USFS · Arizona

Apache Creek Wilderness

Remote, and relatively rugged, Apache Creek Wilderness offers rolling hills of juniper and pinion pine interspersed with outcroppings of granite boulders and ponderosa pine. Time. wind, and water have...

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net), where the full text continues.

Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Apache Creek Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateArizona
Size5,633 acres (Wilderness Connect)
Designated1984, by Congress
Center point34.8782, -112.9053
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 20)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

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 Apache Creek Wilderness30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 1.51 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowFebruary: 1.86 inches of precipitation, 1.8 inches of snowMarch: 1.15 inches of precipitation, 1.0 inches of snowApril: 0.56 inches of precipitation, 0.5 inches of snowMay: 0.40 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 0.25 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 1.84 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 2.57 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.50 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.00 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 0.89 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowDecember: 1.23 inches of precipitation, 1.6 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 37.9°F averageFebruary: 40.8°F averageMarch: 46.0°F averageApril: 51.4°F averageMay: 58.5°F averageJune: 66.8°F averageJuly: 73.1°F averageAugust: 71.7°F averageSeptember: 65.3°F averageOctober: 54.6°F averageNovember: 43.9°F averageDecember: 36.6°F average0 in1 in2 in3 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Walnut Creek, 6 miles from the center point at 5,090 feet, station USC00029158 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 15 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 6 inches a year on the same inches scale.

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 →

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.

1 named Forest Service trail enters this wilderness, 7 miles in all.

TrailMiles
Apache Creek6.7

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.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 3 in all · Register Atlas

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Apache Creek Wilderness?

5,633 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Apache Creek Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Apache Creek Wilderness in?

Arizona.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Apache Creek Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1984.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Apache Creek Wilderness?

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit rules.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How do I get to Apache Creek Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 34.878, -112.905. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How dark is the night sky at Apache Creek Wilderness?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 20 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Are there historic places near Apache Creek Wilderness?

3 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Hyde Mountain Lookout House and Walnut Creek Ranger Station.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
  • 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.