Prescott National Forest

The Prescott National Forest is a 1.25 million acre (510,000 ha) United States National Forest located in north central Arizona in the vicinity of Prescott. The forest is located in the mountains southwest of Flagstaff and north of Phoenix in Yavapai County, with a small portion (about 3.5 percent) extending into southwestern Coconino County. Its administrative offices are in Prescott. There are local ranger district offices in Camp Verde, Chino Valley, and Prescott. The forest includes Lynx Creek where Sam Miller panned for gold and was wounded by a cougar.WildernessThere are eight designated wilderness areas comprising more than 104000acre, located entirely or partially within the Prescott National Forest. These are: Apache Creek Wilderness (Chino Valley District) Castle Creek Wilderness (Bradshaw District) Cedar Bench Wilderness (Verde District) Granite Mountain Wilderness (Bradshaw District) Juniper Mesa Wilderness (Chino Valley District) Pine Mountain Wilderness (Verde District) (mostly in Tonto NF) Sycamore Canyon Wilderness (Chino Valley District) (partly in Coconino NF and in Kaibab NF) Woodchute Wilderness (Verde District)