Man I love coming here! And it's been too long since I did. Over the weekend on Saturday I decided last moment to drive up to Payson so I could put my feet in the creek and spend some time outdoors enjoying it versus hiding from the Phx heat. I had recently been back visiting the Reno Tahoe area and this gave me the same peaceful feeling of being at water with the blue skies and green trees. Plus all the big puffy white clouds! It was a beautiful drive up, I always like the drive to payson but this time due to all the rains, it's more green than I remember it. Since I went at the last moment with no real plan, I didn't look anything up, and one thing to know is that the Horton Creek Trailhead lot is closed due to construction work so if you go, park at the Derrick Trailhead just down the road, before it. I didn't hike, I just went to sit with my feet in the creek and listen to the soothing water sounds. If you want to hike, the Horton Trail is still open, just not the trailhead parking lot. I got there at 3:30pm and had no issue finding parking. Stayed until 6:30 and had a lovely ride home as it was sunset when I got back. I'll be going back up to cool off again, it was upper 80s when I was there. read more

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Loved this 8 miles round trip trail. Easy access by a regular car to the parking. Be sure to arrive early as a parking is limited. We arrived around 7am and it was about a half full. When we were ready to go home around noon, this place was packed. Most part of the trail has tree shades, with nice water sound, I felt pretty cool in the hot summer. Trail is mostly flat. Less than 1,000 feet in elevation gain. Trail has access to the creek throughout, you don't have to hike all 4 miles to enjoy cool water. Bring lots of water. I carried almost a gallon of water with me and I think I consumed 2/3 of them. I saw a camper hiking down in the morning. They said they packed everything including water and spent a night in the woods. That sounded really intriguing, I think I should really thinking about camping here someday. read more

Horton Creek Trail - Water access throughout the four mile one way trail - Hiking Near Me

I have been hiking here for 30 years. It's a great place however as the population grows here the trail is also packed all the time now. Try to go off season (fall I think is best) to have the best experience. If you have kids, they will love to play in the creek in the hot weather. read more

Absolutely Fantastic Trail!!! Fall color was gorgeous and the creek so beautiful and peaceful!

One would think being 2 hours away from Phoenix this would be a less popular trail, but with the amount of bodies I saw up there I thought I was back in Los Angeles. It's easy to understand however why it's popular because it's 20 degrees cooler, very lush with pine and meadow grass and of course there's a happily bubbling creek with a little waterfall keeping you company most of the time. Once I got far enough away from the parking lot to no longer hear the car alarm I was able to relax and enjoy the scenery around me. The trail is well marked and easy to follow and easy on the bottom of the feet (you have it hikers will know what I'm talking about). Beautiful drive beautiful scenery beautiful state. read more

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Rim Country is one of my favorite places to camp and hike. I like it because you can get there in just over an hour for some scenic views and beautiful weather. This particular trailhead is located on Zane Grey Highway just off the 260 north of Payson. Kohls Ranch is on the opposite side of the 260. You'll pass the Tonto Creek campground and Derrick Trail. Horton Springs parking lot has a decent amount of parking spaces with a bathroom on site. This trail itself is around 8.5 miles roundtrip and runs along the Horton Creek river bed. It's a mild to moderate hike and you are allowed to bring your dog as long as it is on a leash. There are pine trees, fall colors during autumn season, and a waterfall next to the spring. I even saw a few cows along the way. The spring itself is beautiful and shaded and we were able to swim around in it. If you are looking for a quick hiking day trip up north, I highly recommend this one be on your list. Bring a light jacket if you are someone who gets cold easily and water shoes for the spring. read more

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This trail is easy to find and absolutely gorgeous! Cool, mostly shaded, great breeze and beautiful nature! Lovely sound from the creek the whole hike. Very refreshing and enjoyable. Easy hike for kids also, my kids went nearly 3 hours. And are already asking to come back. read more

