Gila County Payson

Payson Area
Situated at an elevation of roughly 5000', Payson is one of Gila County's largest towns and is in the northern part of the county.  The population here exceeds over 15,000 people and it is a great place to stay at and it has a lot of restaurants, stores, and staying places.  In the town of Payson itself there are hiking trails, city parks, and a few nature areas that are of easy access.  The dominant habitat surrounding Payson are pinyon-pine and juniper woodland, as well as ponderosa pine and gambel's oak woodland.  These situations can make for a productive birding area.  There are also places to bird on the immediate outskirts of town in multiple directions.

Directions:

Birding Locations within the Payson Area:



Green Valley Park Area

-Green Valley Park:  This park is extremely popular for Payson visitors and residents alike and is usually a crowded place throughout the day.  It is stopped at and birded fairly often too by birders visiting Payson.  The park has a lake and a few small ponds, as well as many trees and plantings throughout the park.  Among the 180 species that have been found there, interesting birds that have been discovered have included Surf Scoter, Greater Scaup, Northern Parula, Black-and-white Warbler, and Rufous-backed Robin.  From the Highway 87 and Highway 260 intersection in Payson, head south on Highway 87 for 0.7 mile and turn west on Country Club Drive.  Take Country Club Drive west for another mile to Green Valley Park, where the parking lot for the park will be on the north side of Country Club Drive.  Scope the main lake for waterbirds and walk around the lake to look for various songbird migrants and residents throughout the year.  The north side of the park away from the lake can be productive.  At the southeast corner of Green Valley Park, cross Country Club drive and bird two ponds on the south side of the park, which are on both sides of Green Valley Parkway as it intersects with Country Club Drive.

-Private Golf Course near Green Valley Park (Payson Country Club):  Northwest of Green Valley Park is a private golf course and pond that can be viewed from public road.  From Green Valley Park, take Green Valley Parkway immediately north from Country Club Drive at the southeast corner of the park.  After driving shortly north, take Lake Drive west for a total of a half mile to where Lake Drive turns into W Rim Drive (by looking at maps).  At the half-mile and ending point to public access, there is a pond on the west side of Lake Drive that commonly has waterfowl variety in it.  Before the ending limits, solid views of the open golf course are attainable.  Canada Geese and other waterfowl are often present on the course and on a pond in the course.  Cackling Geese have also been found here before.

-Payson Public Golf Course:  From Green Valley Park, continue west on Country Club Drive for about a half mile.  The Payson Public Golf Course welcomes both golfers and visitors on the course.  There are two sides to the golf course, and S Vista Road divides the two sides of the course.  Once continuing past Vista Road's intersection with Country Club Drive, Country Club Drive becomes W Doll Baby Ranch Road.  The westernmost portion of the course is best for birding.  It has a few parking pull offs on the north side of the road.  There are open lawns, weedy habitat edges, surrounding juniper woodland, and most importantly, a thick cottonwood and willow riparain area that runs through the course that should attract a variety of migrants throughout the year.

-American Gulch:  This is an area that has a hiking trail, as well as easier roadside birding along a riparian area with willows and cottonwoods.  The riparian habitat is the main draw of birding American Gulch, and it has good potential.  Northern Waterthrush and Lawrence's Goldfinch have been found.  The surrounding area has chaparral habitat and juniper woodland and the bird species that are typical of that habitat environment.  To get to American Gulch, continue west past Green Valley Park on Country Club Drive/Doll Baby Ranch Road for 1.5 miles.  There will be a wide pull off on the south side of the road, which is the best place to park.  Continue walking to the west for more riparian habitat past the initial stands of trees near the immediate pull off.



Just North of Payson

-Crackerjack Road (Forest Road 209):  Head north of Payson on Highway 87 past the intersection with Highway 260 for 3.5 miles.  At 3.5 miles, Crackerjack Road/FR 209 comes into play quickly, and is on the west side of Highway 87.  Crackerjack Road is a rough road to drive on, but is a great road to hike on.  Along it's route down toward the East Verde River are juniper woodland, chapparral, and ponderosa and oak forest that is worth birding in.

-East Verde River via Flowing Springs Road:  To get to this location, head north of Payson on Highway 87 past the intersection with Highway 260 for 4.7 miles.  Follow Flowing Springs Road for about a half mile to the campground.  Park at the campground or at a pull off further east along the road.  From the campground heading east, one can explore the East Verde River just off of Flowing Springs Road for over a mile before private property prevents further access.  This is a location with a lot of potential among willow and cottonwood riparain habitat, juniper woodlands, and some nearby pine and oak forest.  Birding during migrations are a strong bet for a productive outing.

-East Verde River recreation site west of 87 (East Verde Park):  This location is similar to the previously described location (Flowing Springs Road), but it is on the west side of Highway 87.   A small recreation area is available to bird when pulling in (immediately north after turning in) and by following the road shortly west before it ends at a private community.  There are good sections of riparian habitat to explore in this immediate area.  Gray Catbird is among the birds that have been found at this site.  This site will be on the west side of Highway 87, 5.3 miles north of the Highway 87/Highway 260 intersection in Payson.

-Boyscout Spring and Sycamore Creek:  This area is on the west side of Highway 87 via two stops along the road.  The stops come very quickly while traveling north on Highway 87, it's good to be prepared if there's an interest in checking these spots.  Sycamore Creek flows into the East Verde River and has an impressive upper riparian habitat.  Boyscout Spring also has a similar habitat worth stopping at.  The first pull off to this area is 6.2 miles north of the Highway 87/Highway 260 intersection in Payson.  Park at the pull off and walk through a gate that prevents further vehicle access.  The next pull off is very similar to the previous, and is 6.3 miles north of the 87/260 intersection.  Parking at either location can work for birding within the area of both pull offs.