The wild and rugged slopes of Tonto Basin, with their southerly
exposure, have a more arid character than the area just described. On
these slopes yellow pines soon give way to pinons, cedars and junipers,
and many scrubby oaks and various species of hardy bushes. The watering
places are scarce until the bottom of the basin is approached. Tonto
Basin and its slopes are also occupied by numerous sheep herds,
especially in winter.
There are several small settlements of farmers, sheep and cattle growers
within the limits of the narrow strip connecting the larger parts of the
reserve, notably Show Low, Pinetop and Linden. The wagon road from
Holbrook, on the Santa Fe Pacific Railroad, to the military post at Camp
Apache, on the White Mountain Indian Reservation, passes through this
strip by way of Show Low. The old trails through Sunset Pass to Camp
Verde and across "The Rim" into Tonto Basin traverse the northern part
of the reserve, and are used by stockmen and others at short intervals,
except in midwinter.
The climate of this section of the reserve is rather arid in summer, the
rainfall being much more uncertain than in the more elevated areas about
the San Francisco Mountains to the northwest and the White Mountains to
the southeast.
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