Welcome to Tonto National Forest
On April 22, 2025, we transitioned our public websites to a modern web platform to better serve the public. With thousands of pages to update, some content may take longer to appear. Some old content has been archived during this process, as well.
We appreciate your patience as we work to make it easier than ever to access information and explore your national forests—both online and on the ground. Please send us an email using our Contact Us form if there is something you can't find!
The Tonto National Forest spans 2.9 million acres of rugged, beautiful country, offering unique landscapes including Sonoran Desert Saguaro cacti and flat lands that slowly give way to the highlands of the Mogollon Rim. This variety in vegetation and range in altitude— from 1,300 to 7,900 feet— offers outstanding recreational opportunities throughout the year, whether it's lake beaches or cool pine forests.
Plan Your Trip
Recreation Opportunities
Unforgettable experiences are waiting! Eight lush wilderness areas, scenic flowing rivers, the Mogollon Rim's 200-miles of beauty and some of the best trails in the country.
Camping
The Tonto has you covered whether you prefer open-air, tent, camper, group, RV, horse, dispersed or campground camping. Stargazing is an added bonus.
Find Your Way
Interactive, downloadable and print maps of National Forests and National Grasslands in Arizona and New Mexico.
Fire Information
Your one-stop for fire information on the Tonto National Forest including fire restrictions, current and prescribed fires, emergency information and prevention.
Tonto Passes
The Tonto National Forest offers many free activities such as hiking, biking, camping, birding, scenic drives and more, but some locations require a fee to help maintain, manage and improve the amenities you enjoy.
Get a Permit
The Forest Service manages lands to meet the demand for a variety of uses that benefit the public and protect the resources for future generations. A special use permit, or authorization, and other permits are tools to regulate use in a way that supports national policy and federal laws.
Click below for more information on different types of permits available on the Tonto National Forest.
Updates from the Tonto
Managing The Land
The Tonto National Forest has a crucial job managing natural resources that flourish for generations to come. Its resource management program encompasses a wide range of activities aimed at sustainably maintaining the health, diversity, and productivity of forest ecosystems.
Resolution Copper Update
The United States Forest Service hereby provides notice that it intends to publish a Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (“FEIS”) and Draft Record of Decision (“DROD”) for the Resolution Copper Mining, LLC Land Exchange and Project in the Federal Register no earlier than 60 days from the date of this notice.
