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.

Hit the Trail and Shed Those Pounds

Last year, Oro Valley dentists Drs. Bob and Debbie Oro spoke to educators at Canyon Del Oro High School about healthy living, and the Healthiest Town in America initiative.

English teacher Ann Bonar listened.

“They got me thinking about it, and about getting healthier, and for my whole family, not just for me,” Bonar said.

She and her husband Scott wanted to lose some weight. As the father and step-mom of two girls, ages 11 and 12, the couple wanted “our kids to see us leading a healthy lifestyle.”

They made a New Year’s resolution, and started following a Weight Watchers plan, counting points every day. “We were super, super strict with ourselves for those first six months,” she said.

And they’d walk, aiming for at least 10,000 steps a day.

From January through July, Ann Bonar lost 35 pounds. Scott, a professor at the University of Arizona, shed 30. They’ve kept it off, too. “Once you get all that ugly food out of your system, it makes you feel yucky when you start eating it again,” she said.

The weight loss really kicked in with daily hikes at the nearby Linda Vista Trail below Pusch Ridge. “It’s fantastic,” Ann said. “We’re both avid hikers. That really has helped us.” Hiking pushed Ann over 10,000 daily steps. And she’s stuck with it.

“I’m not super skinny by any means, but I’m fit, and I can maintain a level of activity that’s good for me,” Ann said. “I feel so much better. My knees don’t hurt as much as they did, and I have more energy throughout the day. I’m not completely exhausted by the time I teach my last class. We both feel so much better now.”

It wasn’t hard to do, she said. “It’s hard when the weather’s been bad,” as with recent rains, Ann said. “I don’t like the gym, I hate running, and machines. You can always find a place to walk, and the hiking is fantastic.” It’s important to “find something you enjoy.”

The girls have grown to “like a lot of the food we’re eating, and the kids have also gotten healthier,” Ann said.

“Ann is a great example, a great role model,” Bob Oro said. “Everybody in their own way will find their way. There’ll be a lot more.”

This article was published by ExplorerNews.com of Marana and Tucson

Learn About Hiking Clubs In Arizona

Arizona Outdoor and Travel Club
Arizona Outdoor and Travel Club (AOTC) is a nonprofit outdoor club based in Phoenix. The club organizes hikes, bike rides, camping and 4×4 off-road travel trips, mostly in the Phoenix area. Outdoor adventurists can join AOTC as a member for a small yearly fee or contribute a limited amount to join in on any of the open activities.

Arizona Outdoor and Travel Club
P.O. Box 5465
Scottsdale, AZ 85261
www.azotc.com

Backcountry Hiking Club
The Backcountry Hiking Club is a volunteer-run organization. Members lead groups on hikes in the Phoenix area as well as greater Arizona, typically over the weekends. Hikes generally range anywhere between five and 13 miles and have varying elevation changes and levels of difficulty. The group leaders are from all walks of life: young, old, single, married, men and women. The hikes are open to all, though not usually designed for children.

www.backcountryhikingclub.org
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Kay Hammer has been a freelance writer since 2009. She has a B.S. in Retailing and Consumer Sciences from the University of Arizona and an M.A. in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University. She has written for various publications through school such as the Turning Leaf and Demand Studios such as Golf Link.

Five Things You Need to Start Hiking

I recently found a great article about the things you will need to get started on your first hike. You will learn about the clothing you need and the must have items to include in your pack. You’ll find out where to get the information you need to pick out a good trail to start out on. This is an informative article that will be very helpful as you and your family start adding hiking trips to your list of favorite activities. http://bit.ly/cQ9nVg

Arizona Closes More State Parks

As the budget crisis in Arizona worsens, a special oversight board has determined that there is not enough money available to maintain the State’s parks system.  The state legislature has cut the park’s funding by 61% and already nearly half of the state’s parks are closed.  With the additional 13 that are expected to close there will be about two thirds of the parks closed to any type of recreational activity.  That means no hiking, no camping, and no picnics on the state grounds.

