This is a beautiful, well-maintained park with a majestic natural bridge. The bathrooms are clean,…read moreparking is ample, and there's a lovely souvenir shop where you also pay the entrance fee. It's definitely a must-stop if you're in the area! It took us about two hours to complete the main trail, though you can easily wander longer and soak in the views. Be sure to wear good hiking shoes with a strong grip as some areas can get slippery. And skip carrying a water bottle in your hand; a backpack or hip pouch with a water carrier works much better

The natural stone Bridge is incredible and we absolutely loved it here! Make sure you get in there…read morebefore four so that you can actually walk one of the trails because you need to give yourself about an hour and they do put a sign out at the entrance.

FYI: If you're planning to go during the government shutdown, you can't drive all the way to the…read moreparking lot -- it's about an 8-mile hike (a lot of it on gravel). But honestly, it's worth every step! Just when you think you've reached the falls... you haven't. Keep going! The road in is pure washboard -- about 13 miles of bump city -- so make sure you have a 4-wheel drive and that nothing inside your car is loose. Fossil Creek is absolutely stunning, and bonus -- no permit needed after October 1st. The other thing says this trail is easy. No, it's not to be careful if you're taking somebody elderly over that doesn't have good mobility because there's some rocks you had a climb and what not also make sure you take plenty of water to drink and a little snack everything you pack in your pack. I would also suggest leaving the house by three 330. No later you don't wanna be hiking in the pitch dark.

I didn't know anything about this place beforehand. If my boss had never been here and my cousin…read morehad never told me about the Permit, I would've made a wasted trip. I wish I knew more before going. I need to know more information about how things work at Fossil Creek. Even after going, though we enjoyed ourselves, I still don't know how it works. There were no signs telling you where you can access trails to get to the creek. You just had to guess. I found a trail at our Homestead parking lot, but it was very steep and a little dangerous. We found a spot okay in the shade but was very small for our party of 6. We worked so hard getting down there that we just made it work. After leaving we went up the road a little way in our vehicle to see what the other spots looked like, but I saw no bridge or easy access from The Bridge parking lot either, and the road was just way too bumpy. I hope my wife's suspension is okay on her Mazda CX-5. The information before going should've told us about the road and what to expect, basically how to plan. It's all a guessing game. I could've asked the Ranger lady more questions, but I didn't know what to ask. My boss made things sound different. Apparently you can't drive people to the waterfall trailhead anymore. You have to walk over 2 miles on a dusty dirt road in over 100 degrees with vehicles driving by kicking up dust. That makes no sense whatsoever. We enjoyed our time at the water. Everything else leading up to it and after it we could've done without. I don't see us coming back unless we have someone with better suspension and/or better knowledge of the area. Thank you.

This has been on my bucket list for the past 5 years and this weekend I finally made it! I was…read moreexpecting it to be busy since it was a Sunday and a holiday weekend, but we went in the afternoon and tons of people were leaving when we were parking. The downside to that is that you are hiking in at the hottest part of the day. Which makes the water feel that much more refreshing. The hike isn't hard, you just follow the creek. Some people were in flip flops- which is doable, but the rocks can be quite slippery in places. Bring lots of water. There's some shade, but not tons. Oh- and watch out for the random cow. He's not friendly.

There is an awesome hiking spot here. You don't need a pass you can just park and hike. It's a bit…read moresteep in some areas but lots of people of all ages with dogs too. It was so beautiful this time of year. Slightly off the beaten path from Payson but worth a fun day trip from phoenix to get out of the head and see so fall foliage. Highly recommend

Loved this 8 miles round trip trail…read more 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.

I have been hiking here for 30 years. It's a great place however as the population grows here the…read moretrail 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.

Was headed home from a great weekend in Strawberry and knew we wanted to hit the trails before…read moreheaded back so we stopped to do a quick hike on the Pine Trailhead. Pine Trialhead is clearly marked and is apx 3 miles around trip, its considered an easy hike with an elevation gain around 300/400ft feet. The views are beautifully and part of the trail is shaded which I appreciated , even though the weather stated it was 70ish outside it still felt warm. Glad to have stopped and hiked the Pine Trailhead, cant wait to come back to explore some more!

