Editing Yavapai County, Arizona (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|8128|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|8123|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|4.4|sqmi}} (0.05%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_04.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 23, 2015|date=August 23, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126040915/http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_04.txt|archive-date=January 26, 2016}}</ref> It has about 93% of the area of the U.S. state of [[New Jersey]]. It is larger than three U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware and Connecticut) and the District of Columbia combined.

The county's topography makes a dramatic transition from the lower [[Sonoran Desert]] to the south to the heights of the [[Coconino Plateau]] to the north, and the [[Mogollon Rim]] to the east. The highest point above sea level (MSL) in Yavapai County is [[Mount Union (Arizona)|Mount Union]] at an elevation of {{convert|7,979|ft|m|abbr=on}} and the lowest is Agua Fria River drainage, now under Lake Pleasant.

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Mohave County, Arizona|Mohave County]]{{snd}}west
* [[La Paz County, Arizona|La Paz County]]{{snd}}southwest
* [[Maricopa County, Arizona|Maricopa County]]{{snd}}south
* [[Gila County, Arizona|Gila County]]{{snd}}south/southeast 
* [[Coconino County, Arizona|Coconino County]]{{snd}}north/northeast

===Major highways===
{{div col}}
* [[File:I-17 (AZ).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 17]]
* [[File:I-40 (AZ).svg|20px]] [[Interstate 40 in Arizona|Interstate 40]]
* [[File:US 93.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 93 in Arizona|U.S. Route 93]]
* [[File:Arizona 66.svg|20px]] [[Arizona State Route 66|State Route 66]]
* [[File:Arizona 69.svg|20px]] [[Arizona State Route 69|State Route 69]]
* [[File:Arizona 71.svg|20px]] [[Arizona State Route 71|State Route 71]]
* [[File:Arizona 89.svg|20px]] [[Arizona State Route 89|State Route 89]]
* [[File:Arizona 169.svg|25px]] [[Arizona State Route 169|State Route 169]]
* [[File:Arizona 179.svg|25px]] [[Arizona State Route 179|State Route 179]]
* [[File:Arizona 260.svg|25px]] [[Arizona State Route 260|State Route 260]]
* [[File:Arizona 279.svg|25px]] [[Arizona State Route 279|State Route 279]]
{{div col end}}

===National protected areas===
[[File:West Clear Creek Wilderness (5009364401).jpg|thumb|[[West Clear Creek Wilderness]]|upright  ]]
[[File:West Fork of Oak Creek, reflections.jpg|thumb|West Fork of [[Oak Creek (Arizona)|Oak Creek]], in the [[Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness]]  ]]
* [[Agua Fria National Monument]]
* [[Coconino National Forest]] (part)
* [[Kaibab National Forest]] (part)
* [[Montezuma Castle National Monument]]
* [[Prescott National Forest]] (part)
* [[Tonto National Forest]] (part)
* [[Tuzigoot National Monument]]

There are nineteen official [[wilderness area]]s in Yavapai County that are part of the [[National Wilderness Preservation System]]. Fourteen of these are integral parts of National Forests listed above, whereas five are managed by the [[Bureau of Land Management]]. Some of these extend into neighboring counties (as indicated below):
* [[Apache Creek Wilderness]] (Prescott NF)
* [[Arrastra Mountain Wilderness]] (BLM) mostly in Mohave County; also partly in La Paz County
* [[Castle Creek Wilderness]] (Prescott NF)
* [[Cedar Bench Wilderness]] (Prescott NF)
* [[Fossil Springs Wilderness]] (Coconino NF) mostly in Coconino County
* [[Granite Mountain Wilderness (Arizona)]] (Prescott NF)
* [[Hassayampa River Canyon Wilderness]] (BLM)
* [[Hells Canyon Wilderness (Arizona)]] (BLM) partly in Maricopa County
* [[Juniper Mesa Wilderness]] (Prescott NF)
* [[Mazatzal Wilderness]] (Tonto NF / Coconino NF) partly in Gila County; Maricopa County
* [[Munds Mountain Wilderness]] (Coconino NF) mostly in Coconino County
* [[Pine Mountain Wilderness]] (Tonto NF/Prescott NF)
* [[Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness]] (Coconino NF) partly in Coconino County
* [[Sycamore Canyon Wilderness]] (Prescott NF/Coconino NF / Kaibab NF) mostly in Coconino County
* [[Tres Alamos Wilderness]] (BLM)
* [[Upper Burro Creek Wilderness]] (BLM) partly in Mohave County
* [[West Clear Creek Wilderness]] (Coconino NF) partly in Coconino County
* [[Wet Beaver Wilderness]] (Coconino NF) partly in Coconino County
* [[Woodchute Wilderness]] (Prescott NF)

===Land ownership and management===
{{seealso|Baca land grants}}
* Private ownership: about 25% of Yavapai County's land (by area) is privately owned.
* [[Public land]]: about 75% of the county's area is publicly owned, including
:*Federal ownership: about 50% of the county's area is owned by the [[federal government of the United States]], including
::*[[United States National Forest|National Forest]] lands, managed by the [[US Forest Service]]: 38% of the county's area
::*Federal lands managed by the U.S. [[Bureau of Land Management]]: 11.6% of the county's area
::*Small areas of federal land are managed by the U.S. [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] and the [[National Park Service]]: less than 0.5% of the county's area.
:::[[Yavapai-Prescott Tribe]] {{convert|1413|acre|ha}}
:::[[Yavapai-Apache Nation]] {{convert|685|acre|ha}}
:*About 25% of Yavapai County is owned by the [[State of Arizona]] as [[Arizona State Trust Land|state trust lands]], managed by the [[Arizona State Land Department]].<ref>[http://www.azcommerce.com/doclib/commune/yavapai%20county.pdf Yavapai County Profile]</ref>

===Flora and fauna===
There are numerous flora and fauna species within Yavapai County. For example, a number of plants within the genus [[Ephedra (plant)|Ephedra]] and [[Coreopsis]] are found in the county.<ref>T. Kearney, Robert H. Peebles and Elizabeth McClintock.  ''Arizona Flora''. 2nd ed. [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]]: [[University of California|U of California P]], 1940, 61 et seq., {{ISBN|978-0-520-00637-9}}</ref> Yavapai County is also the location of several groves of the near-threatened [[California Fan Palm]], ''[[Washingtonia filifera]]''.<ref>C. Michael Hogan. 2009. [http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=90942 ''California Fan Palm: Washingtonia filifera'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930184850/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=90942 |date=September 30, 2009}}</ref>