Rim Country Visitor's Guide

OUTDOOR FUN
country skiers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all
O U R A PA C H E H E R I T A G E
persuasions.
Forest Service campgrounds in the
Mogollon Rim area are plentiful, and open
camping is allowed in many areas of the for-
The earliest inhabitants of Arizona Rim Country were a people
est. Almost all of the campgrounds are ﬁrst-
known as the Mogollons, members of a Native American
come, ﬁrst-served. Ask our Visitor Center vol-
tribe that moved into Arizona from New Mexico in about
unteers for fact sheets.
300 B.C. Living in loosely connected villages, they made
Arizona Rim Country has hundreds of
clothing from fur and feathers, hunted by bow and ar-
miles of unpaved roads, including one of the
row, and grew corn, squash, and beans.
most scenic stretches of roadway in the state.

(42 miles of the old Rim Road between High-
By 1500 A.D., the Mogollon culture had been absorbed
way 87 near Strawberry, and Arizona 260
by two tribes new to the area, the Hohokams from the
near Forest Lakes)
south and the Pueblos from the east.
In addition, there are literally thou-
sands of miles of trails for hikers, backpack-
It wasn’t long after the Mogollons faded from the scene
ers, mountain bikers and horseback riders,
that the Apaches arrived. An athletic people more interested
including several that are accessible from
in hunting than gardening, they lived wherever their bows and
the Pine Trailhead at the southern edge of
arrows led them. The Apaches were here when the Spanish Con-
Pine. Many trails in the area date back to the
quistadors passed through, and they were here when Union soldiers arrived to secure the
1800s when they linked early homesteads
region from Confederate intrusion. In fact, the soldiers dubbed this area “Apacheria”.
and ranches. Maps are available at the Visi-

tor Center or the Payson Ranger Station, one
Once the Civil War ended, these soldiers turned their attention to making the Rim area safe
mile east of Payson on Arizona 260.
for miners and ranchers. A major campaign was launched, including soldiers from many
With many trout streams and creeks,
forts, camps, and posts. Troops radiated out from the Tonto Basin in a thorough search for
plus the seven Rim lakes, fishing is a re-
“hostile” Indians. With superior ﬁrepower and overwhelming numbers of mounted cavalry,
warding pastime in Arizona Rim Country.
they easily defeated the Apaches who were forcibly herded to reservations in the south.
Maps and detailed information are avail-
With the capture of Geronimo in 1886, the guards were removed from the San Carlos reser-
able at the Chamber’s Visitor Center. Call
vation. Reduced from thousands, the 50 or so Tonto Apaches began the long walk back to
1-800-6-PAYSON (1-800-672-9766).
their Arizona Rim Country home. More peaceful than other Apache tribes, they settled once
Fishermen and other visitors will also
again in the area and began farming. One of their chiefs recalled that in the early days in
enjoy visiting the two ﬁsh hatcheries operated
Payson many cattails grew in the rivers and streams. The returning Apaches used them for
by the Arizona Game and Fish Department
medicine, food, and religious ceremonies.
northeast of Payson. The closest, Tonto Creek

Hatchery, is about 25 miles from Payson at
The tribe had become known as the Tonto Apaches. The word “Tonto” means crazy or fool-
the end of Forest Road 289. This hatchery
ish, and was given to these Native American settlers by other Apaches because of their
produces about 250,000 catchable trout per
willingness to live near the white man. After a relentless effort, the descendants of these
mile, per year. By comparison, a regular trout
peaceful farmers were given their own 85 acre reservation in 1972 on the southern out-
stream can only produce 225 catchable trout
skirts of Payson.
per mile, per year.
The Mogollon Rim lakes include:
Today they number over 100 members, and their Mazatzal Casino, on reservation land, is
Bear Canyon Lake, a ﬁsherman’s fa-
the largest non-government employer in Arizona Rim Country. The casino payroll alone
vorite. The 60-acre lake holds rainbows,
provides over two million dollars a year into the local economy, and the tribe has become
brookies, cutthroat and arctic grayling. A
a major contributor to Payson community charities and events. Casino revenues are used
steep trail limits access to the hardy, just right
to provide much needed housing, establish scholarship funds, and generally improve the
for keeping the crowds down. The contrast
health, education, and welfare of the Tonto Apache people. between the blue water and green pines is
absolutely stunning;
In 1999, the Tonto Apaches signed an Initiative of Agreement with the U.S. Forest Service Black Canyon Lake, where bank cast-
that will provide the tribe with 272 additional acres through a federal land exchange. The ing after rainbows and browns is a productive
land will be used to provide much needed homes for the tribe’s young people and their way to spend a day. The lake has a paved ramp
future families. and a campground nearby. One veteran angler
says he has never been “skunked” here.
Preserving tribal heritage is of great importance. The elders of the Tonto Apache tribe are
Blue Ridge Reservoir, a narrow man-
doing their very best to sustain both their language and culture by passing old customs
made lake that covers 200 acres when full.
and beliefs down to the tribe’s younger members.
Rainbows and browns abound in the lake.
Always a good bet early in the spring.
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Rim Country Visitor’s Guide
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