Driving back from Sedona towards Phoenix, I had time for just one more stop before sundown. Took a quick look at my map & notes and decided to try out Tonto Natural Bridge State Park in Pine, Arizona.
The entrance road is paved but very steep with extremely high grades. Once at the bottom there is a small entry guard shack and a larger building known as Tonto Lodge and/or Goodfellow Lodge. Apparently you can stay overnight here and book it for parties – very unique for a state park in my experience.
The park itself is relatively small with plenty of parking, picnic shelters, and paved paths. I’d imagine it could be very busy here depending on the season. Today it was empty so I made my way out to each of the four viewpoints without the hassle of crowds.
Here’s the view from the Viewpoint 3 area which is about 200 feet above Pine Creek at the bottom of Pine Canyon below. These are some extremely rewarding views for just being steps away from the parking lot.
From Viewpoint 4 you can get a better view of the bridge and the space below it. The natural spring that forms the travertine bridge cascades over the edge as a waterfall.
Down below the bridge on Pine Creek there are also waterfalls in several places, including this one directly below
Walking northwest from Viewpoint 3 you can see the spring water where it drains over the edge.
Views looking up Pine Canyon are worth the price of admission alone. The entire surrounding area is quite green and lush even for winter.
Unfortunately the trail system that leads down to the creek level is closed due to high creek flow. Quite disappointing but likely a seasonal closure.
Also disappointing because you can see other waterfalls all along the creek (and if you follow this blog I’m sure you know I like them).
Here’s a zoomed view of this particular drop – guessing maybe 3-5 feet but hard to estimate from 200 feet away. The others are too far away for even my zoom lense to make out clearly.
Moving to the other side of the bridge at Viewpoint 1 are plaques giving brief details on the formation. According to the plaque this is one of the largest known travertine natural bridges known in the world at 150 feet wide, 183 feet high, and 400 feet long. Because the mineral is deposited from the perennial spring waters the structure is still growing.
Viewpoint 1 offers the most direct view of the bridge from above and gives a chance to finally see the true scale. I’m disappointed I couldn’t see it from below, but it is still worth visiting if you can only see from above. Truly a unique sight.
Looking across the canyon you can see how the trail system winds down the cliff. I don’t think either of the trails are more than 1/2 mile but I’ll have to see them another time when it’s open again.
Bonus treat for the evening is a fantastic sunset as I head south on AZ-87 through Payson and back to a hotel in Mesa for the night.
Hiking Data
I’m including my trail map for reference of what was open for viewing but the walking distance isn’t very long. Maybe 2/5ths of a mile total. If the trail system was open you can add another mile to that.
Lat = 34.3228416 , Long = -111.4538574 -- Show at Google MapsAuthor’s Note: Due to many reasons – none of them very good – I’m posting this from the future in July 2022. Actual visit date/time December 14, 2019 5:04pm. I’ll backdate it later so as to maintain chronological order. I’ve got an overwhelming backlog of photos to process which is probably why I procrastinate. Hope you enjoy them all the same.