Fossil Springs Wilderness

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Fossil Springs Wilderness
Fossil Creek.jpg
Location Gila and Yavapai counties, Arizona, United States
Nearest city Strawberry, Arizona
Coordinates 34°26′56″N111°32′35″W / 34.44889°N 111.54306°W / 34.44889; -111.54306
Area11,550 acres (47 km2)
Established1984
Governing body U.S. Forest Service

Fossil Springs Wilderness is an 11,550-acre (4,674 ha) wilderness area within the Coconino National Forest in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is at the bottom of a steep canyon at the edge of the Colorado Plateau, just south of the Mogollon Rim. Here, water emerges at the surface at the rate of about 2,700 cubic feet (76 m3) per minute. The perennial water supply supports one of the most diverse riparian ecosystems in the state, with more than 30 species of trees set among native desert shrub. It also creates a haven for abundant wildlife, including elk, deer, javelina, coyote, skunk, racoon, ring-tailed cat, fox, mountain lion, black bear and more than 100 species of birds. [1]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests</span> Protected areas in Arizona and New Mexico

The Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests is a 2.76-million-acre (11,169 km2) United States National Forest which runs along the Mogollon Rim and the White Mountains in east-central Arizona and into the U.S. state of New Mexico. Formerly two forests, it is currently managed as one unit by USDA Forest Service from the Forest Supervisors Office in Springerville, Arizona. Apache–Sitgreaves has over 400 species of wildlife. With its high elevation and cool summer breezes it is a popular weekend destination from the hot desert for Phoenix, Arizona, residents. The forest is divided into 5 Ranger Districts that span almost 300 miles (480 km) from Clifton, Arizona in the east-central portion of Arizona to the eastern boundary of the Coconino National Forest in north-central Arizona. The Apache–Sitgreaves National Forest borders the western and northern borders of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. It is located in parts of Greenlee, Apache, Navajo, and Coconino counties in eastern and east-central Arizona, and Catron County in western New Mexico. The more northwesterly Sitgreaves National Forest portion lies adjacent to the north side of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation and is located entirely in Arizona, within Navajo, Apache, and Coconino counties. It has a total area of 818,651 acres (3,313 km2). The more southeasterly and much larger Apache National Forest portion lies adjacent to the east side of the Fort Apache and the San Carlos Indian Reservations. It lies on both sides of the border with New Mexico, in Greenlee, Catron, and Apache counties. It has a total area of 1,813,601 acres (7,339 km2).

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonto National Forest</span> Protected area in Arizona

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prescott National Forest</span> Protected area in north central Arizona

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Wet Beaver Wilderness is a 6,155-acre wilderness area located in the Coconino National Forest in the U.S. state of Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness</span> Protected area in the Coconino National Forest

The Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness is a 47,195-acre wilderness area located within the Coconino National Forest in the U.S. state of Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strawberry Crater</span> Cinder cone volcano in Coconino County, Arizona, US

Strawberry Crater is a cinder cone volcano, more than 1,000 feet (300 m) high, in the San Francisco volcanic field, 20 miles (32 km) north of Flagstaff, Arizona. It is along Forest Road 545 between the Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater National Monument in the Strawberry Crater Wilderness. The crater lies in a volcanic field at a base elevation of about 5,500 feet (1,700 m), and prominence heights of about 6,526 feet (1,989 m). The northwestern end of the crater is covered with lava flows, while the southern end is filled with low cinder cones. Several of the surrounding cones include the better known, taller and younger Sunset Crater in the adjacent Sunset Crater National Monument.

References

  1. Fossil Springs Wilderness Archived 2008-03-29 at the Wayback Machine – Wilderness.net