AZ-Gila+Box--Bonita+Creek--Lee+Trail+Picnic+Area

Also see Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area
 * =Birding in Arizona=

Graham County
=Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area= =Bonita Creek and Lee Trail Picnic Area= Safford, Arizona 85546 Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area website Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area map

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Gila Box RNCA--Bonita Creek--Lee Trail Picnic Area
Coordinates: 32.9556077, -109.5311121 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Lee Trail Picnic Area
This day-use area is located along Bonita Creek within the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area (RNCA) with picnic tables and grills. The Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area (RNCA) is about an hour northeast of Safford. The Lee Trail area provides a quiet retreat for a picnic and offers excellent wildlife-viewing opportunities. From Safford, travel approximately five miles east on US-70 to the town of Solomon and turn left onto Sanchez Road. Travel north for eight miles, crossing the bridge at the Gila River, to a Gila Box RNCA sign. Turn left onto that dirt road. Travel another 3.8 miles and take the left fork onto the West Bonita Rim Road. Follow the signs to the Lee Trail Picnic Area. A high-clearance, four-wheel drive is recommended for the steep hill during the last part of the drive.

Bonita Creek offers some of the most outstanding birding opportunities in Southeastern Arizona. There are over 200 species of birds within the NCA. Optimum viewing season is spring and summer. This viewing deck offers a unique view at treetop levels on the rim of Bonita Creek. The deck is the only fully accessible year-round viewing area in southeast Arizona and Riverview Campground is within walking distance.

About Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area
The 23,000-acre Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area is truly an oasis in the desert. It has four perennial waterways - the Gila and San Francisco rivers and Bonita and Eagle creeks, which are the lifeline for this remarkable place. The Gila River canyon section, known as the Gila Box, is composed of patchy mesquite woodlands, mature cottonwoods, sandy beaches, and grand buff-colored cliffs. Bonita Creek, popular for birdwatching, hiking, and picnicking, is lined with large cottonwoods, sycamores, and willows. The perennial creek and riparian vegetation make this a cool year-round desert oasis. Cliff dwellings, historic homesteads, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and over 200 species of birds make this year-round watery desert refuge worth the short drive from Safford. The Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area is located 20 miles northeast of Safford in Graham and Greenlee counties. From Safford to reach the west side, travel five miles east on US-70 to Solomon, Arizona. At Solomon, turn left on the Sanchez Road and follow the road to the end of the pavement. From there, follow the signs to Bonita Creek and the lower end of the Gila Box. To reach the east side from Safford, take US-70 east 10 miles to its junction with US-191. Turn left and follow US-191 about 29 miles to milepost 160, which is four miles south of Clifton, Arizona. Turn left onto the signed Black Hills Back Country Byway, and follow the road four miles to the conservation area. From Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area website

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media type="custom" key="29252657" || L1391652 US US-AZ US-AZ-009 32.9556077 -109.5311121 Gila Box RNCA--Bonita Creek--Lee Trail Picnic Area