Gray Mountain is an unincorporated community in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. Gray Mountain is located on U.S. Route 89, north-northeast of Flagstaff, and south-southwest of Cameron.
The small community contained some motels, a trading post store, gas stations, and an Arizona Department of Transportation maintenance yard.Linford, Laurance D. Tony Hillerman's Navajoland, p. 126 (2005)Laurence, Robert P. Canyon Offers Bike Tour Drenched in Beauty, Marion Star ("A hardy rider could skip Cameron, continuing eight miles to Gray Mountain, up a long hill to the site of a more luxurious motel and a choice of two or three restaurants. And, because it is off the reservation, Gray Mountain has liquor available.")The Rough Guide To The Grand Canyon, p. 108 (2003) The Gray Mountain Trading Post was first opened in 1935, and weathered a major fire in 1981.(June 22, 1981). Gray Mountain Trading Post Destroyed by Weekend Inferno, Arizona Daily SunEddington, Patrick. Trading Post Guidebook, p. 64 (1995) The Gray Mountain Motel burned down in 1989; Gray Mountain had no fire department, and the limited response from nearby fire departments raised concerns about rural firefighting in Arizona. Most of these facilities have since closed. The Whitling Brothers Motel which was abandoned in 2005 is now used by the Painted Desert Project, which decorates abandoned buildings in the area.(October 2022). Forgotten but not gone, Arizona Daily SunChase, Mackeznie (January 3, 2021). Painted Desert Project grows with addition of Gray Mountain mural, Arizona Daily Sun A small gas station still operated at Gray Mountain as of 2018.
There have been proposals to place a wind farm on the Gray Mountain ridge laying immediately west of the community.(March 28, 2008). Rez ready to develop wind power, Arizona Daily Sun, p. 1 ("Gray Mountain southwest of Cameron is being evaluated for a possible wind farm." "the Gray Mountain ridge southwest of Tuba City and Cameron, immediate west of Gray Mountain") The area is home to a large population of wild horses, though they have struggled due to drought conditions.
Climate According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Gray Mountain has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Gray Mountain, Arizona
Gray Mountain was affected by an intense drought in 2018. Nearly 200 feral horses died while searching for water in a pond that had dried up; the horses became trapped in the remaining mud. Overpopulation played a role in the die-off; the Navajo Nation estimated that 50,000–70,000 horses live in the region.
The Gray Mountain area contains abandoned uranium mines which have contaminated some of the drinking water supply and caused deleterious health conditions among the local Navajo community. Little research has been conducted to determine the precise health effects of living near the uranium mines, and United States Federal Government initiatives to clean up uranium waste have been slow.
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