, in the northeast corner of Cochise County, Arizona and southeastern Graham County, with a small portion near Antelope Pass in Hidalgo County of southwestern New Mexico. The valley trends generally north–south but in its northern portion trends northwest–southeast.

Dankworth Pond is 150 acres of land surrounding a 15-acre pond. The park was once a fish hatchery for raising catfish. It has picnic ramadas, trails, and so more.

The 23,000-acre Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area includes four perennial waterways, the Gila and San Francisco rivers and Bonita and Eagle creeks. This region is a very special riparian ecosystem abounding with plant and animal diversity. Impressive Gila Conglomerate cliffs tower more than 1,000 feet above the Gila River, and bighorn sheep are commonly spotted. Bonita Creek, a key tributary of the Gila River, is lined with large cottonwoods, sycamores, and willows.

The Dos Cabezas Mountains Wilderness in Arizona is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. In 1990, the Dos Cabezas Mountains Wilderness became part of the now over 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System established by the Wilderness Act of 1964. In wilderness, you can enjoy challenging recreational activities and extraordinary opportunities for solitude. There is a diverse terrain of steep mountain slopes, granite outcroppings and vegetated canyon floors.

This is the research arm for the Department of Astronomy at The University of Arizona. MGIO consists of three telescopes: the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter (Radio) Telescope of the Arizona Radio Observatory, and the Large Binocular Telescope, the world's most powerful telescope. Public tours of the MGIO are conducted by the Eastern Arizona College's (EAC) Discovery Park Campus between mid-April and mid-October.

Roper Lake State Park is located 6 miles south of Safford in Graham County in southeast Arizona and sits at the base of Mt. Graham. It surrounds around 32-acre Roper Lake and it includes a boat ramp, a beach for swimming, a picnic area, a campground, cabins, and a hot spring. The lake is stocked with bass and trout, and boats are limited to small electric motors. This beautiful park is in a beautiful location surrounded by the sky island Pinaleño Mountains range, including Mount Graham.

San Simon River is an ephemeral river, or stream running through the San Simon Valley in Graham and Cochise County, Arizona and Hidalgo County, New Mexico. Its mouth is at its confluence with the Gila River at Safford in Graham County.

Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area is a National Conservation Area located along the Gila River in southern Graham and Greenlee counties in southeastern Arizona in the United States. Administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the conservation area is approximately 23,000 acres in size. Campgrounds and hiking trails are available. The section of the Gila River that flows through the Gila Box is popular with white-water rafters and kayakers.

The Dos Cabezas Mountains are a mountain range in southeasternmost Arizona, United States. The 11,700 acres Dos Cabezas Mountains Wilderness lies 20 miles east of Willcox and 7 miles south of Bowie in Cochise County. The mountain range's name means Two Heads in Spanish, for the twin granite peaks, Dos Cabezas Peaks, that sit atop the range.

Eagle Creek is a 58.5-mile-long river located 50 miles northwest of Clifton, Arizona, United States, at the base of the White Mountain Range. It is a tributary of the Gila River.

Ladybug Peak is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada in United States. This is a popular trail for hiking, mountain biking, and snowshoeing, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. There are so many things to see and do here.

Apache Pass is a historic mountain pass in the U.S. state of Arizona between the Dos Cabezas Mountains and Chiricahua Mountains at an elevation of 5,110 feet. It is approximately 20 miles east-southeast of Willcox, Arizona, in Cochise County.

Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area has many cliffs, canyons, and historical sites to explore. This 23,000-acre BLM property is in eastern Arizona. Within the conservation area, the Gila and San Francisco rivers flow through the area in addition to Bonita and Eagle Creeks. Hiking, rafting, wildlife viewing, and much more await Gila Box visitors.

Heliograph Peak is a subsidiary summit of Mount Graham in the Pinaleño Mountains. There is a good forest road to the top, and the peak is probably the best in the range for summit views, given that Mount Graham itself is off-limits and wooded, and the other high peaks are usually wooded too.

The Clifton Townsite Historic District, in Clifton, Arizona, is a 37-acre historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.It is historically significant as "a largely intact area within Clifton, a copper mining town in eastern Arizona which developed between 1870 and 1930. The district is significant...for its association with the early copper mining and smelting operations in that region and with the town which grew to support those operations.