 There are efforts being made by local groups to keep parks open in their immediate vicinities.  While this may help in some instances, smaller government agencies are suffering financially too and it may be just a matter of time before even these efforts will lack financial backing.  Of course there is no way of knowing when or if the parks might open for business again.

 

• So now we know that a lot of the parks will be closing
• There wont be any camping in the parks
• There wont be any hiking in the parks
• There wont be any day use in most of the parks

 The state of Arizona maybe able to save money as they eliminate jobs and cut back on expenses but can you imagine telling your family that there isn’t anyplace to go camping or that there aren’t hiking trails open. Your going to have to watch closely sites such as this one to keep up with what is open and what is not. Closings will include the following:

 

• Tonto Natural Bridge
• Red Rock State Park near Sedona
• The Lost Dutchman State Park near Apache Junction
• Tombstone Courthouse in Tombstone will also close.

We will report on closings as soon as we hear of them and try to inform you about the alternatives that are available.

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How Do You Find Your First Hiking Trail?

You’ve decided to start hiking this weekend but where do you find a good trail?  If you’ve never done any hiking before this can a serious problem.  You can’t just go out and start walking across the state or even across the next county.  How do you choose a good trail to start on?  And how do you know if you can handle the trail that you’ve picked out? 

 

Luckily there are a number of great places to look for information about hiking or trekking as it is called by many people.  If you have an idea about where you would like to start your journey then the first place to look is the internet.  You’ll be surprised at the number of hiking videos that can be found on sites that allow you to upload pictures and videos.  Youtube is a great source of videos that cover trails in many specific locations.  You’ll find all the information you need about trails in various cities and many well known locations throughout the country.                                                                       

 

You may want to make a stop at the local book store and check out magazines that are dedicated to hiking in your specific location.  They will give you the locations of trails and good descriptions of the actual route.  They will tell you how long trails will be and what level of competence you will need to complete the hike you have chosen.

 

Another place you can try will be local recreation centers. You can find plenty of information to help you decide where to hike and there is always the possibility of meeting others who may have the same ideas about outdoor activities as you have.

 

Many cities and towns will have a parks department that can give you a list of upcoming activities and even the names of some of the local hiking clubs.  Don’t forget to drop in to the local museums which usually sponsor field trips and hikes into the local areas of interest.

 

• You’ll save lots of time if you use the internet
• You’ll get loads of local information from hiking magazines
• Parks and Recreation centers will have descriptions and ratings of trails that are nearby
• Museums can help you with sponsored excursions that will usually give you a background into what ever subject they are concerned with.

 

If you decide to go online with your search you can save loads of time and energy because the information is attainable with just a few key strokes.  You won’t spend your valuable time running all over the country hunting for that perfect place to spend your day.

 

Hiking magazines can usually be found that are location specific and will give lots of good descriptions of trails in your town or in your locale.

 

If you stop into local parks and recreation departments they can usually give you accurate information about  trails and hiking groups they sponsor.  They will have a list of events for the upcoming month or so and you can sign up to join any interesting hikes that may satisfy your interests.

 

Museums can give you an opportunity to join in on excursions that include a variety of different activities.  They normally charge a small fee and provide a guide.  I have gone on museum sponsored hikes that included transportation and snacks and were really a lot of fun. 

Be sure to let us know where you find the best informtion on hiking in your area.

 

Now that you have made up you mind to do some trekking all you have to do is arm your self with a few supplies and a little information about trails that are at hand.  Hiking can be on urban trails or they can be out in the country.  They can be easy hikes or strenuous ones that take you up the sides of mountains.  Now that you have the information you can decide what hiking trails will be best for you.

Be sure to let us know about the best sources you find for information on hiking near you.           
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Welcome To hikingaztrails

You are invited to share your stories of trekking through Arizona with us here on hikingaztrails.   We will cover trails that are inside city limits, some may follow river bottoms and then there are those really strenuous ones that will lead us up mountain sides and through steep canyons.  Arizona is a beautiful state that’s criss crossed by numerous hiking trails and we will introduce you to as many as we can here on this site.