River Rangers TNF

THANK YOU 👏 to the volunteers with the U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest Mesa Ranger District River Rangers program, and to all the community members who join us as we 🚮🚣‍♂️. Learn more about the volunteer programs you can get involved with on our public lands!

Tonto National Forest | Volunteers | Forest Service https://share.google/XsZRK8O96jPf3K8rJ

Our thoughts exactly!

Picking up trash that isn't yours feels small in the moment. It's not. Every piece you grab is one less thing in the water, one less thing an animal finds first. Stewardship isn't a special event, it's what you do on a normal Tuesday hike.

Say hello 👋 to our Volunteers if you're out on the river today for a post-holiday paddle.

Rec site closures start tomorrow up at Canyon Lake. 🚧

will be closing Canyon Lake, including Forest Service Roads and recreational sites in the surrounding area, beginning Sept. 8, 2026, to Feb. 28, 2027.

State Route 88 (Apache Trail) will remain open.

This temporary closure order is in preparation for the Salt River Project’s (SRP) Canyon Lake Drawdown Project, which will lower water levels to allow for critical dam safety inspections and maintenance.

SRP has great information about the Canyon Lake Drawdown Project in their website, including answers to frequently asked questions. https://www.srpnet.com/grid-water-management/water-management/lakes/canyon-lake-drawdown-project.

Fore more information about the closure order, please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/tonto/alerts/canyon-lake-drawdown-public-safety-closure.

Did you lose an iPhone on the lower Salt River on Saturday, September 5th? if so, this one was found by one of our volunteers; no emergency contact info or Siri setup. Please send us a DM with a description of the phone case as we'd like to get it back to you.

**** Though our focus is not necessarily looking for lost items, we do turn valuables we find into the U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest Mesa Ranger District office located near Higley & McKellips.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/YAUDESY73rFjvXSR8?g_st=ac

Office hours are Mon-Fri 8am-12pm & 12:30-4:30pm. Call ahead to confirm (480) 610-3300.

We also post the items to the Salt River (Lost and Found) pages.

As Forest Service volunteers, we are not allowed to accept any offers of work related gratuities, gifts, or favors for finding & returning lost items. ****