Apache Trail

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On June 8, 2019, the human-caused Woodbury Fire began in the Superstition Wilderness near the Woodbury Trailhead. This Forest Service land is full of rugged terrain with virtually no access which limited the ability of firefighters to safely confront the fire on land.  Over the course of the summer, the fire grew burning a total of 123,875 acres. Within Tonto National Monument, 88% (989 acres) of the land was burned. Although previous fires had burned small sections of the Monument, this was the largest in recorded history.  Large and severe wildfires present a major threat to watershed health, because they can impair watershed condition, alter hydrologic and geomorphic processes, and ultimately degrade water quality.  Wildfires can lead to changes in flow regimes, flood frequency, erosion, and debris flows. Wildfires can also lead to significant changes in stream water chemistry, and post-fire sediment-driven transport can lead to increases in contaminant loads.  The historic woodbury fire reached full containment in the summer of 2019.  However, on September 23, 2019 and November 19, 2019 severe thunderstorms originating from the remnants of Tropical Storms Lorena and Raymond respectively moved over the project area for the Apache Trail project.  Excessive rainfall over this denuded and degraded watershed resulted in significant flooding of the Apache Trail roadway.  Much of the roadways drainage features, many which were historic character defining features for the Apache Trail (SR 88), were damaged or destroyed.

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