WATER WHEEL FIRE

EAST VERDE-ELLISON CREEK LOOP Tonto National Forest, North of Payson UPDATE: APRIL 1, 2011: Good news, hikers, as of April 1, 2011, the Water Wheel-Ellison Creek area off Houston Mesa Road north of Payson has been reopened for day use ONLY. Due to the 2009 human-caused Water Wheel Fire, this primo hiking destination has been off limits-- but no more. Here’s the rub---there’s now an $8 per person day use fee. Self-service kiosks are posted at key access points. Hikers must deposit cash (bring exact change) into provided envelopes and carry the detachable permit stub while inside the fee area. Forest Rangers are aggressively enforcing this new fee---and fines are much more than $8!! 2009 UPDATE: Kiss this one good-bye. Seems some numbskull neglected to properly douse a campfire, thus leading to a 700-acre blaze that took out the beautiful riparian habitat surrounding the confluence of the East Verde River and Ellison Creek. Located in the rugged gorges below the Mogollon Rim, these two waterways fed a band of green surrounded by thick stands of Ponderosa pines and Gambel oaks. With all that shade, and easy, close-to-town access, it’s no wonder this mountain getaway attracted droves of weekend warriors. We last hiked the East Verde-Ellison Loop in May 2009. The unofficial route clamours up among the sculpted walls of a waterfall-filled box canyon to the confluence. From there, we traipsed over the cascades of Ellison Creek to a magnificent 40-foot waterfall. Although it’s not for sure (yeah, right) the cause of the fire—which began near the popular Water Wheel campground—appears to be human caused. Of course, this area was long over due for a fire. Decades of overgrowth and lack of forest thinning combined with an abnormally dry monsoon season and a careless camper resulted in the inevitable tinderbox. Thankfully, the communities of Beaver Valley and Whispering Pines were spared, but I fear my favorite fossil hunting ridgeline is toast. Although this fire is good for long-term forest health, we are none the less saddened by the loss of a favorite hiking destination. We’ll cherish these photos from our last Water Wheel hike. WATER WHEEL FIRE STATS: Start date: August 30, 2009 Containment date: Sept. 5, 2009 Size: 773 acres Cause: under investigation Road closures: as of Sept 9, 2009, Houston Mesa Road between Beaver Valley and Whispering Pines remains closed. Campgrounds closed are Water Wheel, First Crossing, Second Crossing, Third Crossing. INFORMATION: inciweb.org/incident/1872, (928) 474-7900

GETTING THERE:

From Payson, travel 2 miles north on SR 87 to Houston Mesa Road (FR 199), turn right and continue:

First Crossing: 7 miles

Water Wheel: 7.5 miles

Second Crossing: 8 miles

Third Crossing: 8.5 miles




MAP:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5208054.pdf