Gila County Highpoint

[chumley]

So where is it?

Conventional wisdom says that both Promontory Butte and Myrtle Point top out at 7,920 feet. As far as I can tell, this is pure conjecture based on the 7920 contour that seems to follow the county boundary drawn on topographic maps.

Some online peak and cohp sites indicate they are both the same height. Some suggest one is slightly higher than the other.

The Promontory benchmark 7,914 is not the highpoint. If the edge of the rim is the actual county boundary, then the benchmark is also very much in Coconino County. Though the topo maps show the boundary going directly through the benchmark. The Witness Corner is totally unrelated, except that it seems likely that it is set directly on the county line or whatever the USGS determined to be the edge of the rim.

The "edge of the rim" also isn't quite as specific as it would seem. It's not exactly a 90 degree cliff. There is a bit of a rounded edge which could make the actual county boundary a bit arbitrary.

The electronic National Elevation Dataset indicates that Myrtle Point is higher than Promontory. But that doesn't mean that the edge/county boundary is higher on Myrtle.

I believe the answer here can't be determined beyond speculation, but I'd be interested to read other opinions or sources of verifiable/official data on the subject.

[mazatzal]

Voted

[chumley]

@mazatzal
Yeah, I had a feeling you might choose that one!

[te_wa]

Mazzie peak kicked my pumpkin. i have not returned in 10 years. so what's 17 feet? nothin'

[chumley]

so what's 17 feet? nothin'

Well Myrtle hits at least 7,993, and Promontory 7,972. But those high points are above the edge and not in Gila County. Though I can't see the edge being 50 or 70 feet lower than those high points in either case (based solely on personal observation), so I'm pretty sure that the actual edge and county boundary is higher than the 7,920 indicated by the contour. And therefore, also more than 17 feet.