hiking AZ trails

Hiking in Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

The park has several hiking trails but none of them are much over a half mile in length. They can all be strenuous and are usualy very slippery. The scenery more than makes up for the work out you will get up and down the sides of the mountains. There will
be benches in rest areas along the way and you will be able to stop and get you heart rate back to normal. There is a waterfall where the water seeps out of the rocks located at the end of a short steep trail near the north end of the parking lot. Then at the
Tonto Natural Bridge there is a place where water flows off the top of the bridge.

Under Tonto Natural Bridge Near Payson AZ

There are several trails in the state park that are about one half mile in length. The longest trail will take you along the Pine Creek bottom and will take about one hour. All trails are strenuous and can be very slippery. It is very important that you do not attempt to swim in the water under the bridge. It is very cold and is full of minerals. That makes the water heavy and difficult to swim in.

This area is very scenic and you should plan to spend several hours and have a picnic in the covered ramada. There are restrooms available and a store where you can purchase souveniers and some picnic items. Pets are not allowed on the trails.
The park is usually open in the summer months from 8am to 7 pm and is located about 12 miles north of Payson.