The Bradshaw-Harquahala planning area is bounded on the southeast by the Phoenix metropolitan area. Moving north, its boundary follows Interstate Highway 17 to Cordes Junction, then turns northwest toward Prescott and extends west to encompass portions of the Harcuvar and Harquahala mountain ranges. The southern boundary follows Interstate Highway 10 between the Harquahala Valley and Phoenix (Map 1 ). Major communities include Peoria, Anthem, New River, Black Canyon City, Mayer, Prescott, Wickenburg, and Buckeye.

The planning area includes remote, undeveloped areas, as well as urban interface zones. It encompasses mountain ranges and deserts of the Basin and Range physiographic province in the Sonoran Desert, as well as transitional and chaparral zones at higher elevations. The area features diverse land uses including mining, ranching, motorized and non-motorized recreation, major transportation routes, utility corridors, and communication sites. It also hosts a rich variety of wildlife, vegetation zones, archaeological sites, and other resources. There are five wilderness areas designated by Congress: Hells Canyon, Hassayampa River Canyon, Hummingbird Springs, Big Horn Mountains, and Harquahala Mountains (Map 1 ).

The area includes large blocks of private land west of Phoenix and State Trust land west of Wickenburg. The southern portion of the Prescott National Forest includes higher areas of the Bradshaw Mountains. Two large, rural parks are located near Phoenix: White Tank Mountains Regional Park, operated by Maricopa County; and Lake Pleasant Regional Park, managed cooperatively by Maricopa County and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Three Native American communities are located near the planning area boundaries: Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, and Gila River Indian Community. Other tribes in central, western, and northern Arizona have traditional cultural ties to these lands.