Top 10 Things We Love About the Verde River

Important Wildlife Habitat

The Verde River and its tributaries, seeps, and springs provide habitat for a diversity of wildlife such as deer, bobcats, mountain lions, javelina, river otters, southwestern willow flycatchers,  yellow-billed cuckoos , bald eagles, and much more. In the grasslands near the upper Verde, burrowing owls, pronghorns, and prairie dogs are often spotted.

In 1996, the Arizona Game and Fish Department purchased 1,152 acres of land along the upper Verde River, now preserved as the Upper Verde River Wildlife Area. In 2008, The Nature Conservancy worked with the Wells family to get a conservation easement on an additional 470 acres of the Verde headwater area. Even more land was protected in 2020, when  The Trust For Public Land  secured  another 84 acres .

Outdoor Recreation

The Verde River watershed is an outdoor recreator's paradise. Hiking trails meander through the riparian corridor and ascend the surrounding hills, mesas, and mountains. Numerous river access points provide boaters an opportunity to float the Verde River. Campgrounds can be booked for those seeking an overnight stay!

On the lower Verde,  Needle Rock Recreation Area  provides a convenient place to escape the heat of metropolitan Phoenix. Located just downstream of Bartlett Dam, the river flow at Needle Rock is controlled and consistently cold.

Take a look at other recreational opportunities at the  Arizona State Parks  and  Recreation.gov  sites!

A Deep Human History

Native American tribes have inhabited the Verde River region for last 9,000 years, and continue to live here today. From 600 to 1450 CE, the  Sinagua  had an agricultural civilization of up to 8,000 residents. Irrigation ditches were dug along the streams to grow corn, squash, and beans. Intricate dwellings were built into white limestone cliffs. Sinaguan structures are preserved at  Tuzigoot , Montezuma Castle, Montezuma Well, Walnut Canyon, and Wupatki national monuments.

Yavapai and Apache tribes migrated into the Verde Valley in 1300 and 1450 CE, respectively. In 1871, they were forced onto an 800-square-mile reservation along the Verde River, encompassing what is now Cottonwood, Clarkdale, and Jerome. As their agricultural self-sufficiency grew, white settlers became envious and urged the federal government to close the reservation. Government contractors based in Tucson, expecting the Yavapai and Apache people to be dependent on their products, also pressured the federal government to close the reservation.

In February 1875, the 1,500 members of the reservation were forced on a brutal 180-mile walk to the San Carlos Reservation during winter conditions. Over 100 people died on this journey, and agricultural conditions at San Carlos were not sufficient compared to their Verde Valley home. Today, the Yavapai-Apache Nation consists of five communities along the middle Verde River, just a small area compared to the short-lived reservation, and an even smaller area compared to their traditional homelands.

Economic Benefits

The economy throughout the Verde Valley is bolstered by river-related recreation and tourism industries. A 2019 Audubon report found that the rivers, streams, reservoirs, and lakes of Arizona have an annual economic output of 13.5 billion dollars!

As an example of just one of our many collaborative efforts, we teamed up with  Smelter Town Brewery  in Clarkdale to make the 'Together We Can Fly' pale ale. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this refreshing beer will be donated to Friends to help protect the Verde River!

Birding

One of the few perennial rivers in Arizona, the Verde River is a biodiversity hotspot, providing habitat for  over 200 species of bird s. Some of these species, such as the yellow-billed cuckoo, are considered endangered or threatened.

There are dozens of desirable destinations for bird watching in the Verde River watershed. Learn about these in  our birding StoryMap  or the eBird hotspot pages for  Yavapai  and  Coconino  County!

Wine County

Arizona's climate, elevation and weather help produce grapes that are ripe for wine-making. The Verde Valley is now known for its locally grown and produced wines as more vineyards, wineries, and tasting rooms pop up. In fact, Yavapai College in Clarkdale offers the only academic program in Viticulture and Enology in the southwestern U.S.

Enjoy a refreshing glass of wine at one of the many local vineyards and wineries that partner with us to protect the Verde River, such as  Page Springs Cellars ,  Chateau Tumbleweed ,  Merkin Vineyards ,  Pillsbury Wine Company ,  Salt Mine Wine ,  Alcantara Vineyards ,  DA Ranch ,  Southwest Wine Center , and  Cove Mesa Vineyard .

If you wish, download a map of the  Verde Valley Wine Trail  to become familiar with the many vineyards and wineries of the Verde!

Agriculture

Agriculture has been an essential part of life in the Verde Valley for over 1,000 years, when the Sinagua people began growing corn, beans, squash, and cotton along the floodplains of Verde River and its tributaries.

By the early 1900s, settlers established 68 irrigation canals tapping into the Verde River and its tributaries—Sycamore Creek, Oak Creek, Beaver Creek, and West Clear Creek,— that watered nearly 8,000 acres of pasture, fields, and orchards.

More recently, in efforts led by  Hauser and Hauser Farms  and The Nature Conservancy, traditionally grown crops such as corn and alfalfa, which rely on water-intensive flood irrigation at times when Verde River flow is at its lowest, are  being replaced by barley . Barley is harvested by late May, leaving water in the Verde during the dry summer months. The barley grown in the Verde Valley is malted nearby at the  Sinagua Malt  in Camp Verde then used to produce beer at craft breweries in Arizona, such as  Arizona Wilderness .

Wild and Scenic

The Verde River watershed is home to  Arizona's only two  federally designated Wild and Scenic rivers: the Verde River and its tributary Fossil Creek. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act protects 40.5 miles of the Verde River, designated in 1984, and 16.8 miles of Fossil Creek, designated in 2009.

Advanced boaters enjoy the numerous rapids in this rocky region of the Verde River. Recreators swim and play in the plunge pools of waterfalls along Fossil Creek. Tragically, much of this area burned in the Backbone Fire of 2021. Only time will tell how long it takes for this precious landscape to be restored after the blaze.

The Reservoirs

The Verde River flows freely for 140 miles before coming to rest in Horseshoe and Bartlett reservoirs. Horseshoe Dam is an earth-fill dam constructed in 1944 to form the remote  Horseshoe Reservoir . On  high-release days , Horseshoe spillway becomes a gushing waterfall with a walking path that takes you under the falling water!

Bartlett Dam is a 287-foot-high concrete dam constructed from 1936-1939. At  Bartlett Reservoir , striking granite outcrops surround the lake, with the Mazatzal Mountains looming to the east. Boaters enjoy zipping around on its waters with a view of the lichen-covered walls of volcanic ash that form the strikingly beautiful Yellow Cliffs.

BONUS: Drinking Water

The Verde watershed provides water for numerous communities from the Prescott area to the Verde Valley and on to Phoenix. About 40 percent of the surface water delivered by the Salt River Project to metropolitan Phoenix comes from the Verde River!

The Verde River enters the Salt River east of Phoenix, then is almost immediately diverted into a series of canals that flow through the metropolitan Phoenix, some along the paths of ancient Hohokam canals.

Water in Arizona is and will continue to be a crucial environmental and geopolitical talking point in the years to come, and the Verde River plays an important role. Learn more about us at our  website  and please consider a  donation  to help protect the Verde River!