Gray Mountain, Arizona
Unincorporated community
Gray Mountain is located in Arizona
Gray Mountain
Gray Mountain
Gray Mountain is located in the United States
Gray Mountain
Gray Mountain
Coordinates: 35°44′45″N 111°28′25″W / 35.74583°N 111.47361°W / 35.74583; -111.47361
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountyCoconino
Elevation
5,029 ft (1,533 m)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
ZIP code
86016
Area code928
GNIS feature ID5319[1]

Gray Mountain is an unincorporated community in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. Gray Mountain is located on U.S. Route 89, 39 miles (63 km) north-northeast of Flagstaff, and 10 miles (16 km) south-southwest of Cameron. It is assigned the ZIP code 86016.[2]

The small community contained some motels, a trading post store, gas stations, and an Arizona Department of Transportation maintenance yard.[3][4][5] The Gray Mountain Trading Post was first opened in 1935, and weathered a major fire in 1981.[6][7] The Gray Mountain Motel burned down in 1989; Gray Mountain had no fire department, and the limited response from nearby fire departments raised concerns about rural firefighting in Arizona.[8][9] Most of these facilities have since closed. The Whitling Brothers Motel which was abandoned in 2005 is now used by the Painted Desert Project, which decorates abandoned buildings in the area.[10][11] A small gas station still operated at Gray Mountain as of 2018.[12]

There have been proposals to place a wind farm on the Gray Mountain ridge laying immediately west of the community.[13] The area is home to a large population of wild horses, though they have struggled due to drought conditions.[12][14]

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Gray Mountain has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[15]

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Gray Mountain, Arizona
  2. ↑ ZIP Code Lookup
  3. ↑ Linford, Laurance D. Tony Hillerman's Navajoland, p. 126 (2005)
  4. ↑ Laurence, Robert P. Canyon Offers Bike Tour Drenched in Beauty, Marion Star ("A hardy rider could skip Cameron, continuing eight miles to Gray Mountain, up a long hill to the site of a more luxurious motel and a choice of two or three restaurants. And, because it is off the reservation, Gray Mountain has liquor available.")
  5. ↑ The Rough Guide To The Grand Canyon, p. 108 (2003)
  6. ↑ (22 June 1981). Gray Mountain Trading Post Destroyed by Weekend Inferno, Arizona Daily Sun
  7. ↑ Eddington, Patrick. Trading Post Guidebook, p. 64 (1995)
  8. ↑ Scarbrough, Carl (October 19, 1989). "Motel fire ignites new concerns". Arizona Daily Sun. p. 1. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  9. ↑ Scarbrough, Carl (October 19, 1989). "Motel fire ignites new concerns (continued)". Arizona Daily Sun. p. 5. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  10. ↑ (October 2022). Forgotten but not gone, Arizona Daily Sun
  11. ↑ Chase, Mackeznie (3 January 2021). Painted Desert Project grows with addition of Gray Mountain mural, Arizona Daily Sun
  12. 1 2 Cowan, Emery (June 15, 2018). "Volunteers to the rescue". Arizona Daily Sun. p. A1. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  13. ↑ (28 March 2008). Rez ready to develop wind power, Arizona Daily Sun, p. 1 ("Gray Mountain southwest of Cameron is being evaluated for a possible wind farm." "the Gray Mountain ridge southwest of Tuba City and Cameron, immediate west of Gray Mountain")
  14. ↑ Cowan, Emery (June 15, 2018). "Volunteers to the rescue (continued)". Arizona Daily Sun. p. A4. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  15. ↑ Climate Summary for Gray Mountain, Arizona
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