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This is an absolutely beautiful trail that's quite fun to hike! I found it on a curated website for basically anything to do/eat/experience in AZ [OnlyInYourState.com] as one of the best trails to "see/experience fall". Being that my co-host is a very outdoorsy/mountain goat hiker, he verified it would be a 7.1 mi hike that pretty much anyone could accomplish. I am pretty much the opposite of him and like to take my time hiking, so basically all hiking types from him to me. And he was correct! If you go during the peak hiking season, be forewarned that the parking lot is small & more than likely will be packed. You can park on the "street" but it's a little lop-sided and hilly. And there are no trash/recycle bins around if you take food/drinks - anything brought in must be brought out. You also don't need a pass for the park - just park and hike! There were a lot of dogs on the trail too - would recommend this for dogs who can hike, not so much the small breeds or puppies. Bring a water filter and at the very top point where the spring begins, it's fresh and freezing cold water! While there is a 1000 ft elevation change, it's fairly spread out and only towards the end does it become most difficult since you're hiking into the Rim. There's a lot of photo opportunities as you hike further in as the pine trees slowly change into "fall trees" with leaves. The mountain goats of our group planned to hike to the very top of the Rim but discovered that you'll need to hatchet the brush for that 1-mile upwards... they got halfway thru before calling it quits with the thorns and brush. I would recommend at any time bringing a jacket as it can get a little chilly and/or windy, especially for those of us who live down in the Valley and have thicker air. Hope I can find another fun trail like this one! read more

I love to explore all Arizona has to offer and since welcoming a little one into our family, I still try to enjoy the great outdoors with a baby bjorn in tow. During a recent trip to Payson, we wanted to do a hike that was scenic and burned calories without being too difficult to bring a baby. We discovered the Horton creek trail which is located in the Tonto Creek. I loved this hike and it was the perfect hike to bring my four month old in the baby backpack. I highly suggest it if you are looking for a scenic, easy-to-get-to and simple hike. You can also set up camp for the night. How to get there: This hike is just past Payson and across from Kohl's ranch. When you travel on the 260, take the Tonto fish hatcher turn off and then follow the signs about a mile in to the trailhead entrance. They have a small area to park and it fills up fast so I suggest getting there early. Setting: Simply beautiful. Have you been to Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona? This reminds me of it in the sense that it's a beautiful creekside hike that is family-friendly. You walk along an easily distinguished dirt trail that sits among beautiful large trees and a beautiful creek. At times, you can go off the trail and climb down into the creek area to explore. You can also cross over the creek to other parts of a trail, or you can just stay on the same straight trail. It's a choose your own hiking adventure! Difficulty: To get to the creek, the hike is 4 miles in (which means 4 miles back out), however you travel along the water the entire time so you can turn around at any point and still enjoy a nice hike. I did this hike with a 4 month old baby in a bjorn backpack which is a good indicator of the type of hike this is. This hike is what you want to make it. You can walk along the trail and stay on even ground the majority of the time, or if you want to venture down into the creek, you can climb down and cross over the creek throughout the hike. Tips: - Pack a picnic and make a day of it! This is a gorgeous setting and you will want to enjoy the water. - Wear water shoes so you can cross the creek. read more

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Took a day trip up to Payson and was blown away by the beauty and serenity of this trail! Parking was easy to find and right off the 260 at Tonto Creek. The trail is well marked and you have to hop across the creek once or twice which adds more to the adventure. After 4 miles both running alongside the creek and through inclining switchbacks, you reach Horton Springs, which includes some sturdy logs for creek crossing and larger waterfalls than I've seen in many parts of AZ. While I saw some using the creek water for drinking, I'd advise against it at least at this time as fellow hikers advised it tasted like dirt. Perhaps with more recent/frequent rain though it would suffice. All in all this 8-mile roundtrip hike is long enough to be a workout but still flat/easy enough to enjoy without feeling completely spent when you're done. 2 thumbs up! read more

Horton Creek Trail - Hiking Near Me

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Gorgeous trail moderate hike with kids! Loved it . Beautiful scenery . Great trail to hike with family.

