It was chilly and a tiny bit of snow was falling. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed December 25). Apr 19, 2017 near Gold Camp, AZ. Neat views of Queens Canyon and Creek. The waterfall trail is wonderful, a fairly steep climb down, then a manmade wooden bridge takes you to a tunnel with water cascading from above, after the bridge ends, some … No lockers. A beautiful quick, easy trail on horseback. Outstanding scenery, road is pretty rough but can be accomplished in a stock 4x4. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. We clocked about 12 miles and took us about 2.5 hours in a lifted JKU with 33s. Jan 25, 2020 near Apache…, AZ. The Coconino National Forest roads and trails are emasculate. Definitely worth putting on your list. It is slow going and not really a difficult trail but don’t take anything with highway tires. Hieroglyphics Trail 4/5/19 You will cross the river about 5 times. Many wildflowers. Better choice for a weekday than mid-day Saturday. This is one of the best day hikes from Phoenix if you're looking to skip the parking woes and crowds of Camelback or something a bit more interesting than Usury. It is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. This was probably the most technical trip with the guys yet. Stopped about 3 times to get out so my wife and daughter could take pictures. Scramble to the tunnel but the rest was pretty easy, for the most part! A part of the trail goes along the Arizona Trail, making it fun to dream about taking a much longer walk. Three weeks ago, we drove from Tucson to Flagstaff, taking the scenic back route. Drove through and checked out several spots on my way to New Mexico, very glad I did. Tonto National Forest, Arizona: Hours, Phone Number, Tonto National Forest Reviews: 4.5/5. Camping at campgrounds and in dispersed campsites are closed. The Tonto National Forest, encompassing 2,873,200 acres (1,162,700 ha; 11,627 km2), is the largest of the six national forests in Arizona and is the fifth largest national forest in the United States. ★ If one wants to get a real idea of Arizona, this is the road to take.Elevations range from 1300 feet to 7900 feet. Though the road is destroyed going down to the canyon we had a good time there. Michael Benedetto La Marca, 39, was hiking at Peralta Trailhead in Arizona's Tonto National Forest when he died Oct. 3, according to his obituary. Great hike to bring your dog with. Close to nobody on the trail. Beautiful roads winding through stunning forest scenery rising and falling almost 3,000 feet. For information on getting to Tonto National Monument, visit the Directions page. Lunch in Cave Creek was great. Water crossings - the rocks weren’t super slick but any time you cross it can be dangerous. All stock have BFG AT. This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Yellow Peak Loop via Dutchman Trail #104 and Black Mesa Trail #241, Horton Spring Loop via Horton Creek Trail #285 and Highline Trail #31, Best Hiking Trails in Tonto National Forest. We took our dogs and so only hiked to the saddle and enjoyed views of the peak. We took 87 through Strawberry and then took 260 into Camp Verde and then 17 through Sedona to Flagstaff. I would highly recommend this ride. Off roading in my Jeep. Drove it this afternoon with my Toyota FJ. Great variety of terrain. I arrived early, just after 7am. Nothing too strenuous and lots of beauty. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Tonto National Forest. Contact regional ranger stations for additional information. The desert floor is attractive during the spring, fall, and winter months when temps are mild. This is a great quick trail not to difficult at all the scenery is nice not mind blowing but a good fast paced heart rate raising hike kinda rocky in certain parts lots of sand so be aware of that great leg pump lol. Poison ivy - plenty of this seen along creek banks. Great views on the top but not along the way. Nothing challenging. The 2020 Sears Fire scorched part of the Deer Flat area of Tonto National Forest northeast of Phoenix, but hiking there still has great scenic value. Otherwise lots of sand. Super easy. The rest of the year, the Highline Trail in the Payson district provides lengthy legs and many variations for multi-day backpacking trips. We traveled from Tonto Basin AZ, trailering our UTV’s 90 miles to the AZ Rim. A lot fun, some difficult parts. But still a great drive! Add Your Photos. Going to the cabin means 20+ water crossings, all easy wades. Took out a stock 2020 Tacoma TRD Off Road, and it handled the terrain excellently. Lockers recommended. About 1 hour to the hwy. There is a large wash that is about half or more of the trail that has pretty deep sand, 4WD necessary for this part. Completely surrounded by the nearly three-million-acre Tonto National Forest, with pine-forested slopes, spring-fed creeks, and box canyons, the quiet town makes an excellent base for hiking. