AZ Travel- Tonto Natural Bridge > FORUM > 85239.com Maricopa Arizona (AZ)

Subject: AZ Travel- Tonto Natural Bridge

Prev Next

You are not authorized to post a reply.

Author

Messages

anewman

Posts:670

07/29/2007 1:51 PM	Alert
I am hoping that a category can be added to include something iike this in an attempt to show some of the great places Arizona has to offer. Tonto Natural Bridge Notice the orange speck- that is a person- gives you an idea of how large the bridge is A unique natural land feature which developed over several centuries to create what is believed to be the largest natural Travertine bridge in the world which measures 400 feet in length, 183 feet tall, and 150 feet wide. View from within the bridge There are 4 trails 3 of which lead to the bridge. The other is the Waterfall trail which ends at some small waterfalls. Waterfall Trail Part of waterfall on Waterfall Trail The trails are short but very steep. The Pine Creek Trail is not a maintained trail (boulder hopping through the creek bed) and is only identified by worn areas and occasional arrow markers. Pine Creek Trail Waterfalls as seen from Pine Creek Trail Suggested route: Park at one of the 1st parking areas- hike the waterfall trail. Then walk the paved pathways toward the bridge viewpoints to view the bridge from above. Take the Gowan Trail down to the bridge and follow the worn path throgh the bridge (trail is slippery and can be dangerous), then choose to hike the Anna Mae trail out or traverse Pine Creek which will return you near your car and the waterfall trail. Directions: (least amount of freeway exchanges) Head North on 347 towards Phoenix Take I-10 West towards Phoenix for 10 miles Merge onto 143 N towards airport After 1.5 miles merge onto 202 East/ Mesa Travel East on 202 6.5 miles to the Country Club Dr./ Hwy 87/ Payson exit. Turn left and head North on Hwy 87 towards Payson 75 miles In Payson at Hwy 87 and Hwy 260 Intersection continue North on Hwy 87 for Approx. 10 miles Turn left at Tonto Natural Bridge Entrance (identified by large brown sign) Follow the road for 3 miles to the Entrance. If you go: Cost is $3.00 per person Bring plenty of water and hydrate yourself Remember to use sunscreen and bug spray Bring a camera and good hiking boots Picnic tables are available so pack a lunch or pick up some food in Payson Be aware of snakes and other poisonous creatures Several species of birds can be viewed

"The jouney of life is as much in oneself' as the roads one travels"

Java Lover User is Offline

Posts:0

07/29/2007 2:38 PM	Alert
Great pics!!! I have lived here most my life and never made it there. It's always been on the list of places I need to go. I think your pics just moved it to the top o'the list. Do you know if dogs are allowed on the trails?

anewman

Posts:670

07/29/2007 2:44 PM	Alert
Posted By Java Lover on 07/29/2007 2:38 PM Great pics!!! I have lived here most my life and never made it there. It's always been on the list of places I need to go. I think your pics just moved it to the top o'the list. Do you know if dogs are allowed on the trails? They are allowed in the park but not on the trails.

"The jouney of life is as much in oneself' as the roads one travels"

Java Lover User is Offline

Posts:0

07/29/2007 2:46 PM	Alert
Bummer...that must be why we have never gone. Well, the pictures are awesome. Thanks for sharing.

TortosaGuy User is Offline

Posts:710

07/29/2007 2:51 PM	Alert
yes fine pictures.....ive been there twice...loved it....dont recall the pine trail you mentioned....looks nice.....what time of year were these pictures taken?

formerly known as inyrfce2 Senior Member Posts: 797 Joined: Dec 2006

anewman

Posts:670

07/29/2007 2:54 PM	Alert
Posted By TortosaGuy on 07/29/2007 2:51 PM yes fine pictures.....ive been there twice...loved it....dont recall the pine trail you mentioned....looks nice.....what time of year were these pictures taken? These were taken Yesterday. =) The entrance/exit to Pine Creek Trail is about 100 yards to the East of the Waterfall Trail- it is pretty much just the creek bed that empties into the bridge area I want to go back in the winter in hopes of having some snow on the ground.

"The jouney of life is as much in oneself' as the roads one travels"

AZ Dreaming User is Offline

Posts:308

07/29/2007 3:07 PM	Alert
Your pictures are beautiful! You would need to talk to Carolyn about getting a new forum topic on here. Personally, I think your idea is great. However, Carolyn is so swamped right now with the new changes on the 85239.com, you might want to wait a month or so then broach the subject again. I hope we can get such a forum.

Senior Member Joined July, 2005

anewman

Posts:670

07/29/2007 3:18 PM	Alert
Posted By AZ Dreaming on 07/29/2007 3:07 PM Your pictures are beautiful! You would need to talk to Carolyn about getting a new forum topic on here. Personally, I think your idea is great. However, Carolyn is so swamped right now with the new changes on the 85239.com, you might want to wait a month or so then broach the subject again. I hope we can get such a forum. I had approached Carolyn about the idea shortly after the new 85239 went live. She liked it and said she would discuss with the team. I am thinking about contacting Scott about maybe doing a similar thing for the magazine. Maybe a back inside cover for a travel of the month. What do you think?

"The jouney of life is as much in oneself' as the roads one travels"

jimbob

Posts:114

07/29/2007 6:17 PM	Alert
I like this idea a lot!! We're going to be new to AZ and are already excited about all of the new places we'll get to visit. It would be great to have a section so everything stays together though. -j

Our website:http://jamesandchanin.com

reina

Posts:281

07/29/2007 6:45 PM	Alert
I love the idea of this thread also. My family from California comes out here every June, and last year we went to the Tonto Natural Bridge. We loved it. I didn't get to do any trails since I had my baby and my grandma with me, but we will definately plan another trip there. Awesome pictures!

Cactus Rob User is Offline

Posts:1120

07/29/2007 7:59 PM	Alert
Great pics, Aaron. Thanks for sharing.

You are not authorized to post a reply.

Forums > General Discussion > General Chat > AZ Travel- Tonto Natural Bridge

ActiveForums 3.6