What a great hike! Wish the creeks were running because it was warm but we still enjoyed our hike!…read more And we can share that we hiked on part on AZ trail! It's a fairly easy hike although there is some elevation gain. The trail is shared with bikers but they all were courteous! We estimate we did about 3 miles so a good walk! We followed this with ice cream at The Gingerbread House!

Very beautiful and relaxing, we creek walked the opposite direction of The Crack, heading South…read moredown the creek, there still was pockets of people we encountered. Very tranquil place. Saw a few fish.

Parking - I highly suggest to get early because this is popular place and it quickly fills up…read more While they do have extra space at other lots for parking it just gets very jammed up. Hike- Put lots of sunscreen on, bring a hat, lots of water, some snacks of food, and the right shoes! The hike itself is not bad, it's pretty much flat for the most part. It does have some incline, but nothing an average person can't handle. I think the only reason people complain because the heat drains out a lot of energy and water in your body. If you do feel tired they do have a couple shaded areas by trees to rest. Keep following the signs that say Bell Trail. You do have options to stop and check out other smaller cliffs and little river pools but we chose to see the big cliff. Take it slow, enjoy the view and make it all the way to end of bell trail and jump of the cliff! It's amazing . You can spend basically the whole day there if you want but have what you will need in your backpack for that day.

Great mile out. Mile back hike. Took the littles! It's a little rocky but we managed. It wasn't…read morecrowded when we went and found parking on the side of the road so we didn't have to pay. Don't suggest taking up your littles to the top if you don't feel comfortable with heights.

We had help finding our way. GPS stops working so have it downloaded. Could use a sign but the…read morelittle scramble up and down is worth the view. Saw javelina on the way back to trailhead.

Beautiful hike meandering along the creek Very shaded with tall Ponderosa pines, ferns, and pretty…read morelittle waterfalls. We decided this was one of our favorite hikes in the area. We went on a Friday and didn't see anyone else so very nice.

Great place for a day hike and lots to do to keep it short or longer. You can camp and start the…read moreCabin Loop Trail once you get to the top of the Rum which also happens to be part of the Arizona Trail.

Did you know this about the Mogollon Rim? - Stretching 200 miles, the Mogollon Rim provides…read morebreathtaking views overlooking an expansive forest of pine trees. The rim is a true geological wonder hosting sedimentary, volcanic and metamorphic rock. The Mogollon Rim has been a favorite place for us to camp at over the years. Take the turn off to Woods Canyon lake and follow along turn off to a dirt road. We have many fond memories from our camping trips. It is free to camp and is a first come campsites. Plenty of boondock camping sites along the way to the rim or stay at one of the many campgrounds. The evenings do get cold even in the summer so pack accordingly. If you're not into camping it's a great day trip from Phoenix with lots of hiking and exploring opportunities. Great for pets, kids, fishing at the lake, hiking, wildlife watching, or just a relaxing and beautiful drive to soak in Mother Nature.

Have not been here for many years. Enjoyed an early morning weekday fishing trip. Lots of camping…read moresites available. Parked near the boat ramp and convenience store that has reopened. Got some tips on bait and purchased a few more lures. A couple of small snow packs still visible, and a few snow flakes in the morning. Caught and released a nice rainbow trout. Saw a bald eagle fly by and enjoyed the scenery. Had lunch near a scenic outlook. Place is likely crowded on weekends but that is expected, given the location and beauty of this place.

We parked at the Tuzigoot River Access point after visiting the National Monument. This is a large…read moreparking lot, suitable for boat trailers. We went in January to walk along the river. It was very scenic, even though most of the leaves had fallen form the trees. There is a small beach at one location and small rapids for kayaking. Several dog walkers and a few mountain bikes were using the pathways. This would be a lovely place in the spring to fall when the trees are full.

This natural area is located next to Dead Horse Ranch State Park near Cottonwood. There is no…read morecamping or campfires in the riparian zone, but you can camp at Dead Horse Park. The river is stocked with bass, catfish, and bluegill. In the winter they stock it with trout. There is a lot of wildlife in this region to see. The Verde River is a great spot to canoe or kayak because of all the twists and turns in the river. You can load your boat at the ramp at the Tuzigoot River Access Point which has plenty of parking nearby. Swimming is at your own risk.