Black Cross

The Black Cross Inventoried Roadless Area covers 5,966 acres in the Tonto Basin of central Arizona, within the Mesa Ranger District of the Tonto National Forest. The terrain is arid Sonoran basin country: Mesquite Flat opens at lower elevations and Black Cross Butte rises above it. Surface water is limited and seasonal. Tortilla Creek crosses the area and Horse Pasture Spring provides one of the few permanent water sources. Tortilla Creek runs ephemerally through much of the year, holding pools after rain and supporting a narrow riparian corridor along its bed. The watershed's hydrologic significance is rated minor, but the seasonal water it does carry is regionally important in an otherwise dry desert.

The area carries five distinct plant communities reflecting elevation and moisture gradients. Saguaro Cactus and Palo Verde Desert dominates the bajadas and lower slopes, with Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) standing above Blue Paloverde (Parkinsonia florida), Littleleaf Paloverde (Parkinsonia microphylla), and Ironwood Tree (Olneya tesota, IUCN: Near Threatened). Upper Sonoran Desert Scrub holds Creosotebush (Larrea tridentata), Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), Triangle Bursage (Ambrosia deltoidea), and the Southwestern Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni, IUCN: Vulnerable). Mojave Creosote Desert margins blend into the drier slopes. Warm Desert Streamside Mesquite Grove follows Tortilla Creek, with Velvet Mesquite (Neltuma velutina), Netleaf Hackberry (Celtis reticulata), and Catclaw Acacia (Senegalia greggii) over a denser understory. Sky Island Pinyon-Juniper Woodland occupies the higher rock faces of Black Cross Butte, where Shrub Live Oak (Quercus turbinella) joins scattered conifers. The endemic Santa Catalina Mountains Phlox (Phlox tenuifolia, IUCN: Vulnerable) appears in the rocky crevices.

Sonoran Desert Tortoise (Gopherus morafkai, IUCN: Vulnerable) move between the Saguaro-Paloverde flats and rocky shelter sites on the Butte. Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum, IUCN: Near Threatened) hunt small mammals and bird eggs at the lower bajadas. Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) and Tiger Rattlesnake (Crotalus tigris) occupy the rocky margins. Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) traverse the steeper slopes. Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) nests in cholla and Saguaro; Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) feed on Desert Mistletoe (Phoradendron californicum) in the mesquite stands. Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae) and Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) work the spring bloom. Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) excavate cavities in Saguaro stems that later shelter many other species. Bobcat (Lynx rufus), Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), and Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) hunt the rocky country. Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) soar above the basin. Portions of this area fall within the potential range of several federally listed species; see the Conservation section for details.

A visitor reaches Black Cross from the Apache Trail and the broader Superstition Wilderness country. From a parking spot off Forest Service road FR 213 near the historic Tortilla Ranch, foot travel crosses Mesquite Flat and follows the bed of Tortilla Creek under the broken shade of mesquite and hackberry. The climb toward Black Cross Butte rises through ocotillo, saguaro, and palo verde to a rocky vantage where the larger Superstition country and the Mazatzal Mountains open in the distance. The sound carries: a canyon wren's descending call from a cliff face, the hum of bees on a saguaro flower in spring, the dry hiss of rattlesnake on a sun-warmed rock.

The 5,966-acre Black Cross Inventoried Roadless Area lies in the Tonto Basin country of central Arizona, drained by Tortilla Creek and within the Mesa Ranger District of the Tonto National Forest. Its human history reaches back across multiple peoples. The Salado, a prehistoric cultural group living in the Tonto Basin between 1250 CE and 1450 CE, occupied the broader region and farmed the Salt River drainage [6]. Both the Yavapai and Western Apaches lived in Tonto Basin in the centuries that followed, with the two distinctly different languages intermixing and overlapping [1]. Early American settlers often referred to all natives in the region as Tonto Apaches or Mohave Apaches [1].

