Canyon Creek

Ahh! the playful Canyon Creek, home to Wild Brown Trout and some Rainbow Trout, a stream revered by trout fishermen. The Canyon Creek Hatchery lies just below the Rim. The fishing is great, but you may just want to stop and wade a bit and take in the scenery.



There is much history of this area as there is with most of the Mogollon Rim Country. There is one that stands out most of all in American history, the Pleasant Valley War. Basically it was a range war or better now as “The Sheep and Cattle Wars”, which were fought between sheepmen and cattlemen over grazing rights.

Pleasant Valley which was first settled in the 1870s and home to the Pleasant Valley War, or Graham-Tewksbury Feud, a bitter feud that centered in the valley a hundred years ago. The war began early in the 1880s and became most fierce in the summer of 1887. The grimmest shootings took place in Pleasant Valley and in nearby canyons. This is only a small part of the amazing account of the Pleasant Valley War.

In recent years Canyon Creek was destroyed by the Rodeo-Chediski fire that swept through during the summer of 2002. Immediately after the fire, a limited number of all species were confirmed still present, however, by the end of the 2002 monsoon season, sedimentation impacts to the stream were so severe that all fish populations were reduced by 90%.

As of today Canyon Creek has made a full recovery. The hatches on this stream are like nothing else you will see in Arizona. This is a Fly fishers’ gold mine. - Charlotte Steele

Fishing Canyon Creek Arizona

You can catch trout at Canyon Creek and its a beautiful place to camp. There is access to the creek from the White Mountain Indian Reservation and the Tonto National Forest. You will need a Tonto Pass available Here, if your on the Tonto National Forest side. If your on the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation Side you will need to get a permit availableHere.

Route 77 out of Globe will take you to the White Mountain access point and 260 out of Payson will take you to the Tonto National Forest side.

To read a detailed article about Canyon Creek's history including the Rodeo-Chediski fire, purchase the essential travel handbook Fishing Arizona by G.J. Sagi

GPS:

Latitude: 34° 11' 19.68"N Longitude: 110° 45' 1.54"W

Phone Numbers for more information::

Tonto National Forest (602)225-5200

Restrictions/Season of Use:

Canyon Creek is open all year but check road conditions due to the altitude of the lake

Land Ownership:

Canyon Creek is owned by the Tonto National Forest

Elevation:

from 2500 to 5500 feet

Max Surface Acres:

31 fishable miles

Bag Limit:

There will posted signs for bag limits on Rainbow and other species of trout

Camping:

Camping is allowed on the Tonto National Forest side of the creek off the 260

Marinas:

No marinas at Canyon Creek

See the map