Coconino National Forest is a 1.856 million acre (751,000 ha) U.S. National Forest located in northern Arizona, near Flagstaff. Originally established in 1898 as the San Francisco Mountains National Forest Reserve, the area was designated a U.S. National Forest in 1908 when the San Francisco Mountains National Forest Reserve was combined with lands from other surrounding forest reserves to create the Coconino National Forest. Today, the Coconino National Forest contains a variety of landscapes including deserts, pine forests, plains, mountains, alpine tundra, and ancient volcanic peaks.
The forest surrounds the cities of Sedona and Flagstaff and borders four other national forests; Kaibab National Forest to the west and northwest, Prescott National Forest to the southwest, Tonto National Forest to the south, and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest to the southeast. The Forest contains all or parts of ten designated wilderness areas, including the Kachina Peaks Wilderness, which includes the top of the San Francisco Peaks. Headquarters are located in Flagstaff. There are local ranger chapters in Flagstaff, Happy Jack, and Sedona.
Geography
The forest ranges in elevation from 2,600 feet (800 m) in the southern part of the forest near the Verde River to 12,633 feet (3,851 m) at the summit of Humphreys Peak, the highest point in the state of Arizona. Most of the forest is a high elevation plateau (average plateau elevation is approximately 7,000 feet (2,100 m)) that sits in the middle of the largest contiguous forest of ponderosa pine in North America. The southern boundary of this plateau is the Mogollon Rim, a nearly 400-mile (640 km) long escarpment through central Arizona that also marks the southern boundary of the Colorado Plateau. The Coconino National Forest is divided into three districts, each with its own geography and environment.
The northernmost area, known as the Flagstaff District, is home to the San Francisco Peaks, an ancient group of volcanic peaks. The highest peak, Humphreys Peak, is the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet (3,851 m). Nearby are Arizona’s second, third, and fourth highest peaks. The San Francisco Peaks are the dominant structure of the San Francisco Volcanic Field, an 1,800 square mile (4,700 km) volcanic field that contains more than 600 volcanic structures. The Coconino National Forest encompasses much of the volcanic field, so the forested landscape around Flagstaff is dotted with tree-covered cinder cones, lava flows, and lava tubes (e.g., Lava River Cave ). The Flagstaff area surrounds two U.S. National Monuments near Flagstaff, Walnut Canyon National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, the latter of which preserves the youngest cinder cone in the San Francisco Volcanic Field, Sunset Crater. The forest borders another national monument, Wupatki National Monument, in its northeast corner.
In southern Flagstaff County is Mormon Lake, the largest natural lake in the state of Arizona. Several other natural lakes, including Lake Ashurst and dot the summit of Anderson Mesa, a ridge about 20 miles (30 km) long that rises 200-400 feet (60-120 ft). m) above the surrounding landscape. Anderson Mesa is best known for the Lowell Observatory branch located on the edge of the hill. At the foot of the southwest side of Anderson Mesa are two narrow man-made reservoirs built in the early 1900s, Upper Lake Mary and Lower Lake Mary. Upper Lake Mary contains water year-round except in the driest years, while Lower Lake Mary, located northwest of Upper Lake Mary, usually resembles a wet meadow more than a lake.
Flora
Conifers and other evergreens are the dominant vegetation type in the Coconino National Forest. Due in part to the arid climate, deciduous trees are rare except in some wet areas along creeks and streams. Although ponderosa pine is by far the most common tree species in the Coconino National Forest, the type of vegetation varies depending on the elevation of a particular area.
At the lowest elevations, in the extreme southwestern portion of the forest, there are few true trees and the landscape is dominated by a variety of small shrubs and sagebrush. At elevations from 4,500 feet to 6,500 feet (1,400-2,000 m), including the area surrounding Sedona, a variety of juniper species can be found, including alligator juniper and Utah juniper predominate. Other common trees and shrubs in this environment, often categorized as “juniper-pine forests,” include Arizona cypress, manzanita, and pinyon pine. Travelers often encounter agave parry, yucca, and opuntia cacti in this region.