Wet Beaver Wilderness is a 6,155-acre (2,491 ha)
wilderness area
Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...
located in the
Coconino National Forest
The Coconino National Forest is a 1.856-million acre (751,000 ha) United States National Forest located in northern Arizona in the vicinity of Flagstaff. Originally established in 1898 as the "San Francisco Mountains National Forest Reserve", th ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
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 ...
.
[Wet Beaver Wilderness](_blank)
– Coconino National Forest
Wet Beaver Creek is a perennial stream with one major tributary, Dry Beaver Creek. The confluence of the two is at
McGuireville, Arizona
Lake Montezuma is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai County in the U.S. state of Arizona. The population was 5,111 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The CDP includes the communities of Rimrock and McGu ...
. Beaver Creek flows past
Montezuma Well
Montezuma Well ( yuf-x-yav, ʼHakthkyayva), a detached unit of Montezuma Castle National Monument, is a natural limestone sinkhole near the town of Lake Montezuma, Arizona, through which some of water emerge each day from an underground s ...
and
Montezuma Castle before joining the
Verde River
The Verde River (Yavapai: Haka'he:la) is a major tributary of the Salt River in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is about long and carries a mean flow of at its mouth. It is one of the largest perennial streams in Arizona.
Description
The ri ...
near
Camp Verde, Arizona
Camp Verde ( yuf-x-yav, ʼMatthi:wa; Western Apache: Gambúdih) is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town is 10,873.
The town hosts an annual corn festival in July, sponsored and or ...
.
[Wet Beaver Wilderness](_blank)
– Wilderness.net
Wildlife
The year-round waters in the Wet Beaver Wilderness attract large numbers of wildlife, including
elk
The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...
,
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
,
bear
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...
,
mountain lion
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. I ...
, and a variety of smaller mammals, reptiles, and birds.
Trails
The main trailhead to reach the Wet Beaver Wilderness, the Bell Trail, is located approximately east of the
Sedona
Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...
exit from
I-17 I17 may also refer to:
* Interstate 17, an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of Arizona, United States
* Japanese submarine ''I-17'', a B1 type submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy
* Polikarpov I-17, a Soviet single ...
, near the Beaver Creek Ranger Station. The Bell Trail is a historic stock trail, which follows Beaver Creek upstream for about before climbing steeply up to 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 ...
at the southern edge of the
Colorado Plateau
The Colorado Plateau, also known as the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic and desert region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. This province covers an area of ...
. The only other trail in the Wilderness is the Apache Maid Trail.
Recreation
Common recreational activities in the Wet Beaver Wilderness include hiking, horseback riding, fishing (about 12 fishable miles), swimming, wildlife watching, and photography. The popular Beaver Creek campground, located outside the Wilderness at the creek crossing just below the ranger station, is operated by the US Forest Service and requires a fee.
Overnight camping is prohibited by Forest Order between the parking area at the west end of the canyon, near the old Forest Service Ranger Station and the Campground, and continuing upstream (east) to a signed point approximately one-quarter mile upstream from where the Bell Trail (FT #13) crosses Wet Beaver Creek. This closure has been established to reduce the impact the area has received in recent years.
Fish species
*
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...
*
Brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...
*
Smallmouth bass
*
Bullfrog
''Bullfrog'' is a common English language term to refer to large, aggressive frogs, regardless of species.
Examples of bullfrogs include:
Frog species America
*Helmeted water toad (''Calyptocephalella gayi''), endemic to Chile
*American bullfro ...
s
See also
*
V Bar V Heritage Site
The V Bar V Heritage Site is the largest known petroglyph site in the Verde Valley of central Arizona, and one of the best-preserved. The rock art site consists of 1,032 petroglyphs in 13 panels. Acquired by the Coconino National Fore ...
one-half mile west
*
List of Arizona Wilderness Areas
The National Wilderness Preservation System includes 803 wilderness areas protecting of federal land . They are managed by four agencies:
* United States National Park Service (NPS)
*United States Forest Service (USFS)
*United States Fish and Wil ...
*
List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
The National Wilderness Preservation System includes 803 wilderness areas protecting of federal land . They are managed by four agencies:
*United States National Park Service (NPS)
*United States Forest Service (USFS)
*United States Fish and Wild ...
*
Wilderness Act
The Wilderness Act of 1964 () was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected 9.1 million acres (37,000 km²) of federal land. The result of a lon ...
References
*
Coconino National Forest Red Rock Ranger District
External links
Wet Beaver Wilderness– Coconino National Forest
Wet Beaver Wilderness– Wilderness.net
– ArizonaHikingTrails.com
Beaver Creek Campground– Coconino National Forest
Video of Wet Beaver Creek– Arizona Game & Fish
*
{{authority control
Wilderness areas of Arizona
Beaver Creek Canyon
Mogollon Rim
Rivers of the Mogollon Rim
Protected areas of Coconino County, Arizona
IUCN Category Ib
Protected areas of Yavapai County, Arizona
Biosphere reserves of the United States
Rivers of Arizona
Rivers of Coconino County, Arizona
Coconino National Forest