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Where the elk come for cocktails
Where the elk come for cocktails

Wildlife and Wildflowers

Whether you prefer flora or fauna, Q Ranch is a fantastic place to view nature. And add to that: the night sky.

It's a perfect storm of circumstances:

  • It is remote
  • Elevation varies from about 5000 to 6300 feet
  • It is extensive in area and is surrounded by Tonto National Forest
  • It is pristine and unspoiled, with springs and creeks
  • At night there is no light except what the moon and stars provide

The best times to view wildflowers are right after the spring snow melt and again after the summer monsoon storms. Breeding birds that are not resident, as well as transients, begin to settle in or pass through in March. The residents generally remain through September. The stock tanks and nearby Gentry Creek and Walnut Creek are great places to seek dragonflies and damselflies when the days get warm.

Click the link here to download a checklist of wildlife species that have been recorded at Q Ranch since June 2009, when we began to keep written and photographic records.