San Pedro River (Arizona)
| San Pedro River Rio San Pedro, Beaver River | |
|---|---|
San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area January 2010 | |
Map of the Gila River watershed including the San Pedro River | |
| Location | |
| Country | Mexico, United States |
| State | Sonora, Arizona |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | The Sierra Manzanal Mountains in northern Sonora |
| • location | North of Cananea, Mexico, Mexico |
| • coordinates | 31°12′04″N 110°12′28″W / 31.20111°N 110.20778°W |
| • elevation | 4,460 ft (1,360 m) |
| Mouth | Confluence with the Gila River |
• location | Winkelman, Arizona, Pinal County, United States |
• coordinates | 32°59′04″N 110°47′01″W / 32.98444°N 110.78361°W |
• elevation | 1,919 ft (585 m) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Babocomari River |
| • right | Aravaipa Creek |
The San Pedro River is a northward-flowing stream originating about 10 miles (16 km) south of the international border south of Sierra Vista, Arizona, in Cananea Municipality, Sonora, Mexico. The river starts at the confluence of other streams (Las Nutrias and El Sauz) just east of Sauceda, Cananea. Within Arizona, the river flows 140 miles (230 km) north through Cochise County, Pima County, Graham County, and Pinal County to its confluence with the Gila River, at Winkelman, Arizona. It is the last major undammed desert river in the American Southwest, and it is of major ecological importance as it hosts two-thirds of the avian diversity in the United States, including 100 species of breeding birds and almost 300 species of migrating birds.