Oak Flat (Arizona)

Oak Flat
Apache Leap cliff
Apache Leap cliff
Oak Flat is located in Arizona
Oak Flat
Oak Flat
Location of Oak Flat in Arizona
Oak Flat is located in the United States
Oak Flat
Oak Flat
Location of Oak Flat in the US
Coordinates: 33°18′29″N 111°02′49″W / 33.308°N 111.047°W / 33.308; -111.047
LocationTonto National Forest
Native name
Area
 • Total6.7 square miles (17 km2)[1]
WebsiteOfficial website
Chíchʼil Bił Dagoteel (Oak Flat Campground)
Oak Flat, Arizona. Emory oak trees (shown in photo) grow in abundance here.
Emory oak trees at Oak Flat
LocationTonto National Forest
NRHP reference No.16000002
Added to NRHPMarch 4, 2016

Oak Flat (Western Apache: Chíchʼil Bił Dagoteel, Navajo: Chéchʼil Bił Dahoteel) is in Pinal County about 40 miles (64 km) east of Phoenix in the Tonto National Forest, a high desert setting at 3,900 feet (1,200 m) elevation. The land is sacred to Native Americans from the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation and many other Arizona tribes. This federally-protected area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and features a National Forest Service public campground. The landscape includes Apache Leap cliff, the mesa of Oak Flat, and Devil's Canyon (Apaches refer to it as Ga'an Canyon, or "Angels Canyon"), all of which have long been popular with hikers, birders, climbers, off-roaders, hunters, and members of the area's indigenous tribes. Oak Flat has been subject to attempts by the federal government to sell it to mining interests since 2002, against the wishes of the San Carlos Apache tribe.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference RNS 2021/03/01 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).