Aeromagnetic map of the Wet Beaver Roadless Area, Yavapai and Coconino counties, Arizona
The Wet Beaver Roadless Area includes 9,890 acres (15.4 mi2) of the Coconino National Forest and is in T. 15 N., Rs. 6, 7, and 8 E., Yavapai and Coconino Counties, central Arizona. Camp Verde, the nearest major population center, is about 13 mi southwest of the road less area. The area boundary closely follows the rim of the steep-walled canyon cut by Wet Beaver Creek into the gently westward sloping surface of the Colorado Plateau. The mouth of the canyon and the western boundary of the roadless area are near the Mogollon Rim, an escarpment that marks the southwestern margin of the Colorado Plateau. Here, the plateau surface falls off sharply in the Verde Valley, and Wet Beaver Creek flows 12 mi farther west where it joins the Verde River, the master stream of the region. The maximum elevation within the area, just east of Hog Hill, is 6,470 ft. The lowest point, at 4,000 ft, is the stream bed of Wet Beaver Creek near the western area boundary. Topographic relief within the area ranges from 1,200 ft near the mouth of the canyon at Casner Butte to about 150 ft at the eastern boundary. Perennial springs, located south of Hog Hill, discharge about 1,200-1,500 gallons of water per minute into Wet Beaver Creek (Twenter and Metzger, 1963, p. 94). The western boundary of the roadless area and the mouth of Wet Beaver Creek canyon are accessible by Forest Service roads from either Camp Verde or the Sedona interchange on Interstate Highway 17. Various points along the canyon rim and the area boundary can be reached by unimproved roads, jeep trails, and pack trails. The canyon floor is accessible only on foot; in several places, deep pools require a swim or steep climb and descent for traverse of the canyon.