| Fossil Creek | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Waterfall on Fossil Creek | |
 Fossil Creek proposal map (March 2011) | |
  Location of the mouth of Fossil Creek at the Verde River | |
| Etymology | the resemblance tofossils of the stream's rocks and vegetation, coated withtravertine[2] |
| Native name | Hakhavsuwa (Yavapai) |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Coconino,Yavapai,Gila |
| City | Strawberry |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • coordinates | 34°26′07″N111°30′31″W / 34.43528°N 111.50861°W /34.43528; -111.50861[1] |
| • elevation | 6,510 ft (1,980 m)[3] |
| Mouth | Verde River |
• coordinates | 34°18′21″N111°40′32″W / 34.30583°N 111.67556°W /34.30583; -111.67556[1] |
• elevation | 2,543 ft (775 m)[1] |
| Length | 17 mi (27 km)[4][5] |
| Basin size | 135 sq mi (350 km2)[4] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Fossil Creek Bridge[n 1] |
| • average | 43 cu ft/s (1.2 m3/s)[n 2] |
| • minimum | 39 cu ft/s (1.1 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 885 cu ft/s (25.1 m3/s) |
| Type | Wild, Recreational |
| Designated | March 30, 2009 |
Fossil Creek (Yavapai:Hakhavsuwa orVialnyucha) is aperennial stream accessed by a forest road near the community ofCamp Verde in the U.S. state ofArizona. Access is from Forest Road 708 offArizona State Route 260 east of Camp Verde. A tributary of theVerde River, Fossil Creek flows from its headwaters on theMogollon Rim to meet the larger stream near the formerChilds Power Plant.
Fossil Springs, near the headwaters, emits upwards of 20,000 US gallons (76 m3) per minute that flow into the creek year-round.Calcium carbonate, precipitating from the 72 °F (22 °C) water from the springs, createstravertine dams and deposits for several miles downstream. The Fossil Creek system is the fourth largest producer of travertine in the United States.
Fossil Creek is one of only two streams in Arizona included in theNational Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The creek and its riparian corridor provide habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna, some listed asendangered or otherwise imperiled. Its former power-plant complex is listed as aNational Historic District. Since restoration of the stream's natural flow in 2008, an increase in recreational visits has raised concerns about overuse and has led to road closings and other restrictions.
Fossil Springs, the head water of Fossil Creek, arises at an elevation of 6,510 feet (1,980 m) above sea level on theMogollon Rim inCoconino County north ofStrawberry.[1] For about the first 3 miles (5 km), the creek's flow is intermittent.[5]
From high on the rim, the creek runs generally north, enteringGila County almost immediately. It continues north through the wilderness to the confluence of an intermittent stream in Calf Pen Canyon, which enters from theright.[5] Turning west, the creek receives another intermittent stream from the right in Sandrock Canyon, at the head of Fossil Creek Canyon. Before it reaches Fossil Springs, the creek becomes the boundary between Gila County on the stream'sleft andYavapai County on its right, and it remains the boundary all the way to the Verde River.[5]
The perennial stretches of the stream begin at Fossil Springs, atriver mile (RM) 14 or river kilometer (RK) 23, in theFossil Springs Wilderness of theCoconino National Forest at an elevation of about 4,100 feet (1,200 m).[4] Below the springs, the creek flows west and southwest, passing the remnants of a former dam. Unnamed intermittent streams enter from left and right. Before Fossil Creek reaches the former Irving Power Plant, it leaves the Fossil Springs Wilderness, and below the plant, it enters theMazatzal Wilderness of theTonto National Forest.[5] Forest Road 708 (Fossil Creek Road) follows the creek for 2.5 miles (4.0 km) along this stretch,[4] crossing the creek once atFossil Creek Bridge.[8]
After Cimarron Creek Wash enters from the right, Fossil Creek turns sharply south. In the next stretch, Stehr Lakebed (dry) is to the right and Deadman Mesa to the left. Hardscrabble Creek enters from the left just before Fossil Creek turns west again and enters the Verde River.[5]
