Palo Pinto Mountains

Infobox Mountain
Name = Palo Pinto Mountains
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pushpin_map_caption = Palo Pinto Mountains' location in Texas
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latd= 32|latm= 39|lats= 00|latNS=N
longd= 98|longm= 31|longs= 00|longEW=W
Elevation = convert|1470|ft|m or convert|1620|ft|m
Location = Palo Pinto, Texas, USA
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Topographic

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Easiest route = Drive/hike
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Translation = Painted stick/wood/pole/tree
Language = Spanish
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The term Palo Pinto Mountains properly refers to a specific cuesta-like range of hills in western Palo Pinto County, Texas.cite web|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/PP/rjp8.html|title=Handbook of Texas – Palo Pinto Mountains|accessdate=2008-08-22] The name "Palo Pinto" roughly translates to "painted stick" in reference to the cedar trees of the area. [cite web|url=http://dot.state.tx.us/mnt/sra/srahome.htm?sranbr=15&dir=W|title=Texas Safety Rest Area - Locations|accessdate=2008-08-22] Isolated, rugged, and scenic, [cite web|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/MM/hrm37.html|title=Handbook of Texas – Metcalf Gap, TX|accessdate=2008-08-22] the ridge extends some fifteen miles, from near the intersection of Texas State Highway 16 and Farm to Market Road 207 in the southwest, to Crawford Mountain just south of the Fortune Bend on the Brazos River in the northeast. [cite web|url=http://maps.google.com|title=Palo Pinto Mountains - Google Maps|accessdate=2008-08-22]

The Palo Pinto Mountains are located in, and form part of, the , a Level IV ecoregion defined by the Environmental Protection Agency.cite web|url=ftp://ftp.epa.gov/wed/ecoregions/tx/tx_back.pdf|title=Descriptions of the Level IV Ecoregions of Texas|accessdate=2008-09-11] However, the term "Palo Pinto Mountains" is also used colloquially to refer to a much larger area, essentially the entire portion of the much more extensive located north of I-20.citation|last=Hodge|first=Larry|last2=Syers|first2=Ed|title=Backroads of Texas|place=Lanham, MD|publisher=Lone Star Books|year=2000|edition=4th] cite web|url=http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/pwd_rp_t3200_1047/14_c_tx_brazos.phtml|title=TPWD: An Analysis of Texas Waterways (PWD RP T-3200 1047) – Brazos River|accessdate=2008-08-22] [cite web|url=http://www.lone-star.net/mall/txtrails/mineralwells.htm|title=Mineral Wells, TX|accessdate=2008-08-22] The mountains have been called a northern extension of the Hill Country, and indeed they are both dissected plateaus featuring karst topography with similar vegetation, including oak, juniper, and mesquite, as well as cedar. The smaller Carbonate Cross Timbers also has a limestone substrate, as does the Hill Country, although the surrounding Western Cross Timbers is underlain by sandstone instead.

The high point of the range depends on which definition one is using; if referring to the specific line of hills, the high point is Crawford Mountain at the north end, with an elevation of convert|1470|ft|m and about convert|360|ft|m of prominence. [cite web|url=http://maps.google.com|title=Crawford Mountain - Google Maps|accessdate=2008-08-22] If referring to the broader hilly region, however, the highest point is the unnamed high point of Stephens County, at convert|1628|ft|m [cite web|url=http://www.cohp.org/tx/Stephens_1.html|title=Stephens County High Point Trip Report| accessdate=2008-08-22]

Human habitation and access

Using the broader colloquial definition of the Palo Pinto Mountains, they cover all of Jack and Palo Pinto counties, most of Stephens County, large parts of Parker, Montague, and Wise counties, and smaller portions of Young, Cooke, and Clay counties. This area includes the towns of Bowie (on the northwestern fringe), Graham, Jacksboro, Bridgeport, Decatur (on the eastern edge), Breckenridge, Mineral Wells, and Springtown. It also includes Possum Kingdom Lake and its state park.cite web|url=http://brazosrivercanyonlands.com/narrative/brazosRiver.html|title=Brazos River Canyonlands – The Brazos River|accessdate=2008-08-22]

Using the strict definition of the Palo Pinto Mountains, the only road that crosses the range is US 180, which enters from the east at a pass known as Metcalf Gap, [cite web|url= http://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/MM/rkm3.html|title=Handbook of Texas – Metcalf Gap|accessdate=2008-08-22] although State Highway 16 south of US 180 runs adjacent to the eastern escarpment of the cuesta. Speaking of the broader region, however, US 380 and State Highway 114 traverse the area's northern fringes, and US 281 runs north-south through the region; State Highway 59 also runs through the northeastern portion. Numerous Farm to Market Roads, most notably FM 4, also cross the area.

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