The intrusion of Anglo-American settlers and prospectors after the 1860s reshaped the region by force. In January 1864, civilian "rangers" led by rancher King Woolsey lured Natives to a parley in the Superstition Mountains and then opened fire on them; the Bloody Tanks Massacre left more than 30 Natives dead [1]. Camp Reno near Tonto Creek was established in 1867 and Fort Apache was built on the headwaters of the Salt River in 1870 [1]. The U.S. Army under General George Crook initiated the Tonto War in November 1872 [1]. Following the war, some 1,500 Yavapai and Tonto Apaches were relocated to the Rio Verde reservation, extending northwest from Fort Verde [1]; of the 1,450 Apaches and Yavapais later forced south on the 150-mile Exodus to the San Carlos Reservation in February-March 1875, at least 100 died along the way [1].

Federal forest protection arrived during the Roosevelt era. On October 3, 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt issued Proclamation 598, establishing the Tonto Forest Reserve in Arizona Territory under the Act of March 3, 1891 [4]. Construction of Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River began September 6, 1906; the dam was dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt on March 10, 1911 [5]. The Mesa-Roosevelt Road — built as a haul and service road for the construction and maintenance of Roosevelt Dam between 1903 and 1915 — crossed Tortilla Creek immediately to the south of the present Black Cross area; in 1919 it was lined with stations including Government Well, Mormon Flat, Tortilla Flat, Fish Creek Lodge, and Snell's Station [5]. The road was renamed "Apache Trail" in 1915 by E.E. Watson at Southern Pacific Railroad [3]. Cattle ranching followed: the Tortilla Ranch and Reavis Ranch were operated by Hoolie Bacon and his son-in-law Floyd Stone from about 1956 to 1974 [2]. The 5,966-acre Black Cross area, within Maricopa and Pinal Counties, is today protected under the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

Vital Resources Protected

• Desert Riparian Function: Tortilla Creek and Horse Pasture Spring carry the only surface water through the Black Cross area, supporting a narrow Warm Desert Streamside Mesquite Grove of Velvet Mesquite, Netleaf Hackberry, and Catclaw Acacia along the creek bed. Roadless conditions hold soil disturbance, sediment delivery, and runoff alteration to a minimum, preserving the wet pockets that Lowland Leopard Frog, Sonora Mud Turtle (IUCN: Vulnerable), and Red-spotted Toad require to breed in an otherwise arid landscape. The spring and the seasonal pools serve as critical water sources for desert wildlife across many tens of square miles.

• Saguaro-Paloverde Ecosystem Integrity: The Saguaro Cactus and Palo Verde Desert covers 89% of the area, with Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), Blue Paloverde, Littleleaf Paloverde, and Ironwood Tree (IUCN: Near Threatened) forming the structural backbone of the community. Roadless conditions protect this ecosystem from the disturbance and fragmentation that, according to NatureServe assessments, lead to non-native annual grass invasion, altered fire regimes, and the loss of nurse-tree structure that Saguaro requires to recruit new individuals over decades.

• Habitat Connectivity for Wide-Ranging Desert Species: The 5,966 acres include the lower bajadas, Mesquite Flat, the canyon of Tortilla Creek, and the cliffs and slopes of Black Cross Butte — a sequence of habitats that Sonoran Desert Tortoise (IUCN: Vulnerable), Gila Monster (IUCN: Near Threatened), Bighorn Sheep, Bobcat, Gray Fox, and Ringtail use seasonally. Unfragmented terrain allows these species to move between bajada forage, rocky shelter sites, and water sources without crossing road barriers.

Potential Effects of Road Construction

• Direct mortality and habitat fragmentation for slow-moving reptiles: Roads through Sonoran desert habitat are documented sources of direct mortality for Sonoran Desert Tortoise, Gila Monster, and Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-owl (ESA: Threatened) — all species that move slowly across open ground and through low vegetation, and all whose populations are sensitive to even small increases in mortality. Once a road bisects a tortoise habitat unit, populations on either side become demographically isolated and lose long-term viability.

