Tonto Natural Bridge

Fri Mar 25
Today we made a nearly 200-mile round trip to visit the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park near Payson north of here. It seems that all Arizona highways are a lot of up and down and winding but fun to travel. At one point we were over 7000 feet elevation and saw snow on the ground in the forest along the highway. The bridge is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world at 183 feet high, 400 feet long and 150 feet wide. Tiny Pine Creek runs underneath and waterfalls exist along the canyon wall above the bridge and fall from the middle of the lower edge of the bridge.


Waterfall from the Waterfall Trail Along the Canyon Wall

Waterfall From Lower Side Into Canyon from Under Bridge

Lower Side of Bridge from Above (Can you see the tiny waterfall and rainbow below?)

The bridge is located in a pine forested valley and the travertine nature of the bridge makes it very scenic. It is like an outdoor cave underneath the bridge.

Upper Side of Bridge from Above

Upper Side of Bridge from Above

Lower Side of Bridge from Below

Upper Side of Bridge from Below

Looking Out Lower Side from Under Bridge

We hiked a little under two miles but it took us two hours. The hike down in the bottom of the canyon along Pine Creek and under the bridge was quite an experience. There was really no trail but just a rock and boulder-strewn canyon bottom with small arrows painted or posted on a rock periodically to help guide hikers.

Pine Creek Along Hike

This is Along the Pine Creek "Trail"

Canyon Wall from Pine Creek Trail

Route Marker along Pine Creek Trail

It got especially interesting under the bridge where the falling water or just so much traffic made the rocks very slick. At one point Dad and another hiker helped me down a "slippery slide" section over a huge boulder along the canyon wall that, had I slipped I would have ended up in a pool below the rocks.

The Shiny "Slippery Slide" (upper background) on the Trail Under the Bridge

In the end it was a fun hike and I enjoyed it.

After the Hike

For the return trip we traveled to Camp Verde on Interstate 17 where we stopped at a DQ for a scrumptious dinner of a blueberry sundae. We finished the evening back in camp at the pool as usual to complete a very fun day.