The flow of water from Fossil Springs has been estimated to range from 43 to 56 cubic feet per second (1.2 to 1.6 m3/s) (320–420 gal/s) year-round, and it emerges from underground at a constant 72 °F (22 °C).[4] TheUnited States Geological Survey installed astream gauge at the Fossil Creek Bridge in 2010. The maximum daily discharge at that station was 885 cubic feet per second (25.1 m3/s) on February 19, 2011, and the minimum was 39 cubic feet per second (1.1 m3/s) on August 6, 2011.[6]
Fossil Creek Canyon is about 1,600 feet (490 m) deep and varies in width from 2 miles (3 km) at Fossil Springs to less than 1 mile (1.6 km) in places further downstream.[9] Rocks in the canyon vary in age from thePrecambrian through theCenozoic.[4] North of the springs the canyon cuts throughPaleozoicsedimentary rocks including theRedwall Limestone,Naco Group,Supai Group,Schnebly Hill Formation,Coconino Sandstone, andKaibab Formation.[10] South of the springs, the rocks of the canyon areTertiaryvolcanics, mostly dark-graybasalt and yellow-graytuff.[10]
Fossil Springs, the source of about 80 percent of the water in Fossil Creek, issues from several vents in close proximity to one another at the base of the Mogollon Rim.[10] The rim is the southern edge of theColorado Plateau. Water percolating throughlimestone layers in the rim becomes laden with dissolvedcarbon dioxide andcalcium carbonate.[10] When the water emerges at the springs, it begins to release carbon dioxide as a gas and calcium carbonate as travertine, a porous form ofcalcite often found around hot springs such asMammoth Hot Springs inYellowstone National Park.[11] The release, affected by stream turbulence and other factors, does not occur all at once but continues downstream.[10]
Nineteenth-century observers of the creek reported seeing many naturally occurring travertine dams with deep pools behind them.[10] A study conducted in 1996 identified the eroded remnants of at least 80 such dams.[10] After the creek's natural flow was restored in 2008, hundreds of new travertine dams began to form along a 6-mile (10 km) stretch below Fossil Springs.[12] About 13 short tons (12 t) of travertine per day are deposited along the stream.[13] This rate of deposition makes Fossil Creek the fourth largest travertine system in the United States; the three larger systems are Mammoth Hot Springs,Havasu Creek, and Blue Springs of theLittle Colorado River.[14]
Archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric use of the Fossil Creek watershed, and it is possible that people lived here as long as 10,000 years ago.[15] More recently,Yavapai andApache peoples have lived in the area, also used by 19th-century cattlemen and shepherds.[15]
Fossil Creek first appeared on maps in Arizona in the 1860s, whenArizona Territory's first governor,John Noble Goodwin, passed through the region.[16] Members of the Goodwin group noted "petrifactions", travertine-encased rocks and twigs that looked like fossils, hence the nameFossil Creek.[16]
Few streams in Arizona have a flow as large and steady as Fossil Creek's.[2] Although remote, the stream was seen in the early 20th century as a good place to produce electricity for the copper mines ofJerome and the gold and silver mines of theBradshaw Mountains.[2] In 1908, construction began on ahydropower plant on the Verde River at Childs under the authority of the Arizona Power Company, later part of theArizona Public Service Company (APS).[2] The project included creating a diversion dam, 25 feet (7.6 m) high, across the creek.[17] About 8,800 feet (2,700 m) of concreteflumes carried water from the dam to the Childs plant.[2] An artificial reservoir, Stehr Lake, held enough water to keep the plant operating at normal capacity for up to 3.5 days when the flume system was closed for maintenance.[18] In 1916, the company constructed a second plant, the Irving Power Plant, along Fossil Creek.[2]
Childs-Irving was the first hydroelectric power plant built in Arizona, and in 1920 it was supplying as much as 70 percent of the power used byPhoenix.[19] The complex was named anHistoric Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1976 and aNational Historic District in 1991.[20]
