Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests

Welcome

Safety Alerts, Fires, Restrictions, Advisories and Current Information

Snowy weather has arrived in the Rim Country and White Mountains of Arizona leaving some roads impassable and prompting a temporary winter closure of other roads on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Drivers and winter recreationists should call the local Ranger District to inquire about road conditions and temporary winter closures of Forest Service roads.

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has closed Highway 273 from the Forest/Reservation boundary to the Big Lake Recreation Area, and also Highway 261 from the junction of FR 8070A to Crescent Lake. To provide for public safety, Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has posted no parking signs along Highway 260 from the Mogollon Rim east towards Forest Lakes. Parking along this stretch of highway to play in the snow has become popular but is very dangerous, and violators will be ticketed.

News

¤¤ Winter Restrictions on Forest Road Travel Contribute to Winter Recreation Opportunities on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests 12/19
¤¤ Grand Canyon State to provide Nation’s Capitol Christmas Tree in 2009, 12/02
¤¤ Christmas Tree Permits Available, 11/14
¤¤ Hundreds of Participants Make the Motorsports Event a Success, 10/20
¤¤ Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests to Sell Christmas Tree Tags Starting October 10, 10/03
¤¤ New Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Supervisor Named, 09/26
¤¤ Update on Forest Service Motorized Travel Planning, 07/11
¤¤ Camping is Now OK Within The Rodeo/Chediski Fire Area, 06/13
¤¤ The Travel Management Rule — Fact and Fiction, 03/31

Notices

Prescribed Fire Activity
Prescribed fire season is now underway so smoke may be visible in various locations throughout the Apache-Sitgreaves. Dial 593 or 928-333-3412 to listen to a recorded message about current prescribed fire activity.

Motorized Travel Management
The rule requires each National Forest and Grassland to designate where the public can operate motor vehicles. more »

Forest Plan Revision
We are revising the strategic direction for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Your input is important to us more »

Recreation Facility Analysis
Recreation Facility Analysis (RFA) is a study tool being used nationally to help national forests create a sustainable program that aligns their developed recreation sites with visitors' desires and use. more »

Map of Arizona showing the location of the Apache-Sitgreaves Forests

The Apache and Sitgreaves National Forests, administered as one national forest, encompass over two million acres of magnificent mountain country in east-central Arizona. The Sitgreaves National Forest was named for Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves, a government topographical engineer who conducted the first scientific expedition across Arizona in the early 1850’s... read more »

On the Sitgreaves, the major attractions for the visitors from the desert are the Mogollon Rim and eight cold-water lakes. From the Mogollon Rim’s 7,600- foot elevation, vista points provide inspiring views of the low lands to the south. The Rim (pronounced: muggy-own) extends two hundred miles from Flagstaff into western New Mexico.

The Apache National Forest ranges in elevation from 3,500 feet to nearly 11,500 feet and is named for the tribes that settled in this area. The area from Mount Baldy east to Escudilla Mountain is often referred to as the White Mountains of Arizona. From the edge of the Mogollon Rim south of Hannagan Meadow the land drops precipitously into the high desert around Clifton.

Winter Restrictions on Forest Road Travel Contribute to Winter Recreation Opportunities on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests

Snowy weather has arrived in the Rim Country and White Mountains of Arizona leaving some roads impassable and prompting a temporary winter closure of other roads on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Drivers should call the local Ranger District to inquire about road conditions and winter road closures. read more »

Grand Canyon State to provide Nation’s Capitol Christmas Tree in 2009

Phoenix, AZ — As the nation celebrates the annual lighting of the Capitol Christmas Tree, also known as the "people’s tree," in Washington, D.C. today, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests officials together with Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano are announcing that next year’s Capitol Christmas Tree will be a 70-foot tree harvested from the White Mountains of Arizona.

The custom of placing the nation’s Christmas tree on the front lawn of the U.S. Capitol dates back to 1964. Traditionally the "tree" comes from a national forest within the United States. Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests employees are already busy looking for the perfect tree that will be selected by the Capitol Landscape Architect in July. read more »

2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests!

In this the Centennial year, the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests is celebrating its past achievements and sharing its story of conservation with the people it serves. As a part of this celebration, we encourage you to visit our Centennial webpage now as well as in the coming months as we will highlight new and different stories, pictures, and interesting facts that are unique to these Forests. Join us and "Discover the Legacy" of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests! read more »

Update on Forest Service Motorized Travel Planning

Motorized travel management planning continues on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. The Forests have contracted with a private firm to assist in the analysis processes necessary to implement the Travel Management Rule (TMR). Using information and data supplied by the Forest Service, the contractor will manage the process and organize, assemble and compile the required documents. Having a contractor perform these time-intensive tasks enables Forest Service specialists to provide their professional expertise to this effort, while also continuing work on other important Forests' priorities, such as forest thinning projects that reduce the risks of wildfire to local communities, and forest plan revision. read more »