USFS · Arizona

Tonto National Forest

The Tonto National Forest, encompassing 2,873,200 acres, is the largest of the six national forests in Arizona and is the ninth largest national forest in the United States. The forest has diverse scenery, with elevations ranging from 1,400 feet in the Sonoran Desert to 7,400 feet in the ponderosa pine forests of the Mogollon Rim. The Tonto National Forest is also one of the most visited "urban" forests in the United States.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest3.0 million acresUSFSAZ60 campgrounds within 10 mi64 Forest Service sites189 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
2fires
active
D2 Vincent Rx (prescribed burn) · 43 mi from the center
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateArizona
Size3.0 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0312, region 03
Center point33.8726, -111.2761
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 27)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Tonto National Forest40°50°60°70°80°90°January: 2.15 inches of precipitationFebruary: 2.13 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.77 inches of precipitationApril: 0.51 inches of precipitationMay: 0.37 inches of precipitationJune: 0.16 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.24 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.94 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.21 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.36 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.27 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.85 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 46.8°F averageFebruary: 50.9°F averageMarch: 57.1°F averageApril: 63.7°F averageMay: 72.2°F averageJune: 81.9°F averageJuly: 87.7°F averageAugust: 86.3°F averageSeptember: 80.1°F averageOctober: 68.0°F averageNovember: 55.4°F averageDecember: 45.8°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 in2.5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Punkin Ctr, 2 miles from the center point at 2,325 feet, station USC00026840 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 16 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

36 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 24 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Bagley Flat Campground and Boat Dock
First-comeAZ
FS · Inside
Burnt Corral Campground
Reservable79 sites
FS · Inside
C C C Tonto Nf
Reservable4 sites
FS · Inside
Cave Creek Group Site
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Cholla Campground
Reservable167 sites
FS · Inside
Christopher Creek
Reservable44 sites
FS · Inside
Civilian Conservation Corps Campground
First-comeAZ
FS · Inside
Fr 9350 Campground
First-comeAZ
Show 4 more

48 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 64

The Forest Service lists 64 recreation sites in this forest, among them 26 campgrounds, 12 boat launchs, 7 dispersed campings, 6 trailheads. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 4 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 189 named trails in this forest, 907 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Highline ↗50.2
Verde River ↗27.6
Mazatzal ↗27.2
Arizona Trail ↗25
Dutchmans ↗18.2
Reavis Ranch ↗16.2
Willow Springs ↗16.2
Red Hills ↗14.6
Davenport ↗12.9
Four Peaks ↗12.2

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 189 trails in Tonto National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-18
  • Prescribed
    D2 Vincent Rx

    43 mi from the center point

  • Prescribed
    D2 Dye Rx

    44 mi from the center point

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Monument · Adjacent
Tonto National Monument
National Monument · 17 mi
Montezuma Castle National Monument
National Monument · 25 mi
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
National Register listings within 15 miles · 103 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Tonto National Forest?

3.0 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Tonto National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Tonto National Forest in?

Arizona.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Tonto National Forest?

36 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Bagley Flat Campground and Boat Dock, Burnt Corral Campground and C C C Tonto Nf. 60 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Tonto National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 64 recreation sites here, including 26 campground campgrounds, 12 boating - motorizeds and 7 dispersed campgrounds. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Tonto National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 33.873, -111.276. Tonto National Monument is adjacent. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Tonto National Forest right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-18, the nearest D2 Vincent Rx at 43 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Tonto National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 27 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Tonto National Forest?

Tonto National Monument (adjacent), Montezuma Castle National Monument (17 mi) and Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (25 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Tonto National Forest?

103 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Alchesay Canyon Bridge and Bartlett Dam.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Description: Tonto National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.