In 2004invasive species were removed from the creek to maximize native fish survival.[21] A fish barrier 5 miles (8 km) from the mouth prevents invasive species from swimming further upstream.[21] In 2005, after assessing costs, the plants' low output, and the goodwill to be generated from stream restoration, APS closed both power plants, and in 2008 APS removed the diversion dam.[17]
In 2009 PresidentBarack Obama signed legislation designating Fossil Creek as aNational Wild and Scenic River, after a long campaign by the ArizonaNature Conservancy.[22] The legislation, passed byCongress, protects 16.8 miles (27.0 km) of stream. The 2.7-mile (4.3 km) segment from the confluence of Sand Rock and Calf Pen canyons to where the stream leaves the Fossil Spring Wilderness is "wild". The 7.5-mile (12.1 km) stretch from there to the Mazatzal Wilderness boundary is "recreational", and the remaining 6.6 miles (10.6 km) of the stream is "wild".[23] Fossil Creek is one of only two streams in Arizona with Wild and Scenic segments; the other is the Verde River.[24]
The creek and its riparian zone support about 200 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. The list includes many special-status species such as thesouthwestern willow flycatcher andChiricahua leopard frog.[25] The watershed supports 27 species of neotropical migratory birds such as thesage sparrow and 20 species such as thecommon black hawk that are rated sensitive by the U.S. Forest Service.[25] Mammals found in or near Fossil Creek includeotter andbeaver,Merriam's shrew, a variety of bats, and other species. Among the reptiles and amphibians are theArizona toad, and the reticulatedGila monster.[25]
Native fish in Fossil Creek includeheadwater chub,roundtail chub,speckled dace,longfin dace,Sonora sucker, anddesert sucker.[26] Between 2007 and 2010, theArizona Game and Fish Department and theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added nativespikedace,loach minnows,Gila topminnows, andrazorback suckers as well as more longfin dace above the barrier. All except speckled dace are special-status fish listed as endangered, threatened, or sensitive by federal or state agencies. In addition, more than 100macroinvertebrate species live in the Fossil Creek watershed.[26] One, thefossil springsnail, is listed sensitive by the U.S. Forest Service.[26]
Fossil Creek'sriparian zones provide high-quality habitat for plant species native to the area. These include deciduous trees such as theArizona alder andFremont cottonwood as well as a wide variety of shrubs, grasses, ferns, and other understory plants.[27] Species diversity is higher above the site of the former power-plant dam, especially near Fossil Springs. In 1987, a 26-acre (11 ha) plot above the dam was set aside as the Fossil Springs Botanical Area.[27] Plant inventories taken between 2003 and 2005 identified 166 plant species in the botanical area and 314 species of flowering plants and ferns in the larger Fossil Creek area.[27]
Fossil Creek's steady flow, warmth, deep pools, and small waterfalls attract visitors who wade, swim, float,kayak, andsnorkel in its waters. Four named hiking paths intersect the Fossil Creek corridor: the Flume–Irving, Fossil Springs, Mail, and Deadman Mesa trails.[28] TheU.S. Forest Service allowsdispersed camping in some parts of the area but has made other parts, such as riparian zones, off-limits to overnight stays. Other activities in the area include wildlife viewing, photography, fishing, and visits to the remains of the Childs-Irving infrastructure.[28]
Restoring the stream has made the area, a two-hour drive from Phoenix, highly popular. As recreational use of Fossil Creek increased after 2008, accumulations of trash and human waste as well as damage to forests and stream banks became problematic.[13][17] Access is from Forest Road 708 (Fossil Creek Road) offArizona State Route 260 east ofCamp Verde, which is 22 miles (35 km) by paved highway and unpaved road from the creek. The Forest Service at times closes parts of Forest Road 708 because of weather, health, and safety concerns.[29] Campfires are prohibited between the Fossil Creek headwaters and the dry bed of Stehr Lake, and other restrictions apply.[8] From April 1 to October 1, vehicle parking at Fossil Creek is available only by advanced permit through www.recreation.gov.[29]The Fossil Creek Comprehensive Management Plan, completed in 2021, is available online.[30]
