Contact Information
2324 E. McDowell Road,
P.O. Box 5348
Phoenix, AZ 85010
602-225-5200
It's somehow appropriate that in a state as wildly diverse as Arizona - - ecologically-speaking, of course - - the national forest closest to its geographical center would embody most of that diversity. Indeed, Tonto national Forest is a cauldron of colliding ecosystems—it is here that desert meets mountain, saguaro cactus succumbs to ponderosa pine, and the earth touches the sky. Slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut, Tonto's 3 million acres makes it one of America's largest National Forests. The vertical-walled canyons, steep technicolor cliffs, and scrub-covered hills have changed little since Zane Grey wrote Under the Tonto Rim in 1926. Yucca, cholla, barrel cactus and agave thrive in the semi-arid hillsides and mesas, while floodplains along the rivers nourish stands of mesquite, black walnut and sycamore. Here, in the rugged country along the Mogollon Rim, Geronimo led the Apache into several violent clashes with the U.S. Army.
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