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Being so close to the lake, you can expect to be joined by several other hikers along the way. Even better after snowmelt as there is alot of running water. Lots of sand and ruts. Trailhead Traveler’s Recommended Hikes in Tonto National Forest. We choose to enjoy this slightly longer, but very beautiful drive from Phoenix to Flagstaff. It's about like Flatiron, but a little less dramatic. Water was flowing at almost every creek crossing and flowers were blooming. It’s way away from everything so be prepared. Awesome trail. Good trail, easy when dry but potentially difficult water crossings during or after a rain. Great area for camping as well. Table Mesa Road...all is passable! ★. Those more adventurous types can rappel the falls. Wasn’t crowded at all. Take water, food and sunscreen. Well worth it. A great day hike if you’re up for it. We did this hike on 2/16/19 and the trailhead was open. I led a group from Valle Del Oro Hiking Club to cut back intrusive vegetation especially cat claw and thorn bushes as well as cactus. Hello friends! Didn’t need my head lamp. Stock 4x4 can make this with no problem. The Dude Fire of 1990 burned portions of the forest along the Highline Trail; thus, this trail is an ideal place to observe how our forests renew themselves after a burn event. All of the tough stuff is in the first half of the ride. While I recommend always having extra water, you could do this with a litre. Fantastic vistas of Weaver’s Needle and Battleship Mountain. Beautiful views, cactus were in bloom. Review of Tonto National Forest. We stopped on many occasions to sample the bounty of the Tonto Basin, much like the ancient Salado would have. Water everywhere - flowing creeks and springs. From October through April each year, urban dwellers take advantage of cooler temperatures and enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, rock climbing and scenic driving throughout the surrounding Tonto National Forest. It's not hard driving, just scenic with lots of cactus and rolling desert views. Great hike for a cool day. Any stock SXS can do this ride. Did not find it difficult more easy. We brought a filter and so had plenty to drink. This is a great wheeler trail! I would not advise this hike in the rain! The Fremont Saddle Loop via Peralta Canyon Trail located in the Superstition Wilderness Area draws in hikers during the non-summer months. Tonto National Forest, where the clash took place, is the largest in Arizona at more than 2.9 million acres. Whether you want to do-it-yourself or join a guided trip, the recreation page contains many options for making the most of your visit to the park. Looked like a great jeep trail with lots of off shoot challenges. Great, quick out and back. Learn more here. Absolutely beautiful hike. Nice out and back hike with a lot of climbing. Tonto's many lakes make it particularly great for hot weather: There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the water by paddling, fishing, and swimming. We rode through the forest from Holbrook down to Phoenix. The developed portion of Dead Horse Ranch State Park covers 423 acres. Parts of the Tonto National Forest remain closed through at least the end of the month due to currently active wildfires and high fire danger. Summary: A nice 200 foot waterfall that you can visit right from your car. Campers awake to a scenic backdrop of rugged bluffs, saguaro cactus and desert skies. more. Awesome Trail...there was no water in the river yet...I miss that part...another month or two there will be :D. Good hike along old unused 4WD road and then along the newer 4WD road to the top. Photos of Tonto National Forest - 193. Overall easy and fun!! As it has been such a hot summer in the desert, we loved climbing up into the coolness of the Ponderosa Pine forests at the higher elevation. Make sure vehicle is up to par before trip. We had to walk through water about 2 feet deep at one point in order to continue on. Beautiful! (I only had a few sips, at the scenery was all I needed to drink.) This hike has zero redeeming qualities, just a long walk across a boulder strewn, cow pie riddled, thorny wasteland. I wouldn’t recommend a solo trip through here. With highway tires in AZ and it was very challenging hike up Siphon Draw trail towards Flatiron Beeline... 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