Davis Mountains

Small mountain range in the southwest of Texas, extending north from near Marfa, in Presidio County. The second highest range in the state, it rises from a plateau of 1,200–1,500 m/4,000–5,000 ft, and is topped by Mount Livermore (2,557 m/8,382 ft). Mount Locke, site of the McDonald Observatory, and Black Mountain (2,301 m/7,550 ft) are also situated here.

Because they lie in the path of moisture-bearing winds, the Davis Mountains are greener than others in the Trans-Pecos region. The range was named in the 1850s after Jefferson Davis, then US Secretary of War. A major vacation area here encompasses Davis Mountains State Park, Fort Davis National Historic Site, and the San Solomon Springs at the northern base of the mountains. The Barilla Mountains, rising to 1,700 m/5,560 ft, are in the east.