Within central Arizona, USA there are a few perennial desert streams that afford reasonable opportunities for birding and bird photography. Three of these streams...Agua Fria River, Tangle Creek, and Roundtree Canyon...may be accessed in a single day by an adventurous birder traveling a somewhat circular route beginning in Phoenix, Arizona and ending in Cave Creek, Arizona. As the Agua Fria National Monument and Tangle Creek are the first two stops along the route, Roundtree Canyon will be the final destination. Be forewarned! Some of the roads can get pretty rough and it is my recommendation to take the long route only if you have a high center clearance vehicle.

If you would like to take the long route to Roundtree Canyon, and visit the Agua Fria National Monument and Tangle Creek along the way, take I-17 north from Phoenix, Arizona about 40 miles to the Bloody Basin Road exit, exit 259. Proceed east on the Bloody Basin Road through the Agua Fria National monument. Once across the Agua Fria National Monument, the Bloody Basin Road becomes Tonto National Forest road FR 269 and proceeds an additional 10 miles or so to a junction with FR 24 (Cave Creek Road). At this junction, you can continue east on FR 269 another 1/2 mile or so to the frist crossing of Tangle Creek or you can proceed an additional very rough and rugged 12 miles to Sheep's Bridge on the Verde River. At this junction, too, you can turn south on FR 24 (Cave Creek Road) and proceed about 1 mile to the lower stretch of Roundtree Canyon. Another 36 miles to 37 miles south on FR 24 will take you into the town of Cave Creek.

The less adventursome birder may want to take an easier route starting in Cave Creek, Arizona. Simply take Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek's main street, north about 36 miles to Roundtree Canyon. This route is easier on vehicles and can be traveled by passenger cars as long as the road is dry. When the weather has been rainy and the roads are wet, I caution people to only try driving down FR 24 in a 4-wheel drive truck or SUV. The dirt on top of some of the mesas can quickly become a sticky quagmire. Should you wish to make the complete loop to I-17 via FR 24 and the Bloody Basin Road (FR 269) I highly suggest you do so only with a high center clearance vehicle as some stretches of the Bloody Basin Road on top of the mesas can be extremely rocky requiring a high denter clearance vehicle.

Only a very short 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile section of Roundtree Canyon is accessible from FR 24 (Cave Creek Road). Without much doubt, this short section of canyon contains one of the most lush examples of riparian habitat I've yet to encounter in a central Arizona desert stream. The canyon is very, very narrow at the point where it is first accessible from the road and the canyon is literally choked wall-to-wall with tiny, yellow, snapdragon-like flowers. At times the flowers are so dense you can hear the running water but not be able to see it under the flowers. The first easy access point can be recognized by a couple of concrete aprons protecting the side of the roadbed from erosion due to runoff. These aprons will be easy to see opposite a small side canyon.

This upper section of canyon is very difficult to bird and it is nearly nearly impossible to carry a camera through the undergrowth. Although the canyon walls are really not very high here, the steep slope to the stream and the narrowness of the stream bed does not allow for easy hiking. Even if you are able to carry your bird photography kit with you, the density of the undergrowth makes it nearly impossible to spot birds in time to set up and photograph them. Also, unless you can scramble up the canyon walls a bit you are nearly always hiking in shade and any birds you would happen to be able to photograph will be in deep shade. These are not conditions conducive to good bird photography.

I did, however, see a great variety of birds in this very narrow section of canyon. I will get to a more comprehensive list a bit later but thissection of the canyon was fairly crawling with Yellow Warblers! I also saw my very first Yellow-billed Cuckoo here!

About 2/3rds of the way through Roundtree Canyon is a small, undeveloped campground on the east side of FR 24. There is ample shade here and access to the stream is quite a bit easier. There were quite a few warblers flitting through the Mesquite trees and some of my best birding was while sitting in a folding chair, scanning the trees with my binoculars, and drinking a cold can of Coca Cola!

It is easy to forget that you are actually in a desert here. All of the rules for desert travel must be observed or a traveler could get into quite serious trouble because of the heat. My family and I visited Roundtree Canyon in the middle of May, 2007 and the temperature was nearly 100°F already. Click HERE to read my suggestions for safe desert travel

To say the stream is more "accessible" from the campground is really stretching the term, "accessible". The canyon is still very narrow and choked with vegetation. Again, carrying binoculars for birding is not too difficult but carrying the typical bird photography kit of camera + long telephoto lens + tripod is nearly impossible. I would say the photographic opportunities of birds in Roundtree Canyon are pretty close to nil. Some of the side canyons (image at right) may be a bit easier to access but I am doubtful.

I did see large numbers of birds. Some of these included: Ravens, Black-headed Grosbeak and Sage Thrasher on the drive in, Gambels' Quail, Cordilleran and Ash-throated Flycatchers, Hepatic Tanagers, Gila Woodpeckers, Yellow, Wilson's, Lucy's and Black-throated Gray Warblers, Verdins, Phainopeplas, Northern Cardinals, Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawk, Mourning Doves, White-winged Doves, Song Sparrows, Canyon Wrens, and the list goes on. Oh yeah, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo!

I have copied the USGS topographic map covering the accessible portion of Roundtree Canyon, at right. If you have the DeLorme maps for the Western Region, be advised that Roundtree Canyon is improperly labeled near Tangle Creek. I have corrected that error in my series of articles in this area.

The best time of the year to visit Roundtree Canyon would be from October to very early May. From the middle of May to the end of September will put you into the hottest summer temperatures. It is not only uncomfortable to be out in the heat but, if not properly prepared, it can be a very dangerous time to be on the desert.

Unless you are a glutton for punishment and enjoy very, very rough roads, the best route to take to Roundtree Canyon would be to travel north on Cave Creek Rd. Just to offer a bit of inspiration, I will leave you with a few images to illustrate just how beautiful this country can be...