Arizona Boulder Known as ‘Wizard Rock’ Goes Missing from National Forest

"Wizard Rock" is often admired by the public for its beauty, officials said. (Karen Johnso
Karen Johnson / United States Department of Agriculture
Amy Furr

Officials are asking for the public’s help in finding a popular tourist attraction that disappeared from a national forest in Arizona.

The landmark, a 1-ton boulder known as “Wizard Rock,” which sat along State Route 89 near White Spar Road, went missing from Prescott National Forest two weeks ago.

“It’s unfortunate when we lose a treasure such as the Wizard Rock. Our hope is that it will be returned to us, and these recent recurring events will become an educational opportunity,” said Sarah Clawson, the district ranger for the Bradshaw Ranger District.

On Monday afternoon, Prescott National Forest tweeted photos of the missing boulder that is black with a strip of white quartz running through it.

Trails and Wilderness Manager Jason Williams said whoever stole the popular tourist attraction must have used heavy equipment to lift it.

“The easy way to do it would be a back hoe,” he noted. “But, if you had a trailer positioned properly and didn’t mind beating some things up you might be able to do it with a Bobcat. But you surely aren’t going to be able to do it any other way.”

Williams said he believes people saw the person take the rock but did not know they were witnessing a theft in progress.

“I think what happens is the general public, if they see somebody working with equipment in the forest, they see the equipment and assume it’s an authorized thing. It looks professional and they think they must be doing something the forest service has said ‘go ahead’ or even paid for,” he concluded.

Officials said this is not the first time someone has taken a boulder from the national forest. In 2009, an 80-pound rock shaped like a heart vanished from Granite Mountain Wilderness.

However, once the story made it into the local newspaper the boulder was returned.

It is illegal for anyone without a permit to remove minerals from national forest land, and anyone caught doing so could face a maximum $5,000 fine or up to six months in jail, or both, according to AZCentral.com.

Officials have asked anyone with information leading to the boulder’s whereabouts to call 928-443-8110.

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