I’ve been to Benson Spring a few times in the last couple of years to photograph the area for a volunteer project. It’s a bit of a challenge to get close to the actual spring but the general location is obvious once you see the willows and cottonwoods rising from the desert.
Benson Spring is located northwest of Boyce Thompson Arboretum and reached via Forest Service Road 357 and 252. FSR 357 is a very well maintained dirt road and FSR 252 is a sporadically rougher road requiring a vehicle with high ground clearance. Benson Spring is accessed from FSR 252 on a narrow unmarked side road.
The natural spring has been modified slightly to be a reliable source of water for cattle. The cattle are prevented from actually reaching the spring by a fence termed an exclosure. The fence is open enough to allow wild animals to enter but blocks cattle from entering and trampling the spring. A buried plastic pipe exits the spring and fills a downstream stock tank.
During wet spells, water enters the vicinity of the spring from an upstream wash and fills ponds above the spring that can be mistaken for the actual spring.
The spring contributes to a downstream wash when outflow is sufficient. The downstream wash gets visited daily by thirsty cattle that wade where they drink and aren’t very careful about what they leave behind.
The vegetation inside the fence includes cactus and brome grass on the dry slopes and willows, mesquite and catclaw are common in the wetter lower areas.
It’s tough getting around near the spring due to the catclaws, undergrowth and real and/or imagined snakes. A rattlesnake crossed my path once while I was walking through high grass near the spring and now I imagine it lurking everywhere else in the vicinity.
I hate going to photo site #2 (above) because of the previously mentioned trek through prickly brush and the need to step down a rock ledge that I’d be hiding under if I was a snake.
I love public lands. I hope they’re still here for our younger generations.
Stay Wild
Tim