ORACLE, AZ (July 17, 2026) -- The Coronado National Forest has acquired 693.77 acres near Oracle in the northern Santa Catalina Mountains for $2.08 million.
The transaction equates to approximately $2,998 per acre and represents the largest addition to the Coronado National Forest in 20 years.
Trust for Public Land facilitated the acquisition through a two-step transaction. The nonprofit acquired the privately owned property for $2.08 million in April 2026, then conveyed it to the U.S. Forest Service, c/o Coronado National Forest, for the same amount on July 1, 2026.
The property is located within the Coronado National Forest boundary and includes rolling grasslands, oak woodlands, and access to Charouleau Gap Road, also known as National Forest System Road 736.
The acquisition permanently preserves one of the largest remaining privately held properties within the forest and secures public access to recreational areas used for hiking, camping, hunting, wildlife viewing, and motorized recreation.
The property contains 693.77 acres according to public records, although Trust for Public Land and the Forest Service rounded the acquisition to approximately 695 acres in public announcements.
The land was previously considered for residential development. Plans proposed in 2006 reportedly called for as many as 260 homes and a new access road from State Route 77 (Oracle Road). The development did not move forward, and the property returned to the market in 2022.
Funding for the acquisition came from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is permanently funded through the Great American Outdoors Act.
The transaction involved Trust for Public Land, the Coronado National Forest, Pinal County, and several conservation and outdoor recreation organizations.
In addition to protecting the acquired acreage, the transaction improves access to approximately 12,000 acres of surrounding national forest land between Oracle and SaddleBrooke.
The property lies within the original Santa Catalina Forest Reserve, which was established in 1902 and later became part of the Coronado National Forest.