In an unpublished research note titled "Where Was New
Year's Spring," Dr. Andrew Wallace has determined that
Hitson Tank is the location of New Year's Spring. To get
to Hitson Tank, take Interstate 40 west out of Flagstaff or east
out of Williams and exit at Pitman Valley Road, exit 171.
Take Pitman Valley Road (County Road 74) north about three miles
to the compressor station, where the pavement ends.
continue north on the dirt road about .3 mile and turn left onto
road 74A. After about 1.2 miles you'll come to a fork.
Follow the left fork, road 055. At this point you'll be
skirting the eastern edge of a clearing. Hitson Tank is in
the middle of this clearing. It may be a spring-fed
tank or it may collect runoff from the small basin it is located in.
If you follow road 055 a little farther around the hill
you'll come to another clearing, just south of Radio Hill and
west-northwest of the compressor station. This clearing is
probably where Whipple camped in 1853-54.
Here are sections of the USGS maps:
