Verde River Program

Gold, russet, and sepia hues cradle the Verde River as it winds more than 190 miles through Arizona canyons and desert valleys from its headwaters in the Chino Valley to the Phoenix metroplex. As one of the last free-flowing rivers in the state, the Verde River provides a substantial amount of water to the Phoenix area’s 4 million residents.

In recent years, the rural cities and towns along the river’s route have embraced the preservation of land for riverside parks and outdoor recreation opportunities, both for residents and for the economic benefits of tourism. The river is becoming an increasingly popular destination for recreation, from kayaking and birding to hiking and biking along riverside trails.

Trust for Public Land has been working to safeguard critical land along the Verde River to protect wildlife habitat and increase public access for residents and visitors alike.

Although much of the upper part of the river is in public ownership as part of the Prescott National Forest, there are still very few places where the public can connect to the river due to its rugged and steep cliffs. In this stretch, TPL protected an 80-acre parcel at the confluence of the river with Sycamore Creek and added the land to the national forest. It now serves as a trailhead for a major trail leading into the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness. Closer to the headwaters at our Rio Verde Ranch project, TPL completed the preservation of a similarly sized property that provides a rare spot for easy river access. The U.S. Forest Service is now working on plans to open up this property for a kayak put-in, river trail, birding, and potential campground.

In the middle part of the river, we’ve conserved 58 acres at the meeting point of the Verde River and Beaver Creek, one of the river’s important tributaries. As an addition to the Coconino National Forest, public ownership of this parcel is an important component of the town of Camp Verde’s recreation master plan for the Verde River. With plans to create a network of trails—along the river and to the national forest—this project will help the town and Forest Service collaborate on recreational and economic development, leading to an increase in visitors, better river access, and improved trail connectivity.