Fossil Mountain
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Fossil Mountain rises to 1,994 m in Arizona. Dragon Head stands 2,362 m to the east, 10 miles off. The nearest named place is Havasupai Point, a cliff 0.7 miles away. Kaibab Plateau-North Rim Parkway passes 17 miles off.
The story
Fossil Mountain is a prominence that is located on a spur in the Western Grand Canyon, in Coconino County, Arizona. The summit of this prominence has an elevation of 6,729 ft (2,051 m) and lies about 1 mi (1.6 km) southeast of the Grand Scenic Divide, and 1 mi (1.6 km) west of Havasupai Point. This summit lies almost level with the surface of the adjacent tableland of the South Rim, the forested Kaibab Plateau.
As seen in the above photograph, Fossil Mountain exhibits a large cliff of Kaibab Limestone. The southwest slope of Fossil Mountain is a highly vegetated (trees), and high angle slope to the prominence. Below the 350 ft (110 m) cliff of Kaibab Limestone is about ~250 ft (76 m) of vegetated slope-forming Toroweap Formation. The Toroweap Formation sits upon a ~500 ft (150 m) cliff-forming, Coconino Sandstone, very vertical, and uneroded, (northeast face of Fossil Mountain, overlooking the canyon). The Coconino Sandstone sits on large slopes of vegetated Hermit Formation.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q105081747, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1994 m
How to reach it
- 16.5 mi off the Kaibab Plateau-North Rim Parkway, National
Overlooks nearby
- Bison Watching Spot · 17 mi
- Coconino Overlook · 17 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Havasupai Point: 0.7 mi
- Chemehuevi Point: 1.9 mi
- Walapai Point: 2.7 mi
- Toltec Point: 2.7 mi
- Montezuma Point: 3.7 mi
- Signal Hill: 1.4 mi
- Mount Huethawali: 1.5 mi
- Wallace Butte: 2.3 mi
- Tyndall Dome: 2.5 mi
- Fiske Butte: 3.4 mi
- Seep Spring: 2.3 mi
- Cougar Spring: 7.1 mi
- Kanabownits Spring: 10.6 mi
- Powell Spring: 10.7 mi
- Dripping Springs: 11.1 mi
- Royal Arch: 5.1 mi
- Jicarilla Bridge: 6.3 mi
- Natural Bridge: 8.4 mi
- Thunder Spring: 15.2 mi
- Buckey O'Neill Cabin: 15.3 mi
- Thunder River Falls: 15.2 mi
- Deer Creek Falls: 16.0 mi
- Upper Upper Ribbon Falls: 16.0 mi
- Upper Ribbon Falls: 16.9 mi
- Ribbon Falls: 17.2 mi
- Pasture Wash Park Ranger Station (ruins): 4.1 mi
- Hermit’s Rest: 12.2 mi
- Masonic Grand Canyon Degree Memorial: 14.3 mi
- Walhalla Glades: 23.8 mi
- Grand Canyon Natural Game Preserve: 12.9 mi
- Havasupai Gardens Campground: 15.2 mi
- Bright Angel Campground: 16.1 mi
- Cottonwood Campground: 18.0 mi
- Kolb Studio Museum: 15.3 mi
- Yavapai Geology Museum: 16.1 mi
- Big E Steakhouse & Saloon: 20.0 mi
- Havasupai Gardens Day Use Area: 15.1 mi
- Rowe Well Picnic Area: 15.2 mi
- Pipe Creek Beach: 15.3 mi
- Boat Beach: 16.3 mi
- Manzanita Rest Area: 18.4 mi
- Anita: 23.6 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 16.6 miles of Fossil Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Head | E 87° | 2,362 m | 10.1 mi |
| Oza Butte | E 92° | 2,346 m | 16.4 mi |
| Shiva Temple | E 99° | 2,321 m | 11.3 mi |
| Elaine Castle | NNE 28° | 2,232 m | 9.0 mi |
| King Arthur Castle | NE 45° | 2,222 m | 7.2 mi |
| Guinevere Castle | NE 48° | 2,203 m | 7.2 mi |
| Buddha Temple | E 100° | 2,175 m | 14.9 mi |
| The Colonnade | E 98° | 2,162 m | 13.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:34 | 18:08 | 18:42 |
| June solstice | 05:13 | 19:13 | 19:51 |
| September equinox | 06:18 | 17:54 | 18:28 |
| December solstice | 07:38 | 16:39 | 17:19 |
Local time (America/Phoenix).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 32 | 34 | 39 | 45 | 53 | 63 | 68 | 66 | 60 | 49 | 39 | 31 |
| Precip in | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Grand Canyon NP 2, 15 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of Grand Canyon National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Jan and Feb; busiest: Jul.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidata- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 4768 — Fossil Mountain, Coconino County, Arizona.
OpenStreetMap element node/359245748
Day trips start here
- Grand Canyon · 16 mi
Take the scenic way to Fossil Mountain.
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