Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

Just outside of Payson is what is believed to be the longest natural travertine bridge in the world, at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.  For someone used to the desert scenery in the Phoenix area (and someone who spent over 25 years living in the Pacific Northwest), the lush greenery of the Payson area was a welcome treat.  I took my daughters, who are currently 11 and 4, to go explore the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.

There are several hikes that visitors can partake in.  We did two.  We started with the Waterfall Trail, which was mostly a pretty short, but steep, flight of stairs.  My 4-year-old did most of the trek down and back up by herself.

The waterfall at the bottom was...more like a water sprinkle.  Nonetheless, my 11-year-old was delighted.

The next trail we went on was the Anna Mae Trail.  It led to the underside of the bridge.  The trail itself was dirt, which meant it was easy to lose footing and slide on it.  There were areas where I felt like it was necessary to take my 4-year-old's hand.  It would be very easy to take a nasty fall over the edge in lots of places throughout the trail.

Unlike most trails, where it is smooth sailing once you reach the bottom, the challenge amped up once we reached the bottom of this one.  To reach the under-belly of the bridge, we had to contend with lots of rocks (many of which were slippery) and pools of water (on the way back, my 4-year-old ended up with a wet tennis shoe).  She was a real trouper, but still required assistance from me and her sister to reach the bridge.

Our verdict is that this is definitely worth the trip, in the spring or in the fall.  We brought a picnic lunch and enjoyed it while we were there.