![]() ![]() Protecting communities, cultural resources Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, whose department includes the U.S. The fear of more such fires across the West as the climate warms and dries has made fuel reduction an urgent priority. Within Arizona since the turn of the 21st century, two megafires burned across more than a million acres. That reservoir is a major water supplier for Payson, and also holds some water that flows to the Verde River and customers in metro Phoenix.īetween the two spending bills, the administration has dedicated more than $3 billion to reducing the rising risk of catastrophic wildfires across eight states. The announcement follows on last year’s pledge of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to expedite forest health work in northern Arizona’s Four Forest Restoration Initiative and Salt River Project’s watershed protection program around Cragin Reservoir. In all, the government announced new commitments of $490 million. The San Carlos program is among 11 Western landscapes chosen to receive funding from the Inflation Reduction Act this year. You came for the magnificent drama, and there seems to be no end of it on this lonely road.The federal government will pump $32 million into a partnership with the San Carlos Apache Tribe this year to thin forests and reduce wildfire risks in eastern Arizona over the next five years, the Biden administration announced on Thursday. Of course, you didn’t drive all this way for a few creature comforts. There are no tables, and the vault toilets are not regularly maintained. The lake makes a lovely background for a picnic, but come prepared. Continue through the day-use area on a rutted dirt road to reach the campsites. ![]() The lake is stocked with rainbow and brown trout, and you’ll need a separate permit to fish. The 3.5-mile gravel road leads you to the edge of the slender lake, which is cradled by a healthy stand of timber. At about the 51-mile mark, a small sign indicates the left turn to Point of Pines. You might also spot small cliff dwellings here, but don’t get any closer - they’re off-limits without a guide.Īs you approach the 6,644-foot-high Barlow Pass, a mixed woodland of oaks and pines closes in. Pay attention for the resident herd of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep amid these stony formations. The road makes a final climb along the high shoulder of rocky slopes with a couple of pullouts to enjoy sweeping panoramas. After another brief climb, you’ll cross Ash Flats, an expansive prairie and the most likely place to spot pronghorns, looking fine and fleet as they stand chest-deep in the waves of summer grass and sunflowers. You’ll pass at least a half-dozen stock tanks along the way, thumbprint ponds, often with horses grazing nearby. Splashes of wildflowers and clusters of chain-fruit chollas - a shaggy, forlorn little forest - are the only interruption in the sea of grama grass. Rolling meadows push the hills back from the road. After 6 miles, you’ll crest a high plateau blanketed by Antelope Flats. ![]() The narrow strip of pavement curls into the soft embrace of the hills, brushing past Mount Triplet, where its distinctive trisummit bulk is graced with the tribal seal. Be sure to specify if you intend to fish or camp. They can be purchased for $10 at the Circle K in Globe, the Bashas’ in Peridot or the tribe’s Recreation and Wildlife Department office. On this drive, it feels as if you pass through every one.Ī recreation pass is required for non-tribal members, so pick one up before you begin. Created by Congress in 1897, the tribe's land covers 1.8 million acres and shelters seven biotic communities. Indian Road 8 departs from U.S Route 70 east of Globe and crosses the sprawling backcountry of San Carlos Apache Tribe land. Black bears prowl the woodlands, and eagles, herons and ospreys fish the waters of faraway lakes ringed by ponderosa pines. Elk and pronghorns graze the high meadows, and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep clamber up impossible cliffs. The road winds through shimmering grasslands, where horizons spread out and rough hills prop up a sky of epic proportions. The road to Point of Pines Lake (Indian Road 8) plucks travelers from brushy desert and leads into a countryside that’s cracked open and wide. ![]()
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