I love hiking Horton Creek Trail...it's absolutely beautiful and serene. Best time to hike in the summer is very early in the mornings before it gets too hot and before the crowds. Spring and Fall are my favorite time to hike here though because of the fresh spring flowers & fall color change. It's a steady incline for most of the trail with switch backs further into the trail. I personally like to take my dog slightly off trail along the creek so he can climb the logs, rocks and play in the creek. This is where you will see all the different little waterfalls cascading. There are also really cool camping spots with fire pits and tee pees all along the trail on the other side of the creek. read more

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Beautiful hike with gorgeous creek alongside you and the canopy of trees overhead. Our dog loves the bike and enjoyed the refreshing creek. read more

Horton Creek Trail - Hiking Near Me

Beautiful hike. A bit long for kids, but easy! The switchbacks at the end are the worst part but it's not awful! So shaded & you follow the creek the majority of the way! Lots of places to stop and rest! My kids ages 4 to 14 had a great time! Bring lots of water & snacks! read more

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Great hiking trail for the family. First off, my family doesn't hike but we decided to do it when we visited Payson for the first time on Thanksgiving day (being social distanced and all). It was in the mid-50s but the sun was out and after a few minutes it didn't feel cold at all. The Horton Creek trail was not hard to find. Love that it has free parking and restrooms. The hike down to the creek was short and relatively easy. My family enjoyed walking by the creek (literally) and crossing it in some parts of the creek where there were large enough rocks to jump across on. We brought tarp to put on the ground and had a nice peaceful and relaxing lunch by the creek. Although the parking lot had a good amount of cars, we only saw a few hikers and pretty much had the area to ourselves. I would definitely come back here. read more

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Caveat: busy trail on weekends. Do not go expecting to "get away from it all" and be the only ones in nature. It's a beautiful hike in a beautiful area. Well worth the visit, but plan accordingly. We wanted to hike on a weekend with a couple of dogs. Parking lot was packed and cars spilling up the paved road for about a half mile. I'd read lots of reviews and watched plenty of youtube videos where it looked so remote, so I was a bit surprised to see it so busy. Think West Fork of Oak Creek busy. Beautiful area ... will go back on a weekday. If you are here, drive up the road and check out the fish hatchery, too. read more

Great hiking trail. Perfect day trip with creek and picnic areas. We loved it. Can't wait to head back. Clean, areas the kids could swim, lots of critters to catch. to those trail and creek. read more

Beautiful trail! It's extremely packed from spring to winter, I'd recommend going during the week if you're looking for peace and quiet!

Beautiful trail! We did the entire hike and it took us about 4.5 hrs total. My mom has RA, so we had to go a little slower, but it wasn't a difficult terrain. We probably saw about 10 people total, so it was peaceful and we were by ourselves most of time. There are lots of great places by the creek to stop and it does get a little colder the higher you get, so bring a jacket! read more

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This trail is awesome! So awesome in fact that I almost didn't want to review it so that a ton of people won't flock to it! Ha! This trail is along side a creek almost the entire way, and it's mostly in shade! It's great if you have a furbaby, I took my dog - he LOVED hopping in and out of the creek to cool off. You will NOT be disappointed in this hike! The only thing I will say is do not go on a holiday! I went on Memorial Day and the traffic getting back to Phoenix on 87 was a nightmare! There was an accident on 260 which caused us to sit on the road without moving for an hour and half, my poor dog. Anyway, it's a great hike, it's NOT hard AT ALL, so you can take kids and dogs, all sizes. ENJOY! You're welcome :) read more

Took us a minute to figure out the trail in across the street from the parking. Its a gorgeous hike and If you walk along the creek you'll see the forest service set up many lean toos and fire places to stop at. read more

This is by far one of my favorite hikes yet. It's easy enough for most people. I took my two small dogs and they hiked the whole thing! Plus it's beautiful! Keep in mind you need a day pass to park there though. I think it was $6. read more