Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bartlett Dam Head of the reach - concrete, completed 1939 - NID AZ10308 | Dam / hazard | 33.81860, -111.63189 | Every foot of flow below here is a Bartlett release, so levels rise and drop without notice. Dec 1-Jun 30 the bank below the dam is closed to foot and vehicle entry for nesting bald eagles; float through, do not land. |
| 2 | Riverside Campground Tonto NF, Cave Creek RD - vault toilets, no potable water | Campsite | 33.80986, -111.64646 | First developed site below the dam and the usual put-in, 1.2 mi down. Non-motorized boating only. The Forest Service page carries a closure for post-Riverside Wildfire recovery - check it before you drive out. |
| 3 | Low-head drop below Riverside Position measured, not published | Dam / hazard | 33.80805, -111.66136 | Paddler accounts describe a river-wide 2-4 ft low-head drop with a recirculation and a left-side strainer about a mile below Riverside. No agency maps it. Measured 1.0 mi down the channel it lands within 50 m of the gauge. |
| 4 | USGS 09510000 - Verde River below Bartlett Dam The gauge this page reads | USGS gauge | 33.80829, -111.66191 | Paddler sources put about 300 cfs as a comfortable minimum for the Bartlett Dam to Box Bar run; the reach is entirely dam-release water. |
| 5 | Needle Rock GNIS 32268 - 484 m | Point of interest | 33.77421, -111.66431 | The basalt spire the recreation site below is named for, 6.9 mi down from the dam. |
| 6 | Needle Rock Day Use Area and Non-Motorized Beach Tonto NF - hand launch off the beach - Tonto Pass | Access / boat ramp | 33.76697, -111.66996 | Non-motorized only; hand launch off the beach, trailers under 16 ft. AZGFD announced catchable Gila trout stockings here through May 2026. Dec 1-Jun 30 the east bank is closed for nesting eagles - float through, do not land there. |
| 7 | Box Bar Shoreline Area and River Access Point Tonto NF - hand launch - Tonto Pass - vault toilet only | Access / boat ramp | 33.74371, -111.66082 | Last Forest Service access above tribal land, 8.9 mi below the dam, and where most floaters take out. No water, no tables. A Dec 1-Jun 30 eagle closure covers the surrounding forest roads and the parking area. |
| 8 | Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation - upstream boundary River enters tribal land - 2.4 mi below Box Bar | Regulation section limit | 33.71391, -111.65158 | Below this line the river is on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and floating on needs the Nation's permission. Boundary taken from the Census tribal-lands polygon; OSM boundary monument 2 sits 200 m off it. |
| 9 | Fort McDowell Tribal Office Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation - 2.3 km off the river | Agency / conservation office | 33.61935, -111.69917 | The Nation publishes no river float or fishing permit online, so this is where to ask. Community & Economic Development handles license and property use on 480-789-7742. |
| 10 | Beeline Highway (AZ 87) bridge The only road bridge over the whole reach | Bridge crossing | 33.58103, -111.67185 | Twenty-five miles of river and one crossing. It stands inside the reservation, so it is a landmark to count off rather than a place to get on or off the water. |
| 11 | Eagle View RV Resort Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation - RV resort, 150 m off the river | Campsite | 33.57449, -111.67418 | The only developed camping on the lower river, on tribal land a mile above the reservation's downstream boundary. A tribal enterprise, not a Forest Service site. |
| 12 | Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation - downstream boundary River leaves tribal land - 12.2 mi of river inside | Regulation section limit | 33.57005, -111.66819 | The river is back on public water below this line. Boundary taken from the Census tribal-lands polygon; OSM boundary monument 15 1/2 sits 120 m off it. |
| 13 | Salt River confluence Foot of the reach - 25.4 mi below Bartlett Dam | Point of interest | 33.54723, -111.66064 | The Verde ends here. Granite Reef Diversion Dam is about 4 mi further down the Salt, well below the take-out. |
| 14 | Phon D Sutton Day Use Area Tonto NF, Mesa RD - take-out - Tonto Pass | Access / boat ramp | 33.54697, -111.65715 | The standard take-out, just below the confluence on the Lower Salt. Hand launch only, no motors, day use only, no potable water. The Forest Service warns of fallen trees that trap floaters. |
Gauge: USGS 09510000 — VERDE RIVER BELOW BARTLETT DAM, AZ. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Bass
Regulations: www.azgfd.com/fishing-2/licenses-and-regulations/
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Bartlett Dam recreation site — the top of the tailwater immediately below the release.
Riverside Campground and day-use area — developed access on the upper tailwater reach.
Needle Rock Recreation Site — the most used wade and float access on the lower Verde.
Box Bar Recreation Site — mid-reach access off Forest Road 19.
Sheep Bridge / Forest Road crossings — remote upstream access requiring high clearance.
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation reach — tribal permit required, separate from state access.
Salt-Verde confluence area — bottom-end access near the Salt River recreation corridor.
Spring: rising temperatures and steady releases; the best all-around bass fishing of the year.
Summer: extreme heat, high irrigation releases, and fishing limited to dawn and dusk.
Fall: releases taper, the river clears and settles, and bass feed hard through October and November.
Winter: stocked rainbow trout below the dam, low flows, and the most comfortable wading conditions.