The Tonto Basin, also known as Pleasant Valley, covers the main

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

Tonto Creek Tonto Creek is a stream located in the Mogollon Rim area of the state of Arizona on the north edge of the Tonto National Forest. The closest town, Payson, Arizona, Payson, is away. Tonto Creek is a stream that flows year round, starting just ...

and its tributaries in central

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, at the southwest of the

Mogollon Rim The Mogollon Rim ( or or ) is a topographical and geological feature cutting across the northern half of the U.S. state of Arizona. It extends approximately , starting in northern Yavapai County and running eastward, ending near the border ...

, the higher elevation '' transition zone'' across central and eastern Arizona. Although the word ''tonto'' means ''silly'' or ''foolish'' in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, this place name is derived from the Apache word, ''Koun’nde'', which means ''wild, rough people'' and refers to the indigenous Dilzhe’e Tonto Apache.White Mountain Apache Tribe, 1998. ''Western Apache-English Dictionary: A Community-Generated Bilingual Dictionary.'' Tempe, Arizona, Arizona State University, Bilingual Review Press, 485 p. Tonto Basin is mostly north-south trending and outflows into the Salt River at the extensive canyon reservoir called

Theodore Roosevelt Lake Theodore Roosevelt Lake (usually called Roosevelt Lake, sometimes Lake Roosevelt) is a large reservoir formed by Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River (Arizona), Salt River in Arizona as part of the Salt River Project (SRP). Located roughly 8 ...

Arizona Route 188 State Route 188 is a state highway located primarily in Gila County in the U.S. state of Arizona. Route description The route, also known as Apache Trail at its southern end, starts at U.S. Route 60 in Globe, just north of Claypool, and run ...

traverses the lower Tonto Basin on the southwest side of Theodore Roosevelt Lake; it then merges at the

water divide A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a singl ...

northeast of the Mazatzals, with State route 87 which proceeds to Payson and further to Kohls Ranch and

Christopher Creek Christopher Creek is located at the base of the Mogollon Rim in the state of Arizona. The nearby town of Christopher Creek is named after this body of water. The closest city Payson is west of Christopher Creek. Fish species * Rainbow trout ...

at the basin headwaters at the foot of the

Regional geography

The Tonto Basin is Y-shaped at its headwaters. East are the

Sierra Ancha The Sierra Ancha ("broad range" in Spanish, in Western Apache: Dził Nteel - "Wide Flat Mountain") is a mountain range in Gila County, in central Arizona. It lies between Roosevelt Lake to the south, the Tonto Basin to the west, Cherry Creek to ...

range, part of the Mogollon Rim, and Tonto Creek draining from the northeast. West lies the

Mazatzal Mountains The Mazatzal Mountains (MAH-zaht-ZAL, locally Ma-tuh-ZEL) are a mountain range in south central Arizona, about 30–45 miles northeast of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The origin of the name remains obscure but one possibility is that it is from ...

and a ridgeline of hills on the north, the ''Limestone Hills'' on the south-side of the

East Verde River The East Verde River is a tributary of the Verde River in the U.S. state of Arizona. Beginning on the Mogollon Rim near Washington Park, it flows generally southwest through Gila County and the Tonto National Forest northeast of Phoenix. Near t ...

; this is the

at the west of the Y-shape, a much shorter drainage basin, dwarfing the major upper Tonto Creek drainage.

References

External links

lower Tonto Creek, Tonto Basin, (Four Peaks, Mazatzal Mountains)Map
{{Coord, 33.8317111, -111.294575, display=title Mogollon Rim Landforms of Gila County, Arizona Valleys of Arizona Watersheds of the United States

Regional geography

See also

References

External links