Click on the map to open in a new window.
The Apache-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.
The Alpine Ranger District of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests is home to the highest number of fire lookouts in the USFS Southwest Region. In 1986, a region-wide effort was made to evaluate and nominate fire lookouts for the National Register of Historic Places. Bear Mountain Lookout and associated features were officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a result of the undertaking. After watching the video below, learn more about the Bear Mountain Lookout Complex Restoration Project.