• Invasive grass spread and altered fire regime: Road corridors and the disturbed soils along their cut slopes are documented pathways for non-native annual grasses such as buffelgrass and red brome to invade the Saguaro Cactus and Palo Verde Desert. These grasses cure to flashy fine fuels in dry seasons, producing fires that the native desert community is not adapted to carry; mature Saguaro and Ironwood do not survive these fires, and the desert converts to a grassland-shrub state that does not regenerate the original community.

• Sediment delivery and disturbance to the Tortilla Creek riparian corridor: Road cuts on the steep terrain above Tortilla Creek deliver fine sediment that smothers the gravel and rock pools used by Lowland Leopard Frog and Sonora Mud Turtle and degrades the moist soil margins that Mesquite Grove vegetation requires. Recreational disturbance that follows road access — vehicle traffic, off-road driving, and concentrated use at the few water sources — compounds the pressure on the area's only permanent water, Horse Pasture Spring.

The Black Cross Inventoried Roadless Area covers 5,966 acres in the Tonto Basin of central Arizona, within the Mesa Ranger District of the Tonto National Forest. The area lies along the western edge of the Superstition Wilderness country, accessible from the Apache Trail and the recreation infrastructure around Canyon Lake and the Boulder Recreation Area.

Trail Access

The principal foot route is the Boulder Trail (Trail 103), a 6.2-mile native-surface hiker trail that runs through the area's interior. The Boulder Trailhead provides the primary access. The trail moves across Sonoran desert terrain — saguaro and palo verde flats, mesquite-lined washes, and rocky climbs toward Black Cross Butte — and connects to the larger Superstition Wilderness trail system. Travel off the Boulder Trail is cross-country through ocotillo, cholla, and thorn scrub, requiring desert navigation experience, water carry capacity, and attention to temperature.

Camping

The Point Campground provides the developed camping option in the area, with sites for tent and small RV camping. Dispersed camping is permitted on USFS land subject to standard regulations: pack out all waste, do not camp within 200 feet of Horse Pasture Spring or Tortilla Creek pools to protect wildlife access to scarce water, and observe seasonal fire restrictions that frequently close the desert to open flame.

Hunting

Hunting follows Arizona Game and Fish Department regulations for the appropriate Game Management Unit. Big-game opportunity in the area includes Collared Peccary (Pecari tajacu, locally called javelina); upland bird hunting follows state seasons. Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) are protected and subject to limited-draw permitting only. Always check current AZGFD regulations and unit boundaries before hunting in this country.

Wildlife Observation and Birding

The Apache Trail/Canyon Lake corridor immediately adjacent to Black Cross is exceptional bird country. Twenty-two eBird hotspots fall within 24 km of the area, with the Saguaro Lake--Butcher Jones Beach hotspot recording 232 species across 1,499 checklists, and several other hotspots above 175 species. Within the area itself, Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus), Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens), Black-throated Sparrow, Canyon Wren (Catherpes mexicanus), Curve-billed Thrasher, and Bendire's Thrasher are characteristic; Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) work the saguaros. Costa's Hummingbird and Anna's Hummingbird visit the spring bloom. Reptile viewing — Sonoran Desert Tortoise, Gila Monster, Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, and Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) — is best in spring and early summer at appropriate cool hours.

Photography

Spring wildflower displays — California poppy, lupine, brittlebush, ocotillo bloom — and the Sonoran sunrise and sunset light on saguaro stands and the Butte make Black Cross a regular target for desert landscape photography. The lack of road infrastructure within the area means photographers can frame compositions without intrusive built elements.

Why the Roadless Condition Matters

Recreation in Black Cross depends on the area's intact desert character. The Boulder Trail experience — long, quiet, scenically continuous — exists because no road network bisects the unit. Wildlife viewing depends on intact habitat for slow-moving reptiles that road mortality would deplete. The single permanent spring depends on the absence of disturbance and pollution from a vehicle corridor. If road construction were to enter this country, the trail experience, the birding, the desert wildlife viewing, and the lighting on the Butte at sunset would all change in ways that cannot be undone.