The Tonto Creek Basin, located in the east central part of the planning area is 955 square miles in area.  Geographic features and principal communities are shown on Figure 5.3-1.  The basin is characterized by mid-elevation mountain ranges. Vegetation types include Arizona uplands Sonoran desertscrub, semi-desert grassland, interior chaparral, Great Basin conifer and madrean evergreen woodlands and Rocky Mountain and madrean montane conifer forests. (see Figure 5.0-10) Riparian vegetation is found along streams including mixed broadleaf, tamarisk and mesquite along Tonto Creek.

Principal geographic features shown on Figure 5.3-1 are:

• Tonto Creek running north to south through the center of the basin from Kohls Ranch and exiting the basin about eight miles south of Punkin Center
• Rye Creek flowing through Rye in the western portion of the basin
• Spring Creek and Hayler Creek flowing from the eastern basin boundary to Tonto Creek
• Tonto Basin located in the south central part of the basin along Tonto Creek
• Mogollon Rim along the northern basin boundary and the Sierra Ancha Mountains (not labeled on the map) along the eastern boundary
• Mazatzal Mountains along the western boundary, which contain the highest point in the basin, Mazatzal Peak at 7,888 feet
• The lowest point in the basin is about 5,000 feet along Tonto Creek where it exits the basin