Tonto National Forest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tonto National Forest | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area) | |
  |
|
| Location | Gila, Maricopa, Yavapai, and Pinal counties, Arizona, USA |
| Nearest city | Payson, Arizona |
| Area | 2,873,200 acres (11,627 km²) |
| Established | 1905 |
| Visitors | 5,922,000 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | United States Forest Service |
The Tonto National Forest, encompassing 2,873,200 acres (11,627 km²) , is the largest of the six national forests in Arizona and is the fifth largest national forest in the United States.[1] The Tonto National Forest has diverse scenery, with elevations ranging from 1,400 feet (427 m) in the Sonoran Desert to 7,400 feet (2,256 m) in the ponderosa pine forests of the Mogollon Rim (pronounced muggy-own). The boundaries of the Tonto National Forest are the Phoenix metropolitan area to the south, the Mogollon Rim to the north and the San Carlos and Fort Apache Indian Reservation to the east. The Tonto (Spanish for "fool") is managed by the USDA Forest Service and its headquarters are in Phoenix.
Contents |
[edit] Tonto Pass
Tonto National Forest began charging user fees in 1996 for daily and overnight stays in the park. Five different passes are currently offered for sale:
- Daily Pass
- Watercraft Sticker
- Half Price Daily Pass
- Half Price Watercraft Sticker
- Tonto Annual Pass Upgrade Decal
The Half Price passes are for use by Golden Age/Access Passport or Interagency Senior/Access Pass Holders. The Tonto Upgrade must be used in addition to an Interagency Pass for use of the park.
Tonto Passes are available online through the Tonto National Forest or TontoPermits.com, the only Tonto National Forest vendor authorized to sell passes online. Passes are also available through local merchants. [2]
[edit] Lakes, rivers and streams
The Tonto National Forest has six notable cold water reservoirs:
The next four are created by the Salt River chain of dams:
- Saguaro Lake
- Canyon Lake
- Apache Lake
- Theodore Roosevelt Lake
[edit] Wilderness areas
There are seven federally designated wilderness areas, protecting 589,000 (2,383 km²) acres of forest land, within the Tonto National Forest:[3]
- Four Peaks Wilderness
- Hell's Gate Wilderness
- Mazatzal Wilderness
- Salome Wilderness
- Salt River Canyon Wilderness
- Sierra Ancha
- Superstition Wilderness
A portion of the Verde Wild and Scenic River also lies within the forest.
[edit] References
- ^ Tonto National Forest - History and Development. U.S. Forest Service, Tonto National Forest. Retrieved on 2006-09-15.
- ^ Tonto National Forest - Tonto Pass. U.S. Forest Service, Tonto National Forest. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
- ^ Tonto National Forest - Wilderness Area. U.S. Forest Service, Tonto National Forest. Retrieved on 2006-09-15.
