Kaibab National Forest

Camping: More than 150,000 visitors stay at the developed campgrounds of the forest each year. Cataract Lake, Dogtown Lake, Kaibab Lake, and White Horse Lake campgrounds are operated under Forest Service Permit by Southwest Recreation.

Fishing: All streams located on the Williams Ranger District are intermittent (i.e., flow only part of the year) and are not suitable for sport fishing. Fishing here occurs at lakes, many of which have developed campgrounds nearby. Some people do fish at a few of the larger tanks, including J. D. Dam, Perkins, Hells Canyon and Bar Cross Tanks. With the exception of J. D. Dam, all these are warm water fisheries.

Historic Sites: Most archeological remains on the Kaibab National Forest south of Grand Canyon are between 1,200 and 850 years old, a period when people lived in semi-subterranean pit houses and stone houses, made pottery, and grew crops. The Cohonina culture was most prominent in what is now the Williams area. The Kayenta Anasazi shared the south rim of the Grand Canyon with the Cohonina. Both cultures first appeared in about AD 700 and disappeared, for unknown reasons, by about AD 1150.

Sightseeing: One of the most popular recreation activities on the Williams Ranger District, and one that is common in all National Forests, is sightseeing. Whether people come to the forest primarily to sightsee or to participate in some other activity, more often than not they find themselves enjoying the beautiful scenery as much as any feature that brought them here.

Trails: Hikers and riders will find solitude, wildlife viewing and scenic views a plenty on this portion of the Kaibab National Forest . A few of the trails are best suited for the experienced hiker, but there are trails for a variety of levels of expertise and desire. Trails less than 5 miles and 1500 feet of vertical gain (or loss) are rated Easy. Trails between 5 and 10 miles and 1500 and 3000 feet verticls gain/loss are rated Moderate. Trails over ten miles and 3000+ feet gain/loss are rated Difficult. A trail profile accompanies every trail map and provides an easy to read graph of the change in elevation for each mile hiked on that trail.

Wilderness: The Sycamore Canyon Wilderness borders the forest on the south. Much of this area is in the Coconino National Forest, but parts of it also lie within the Prescott and Kaibab National Forests. Access is available from the north, south and east. The Sycamore Rim Trail follows the Mogollon Rim along the northern border of the Wilderness. This 11-mile trail is roughly circular, passing through the natural areas of Pomeroy Tanks, the Lily Ponds and Sycamore Canyon Vista.

Wildlife Viewing: For many visitors, observing wildlife is one of the highlights of a trip to a national forest. In fact, more and more people go to our public lands expressly to view wildlife. The diverse habitats found on the Williams District are home to a rich variety of mammal and bird life.