Red Mountain at Yavapai Ranch Six Section (Parcel 1)

3,896.32 acre parcel in Yavapai County, Arizona

Red Mountain at Yavapai Ranch Six Sections (Map) totals approximately 3,896.32 acres in Yavapai County, Arizona. Located about 35 miles north of the historic town of Prescott, this land is on the north slopes of the 7,554-acre Juniper Mesa Wilderness Area. Prescott National Forest surrounds each of the Six Sections.

These sections are interspersed with alternating sections of the Prescott National Forest in a checkerboard pattern. This checkerboard ownership results from the original railroad land grants of the mid-1800s. Land in this area has been used for cattle ranching since the late 1860s.

This spectacular, remote land includes old-growth Ponderosa Pine, Alligator Juniper, and Pinon Pine. It also offers distant views to the north. Access to the property is over a primitive dirt Forest Service Road, although most of this vast acreage is only accessible by foot or horseback.

Wildlife in the area includes black bear, elk, mule deer, javelina, wild turkey, antelope, and bobcat.

There are no utilities available to the property. Its remoteness has preserved this land much like it was before settlers came to northern Arizona.

The Yavapai-Apache Nation acquired these sections over twenty years ago specifically for a land exchange, knowing how exceptional this land is and the need to preserve it.

The neighboring historic Yavapai Ranch is part of a Land and Water Conservation Fund multi-million-dollar proposed acquisition. Significant to Yavapai Ranch being preserved is the protection of the upper Verde River watershed and its flow to the lower reaches of the River and downstream communities.

Like its neighbor Yavapai Ranch, the Six Sections are also in the upper Verde River watershed and essential to protecting the health and vitality of a future-flowing Verde River. The Verde River watershed encompasses over 6,600 square miles in north-central Arizona. It emerges from the aquifers of the Big and Little Chino Valleys. Also significant to the Upper Verde region is its support of wildlife, including an estimated 1,000 pronghorns and numerous other mammals, birds, and fish. The Big Chino region also supports one of the largest grasslands remaining in the Southwest. The Verde River is a critical source of water for drinking and agriculture, not only for the Verde Valley, but also for the Phoenix Metropolitan Area much further to the south.

Making these Six Sections part of the Prescott National Forest will protect wildlife, the wilderness aesthetic, recreational opportunities, and public access to the forest, while also preserving these lands from development that could threaten sources of water that support the Verde River and water supplies as far south as Phoenix. Protection of the Big Chino aquifer is broadly supported by local, state and federal agencies, and non-governmental environmental groups.

Being part of the National Forest would also open over 3,800 acres for public recreation and as an additional hunting area within Arizona Game Management Unit 17A. It would also assist the Forest Service with managing the adjoining Juniper Mesa Wilderness Area.

Most importantly, as federal land, it will reduce the management issues and benefit the American public. Exchanging this parcel into ownership by the people of the United States is consistent with the Prescott National Forest Management Plan.

For more information about the Juniper Mesa Wilderness Area click here.

Note: The County Assessor may show a different acreage. However, the acreage in this discussion is taken from the Forest Service data.