Little Waters

LITTLE WATERS

Mint Tank

Puddles, ponds, catchments, springs, seeps, tanks. Sometimes they are spring-fed depressions or ravines that capture snowmelt and rainwater.

Meadow near Mint Spring

But in addition to these natural water sources, there are some 3,000 created wildlife waters spread across Arizona’s forests, deserts and grasslands.

Calliopsis bloom June - September

They can be concrete troughs, tubs or most often, small ponds contained by earthen dams that can horde drainage runoff or be filled manually by the Arizona Game & Fish Department’s “lifesaving water program”.

Blade Tank

It’s an expensive, labor-intensive program, but one that’s necessary for wildlife survival in our drought prone state. The waters may be shallow but their purpose runs deep.

Forest Road 124

Not unlike air conditioning, dams and fake lawns, the waters are survival mechanisms—-Arizona style.

Fendler Rose fruits

In addition to providing essential hydration, the waters are great places for hikers to observe wildlife. While many of the waters blend almost invisibly into the landscape, some are easily accessible by way of forest roads. 

Mountain view on FR 124

Take Forest Road 124 for example, where a cluster of waters strung out along its rough dirt track make for an exploratory hike.  The road is located a few miles south of Mormon Lake off Lake Mary Road in Coconino National Forest and has several stretches that are open for dispersed camping. 

Southeast Tank

For an easy wildlife-spotting day hike, begin at the junction of FR 124 and FR 124C which is right about there the road gets too dicy for vehicles without high-clearance.  From the junction, the road heads uphill revealing scant mountain vistas peeking through dense Ponderosa pines.

Wavyleaf thistle boom June - September

At the 0.8-mile point, a clearing that appears on the left spills into the grassy swale of Mint Spring and Mint Tank. It’s a beautiful spot surrounded by trees, Fendler roses and low-growing wildflowers. Flush with water plants, the tank is a magnet for birds—-mountain bluebirds, woodpeckers and ravens are say to spot for patient hikers sitting quietly among the tree cover.  Just under a mile beyond Mint Tank, Forest Road 9488L veers off to the right. 

Mint Tank

This primitive road leads to Southeast Tank a few yards in. This one looks like an arrested drainage—small and narrow but evidently attractive to elk and coyotes based on footprints observed around its muddy fringe. The third water on the hike shows up at the 2.9-mile point, though it’s not so easy to spot. 

Wright's bluets bloom May - September

Blade Tank is on the left a few yards off the road. Only the well-hidden earthen dam betrays its location.  Little more than a puddle, it sits in a pine-ringed depression at the foot of a gully. Still, the beasts of the wild find it as evidenced by a scattering of bones, feathers and prints. For a day hike, this is a good turnaround point, thought several adjacent closed roads that are open to foot travel beckon further exploration.

Mint Tank

For the best chance to see deer, elk, coyotes, raccoons and birds, find a camp spot the head out right a dawn to stake out a hiding place near the little waters.

Trailhead at FR124/124C

LENGTH: 5.85 miles roundtrip

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 7,370 - 7,644 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Flagstaff go 28.5 miles south on Lake Mary Road (County Road 3) to Forest Road 124 on the left just past milepost 315.  Follow FR 124 for 1 mile to Forest Road 124C and park in the turnouts.  Roads are paved up to FR124 which is maintained dirt suitable for most vehicles, but high clearance is recommended. 

Arizona Game & Fish Lifesaving Water 

https://www.azwildlifehero.com/programs/lifesaving-water/

Coconino National Forest Travel Map for motorized roads and dispersed camping:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r03/coconino/publication/2025-travel-map.pdf