Whitewater Baldy stands in the Gila Wilderness of western New Mexico, about 15 miles east of Glenwood in the Gila National Forest. It is the highest point in the Mogollon Mountains and the third-highest mountain in southern New Mexico. Formed within the Mogollon-Datil volcanic field, its landscape comes from volcanic materials laid down roughly 40 to 25 million years ago. The mountain’s western slopes drain into Whitewater Creek, and its eastern side drains toward Iron Creek. Although its name suggests a bare summit, the top is forested. Trails from both the west and east reach the mountain, whose surrounding landscape was heavily altered by the Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire in 2012.