Tonto National Forest

Infobox_protected_area | name = Tonto National Forest
iucn_category = VI

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caption =
locator_x = 61
locator_y = 115
location = Gila, Maricopa, Yavapai, and Pinal counties, Arizona, USA
nearest_city = Payson, Arizona
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area = 2,873,200 acres (11,627 km²)
established = 1905
visitation_num = 5,922,000
visitation_year = 2005
governing_body = United States Forest ServiceThe 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. [cite web|publisher=U.S. Forest Service, Tonto National Forest|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto/about/history.shtml|title=Tonto National Forest - History and Development|accessdate=2006-09-15] 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.

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 [http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto/tp/where.shtml Tonto National Forest] or [http://www.tontopermits.com TontoPermits.com] , the only Tonto National Forest vendor authorized to sell passes online. Passes are also available through local merchants. [cite web|publisher=U.S. Forest Service, Tonto National Forest|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto/tp/|title=Tonto National Forest - Tonto Pass|accessdate=2008-02-14]

Lakes, rivers and streams

The Tonto National Forest has six notable cold water reservoirs:
*Bartlett Reservoir
*Horseshoe ReservoirThe next four are created by the Salt River chain of dams:
*Saguaro Lake
*Canyon Lake
*Apache Lake
*Theodore Roosevelt Lake

Wilderness areas

There are seven federally designated wilderness areas, protecting 589,000 (2,383 km²) acres of forest land, within the Tonto National Forest: [cite web|publisher=U.S. Forest Service, Tonto National Forest|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto/wilderness/|title=Tonto National Forest - Wilderness Area|accessdate=2006-09-15]
*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.

History

The Tonto Forest Reserve was established on October 3, 1905 by the General Land Office. In 1906 the forest reserves were transferred to the U.S. Forest Service, and on March 4, 1907 Tonto became a National Forest. On January 13, 1908 the Pinal Mountains National Forest was added along with other lands. On July 1, 1908 part of Black Mesa National Forest and other lands were added, and on July 1, 1953 part of Crook National Forest was added. [citation|title=PDFlink| [http://www.foresthistory.org/Research/usfscoll/places/National%20Forests%20of%20the%20U.S.pdf National Forests of the United States] |341 KB|date=September 29, 2005|author=Davis, Richard C.|publisher=The Forest History Society]

References

See also

*List of U.S. National Forests

External links

* [http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto/ Tonto National Forest Home]
* [http://www.tontopermits.com Tonto Pass Online Sales]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/125tonto/ "”Tonto National Monument: Saving a National Treasure”", a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan]