I was in town in Show Low staying at my friend's place and decided to take my dog to Tonto National…read moreForest (specifically the two sixty trail area) so we could enjoy the weekend day. It was an hour ride, but I think it was so worth it! My dog really enjoyed it! What I loved was that the facility and trail were clean and well maintained. There was a restroom station and a marker/direction for a subtrail at the entrance from a parking lot. The trail itself was clear and not crowded at all. There were just 2 other people we met during a weekday late morning during our visit for an hour there. My dog really enjoyed roaming around the trail and we loved that we didn't see any trash at all. While the trail was a bit unleveled, the path was clear! Bonus too that it was a free hike/walk for us, including parking! The only minus was that there was no cell phone signal (T-mobile/Mint Mobile), so I was very wary that we might get lost if we didn't keep track of ourselves well enough..so we mostly stayed on the trail and didn't go in too far. But...it is a wonderful place to enjoy the nature for sure!

Even if you're visiting the Phoenix area for only a few days the Tonto National Forest area…read moreprovides several memorable experiences. We spent a full day visiting the Lost Dutchman national park, Goldfield Ghost Town and the Apache Trail road (at least to the part where it was closed) Because of large fires the Apache trail is closed at the halfway point. Dont let that stop you from driving it anyway. Lots of place to pull over and take pictures.. There's also a nice lookout at Canyon Lake, and if you can swing it try getting there at sunset.... The Goldfield Ghost town is also a fun and free diversion with gun battles and plenty of sweets and gift shops.. The Lost Dutchman park has a great morning hike called Siphon Draw to Flatiron trail.. 6 miles total and it's not easy but the views are epic. Look it up on Yelp...

Convenient trail if you are staying in strawberry or pine. Trails are easy to follow and it was…read morevery peaceful early morning.

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!

Our guide (Fred) was awesome and funny. He got us saddled up and matched us with horses to ensure…read morewe would all have a pleasant ride as well as a explanation refresher how-to-ride since it had been awhile since I'd been on a horse. We got to come up close and personal with the livestock on the ranch. I got to know why my horse is named Bam Bam. My husband and I enjoyed our private tour so much we are talking about making it a thing wherever we travel to go horseback riding. Only thing we missed out on was riding through rivers due to time of year (October) - our fault for making the assumption it was a year round thing.

Had a great time with them! Met at Alcantara Vineyards (not at the address on their website) and…read morerode around the Verde River (as well as across it) and then rode to the top of a hill with amazing views of AZ. Rob was a wonderful tour guide. We walked with the horses, but also got to gallop a few times. Rob also taught us about some berries and plants we could eat in the wild, and we got to try a couple! Super fun time. Horses were great and guides were interesting. Recommend!

Our group of 10 had a wonderful afternoon of tubing down the river! Kenny was a great guide and…read morehost, driving us to the top of the river and explaining all the FAQs, later meeting us at the end. He was very entertaining and informative! We felt like we were the only ones going down the river and it was such a nice leisurely pace, just be on the lookout for the faster parts and make sure you go "butts up" to prevent any bruising! Note: You will have to drive on an unpaved road to get to the Bignotti picnic site so pick a car with higher clearance.

Had a fun time on the river in tubes. This is a slow relaxing float with some areas where you will…read moreneed to use the ping pong paddles to make it to the next section. Expect 3.5-4 hours on the water.

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.

This place is awesome, out for a walk or just to enjoy a good book, or enjoy a picnic all things…read moreare wonderful to do at Green Valley lake.

This is a very nice, clean and relatively new state park, open only 2 years and as such the…read morerestrooms were very clean for vault toilets and the hiking trails were in good shape. There are many places along the river to fish and several short hiking trails. We enjoyed the White cliffs trail the best with its view of the cliffs and proximity to the water. We also did the pasture loop trail and the short Shady acres trail by the river for a total of about 3 miles of easy walking. We had lunch at a picnic table near the Ranch house - which is a beautiful home but not open to the public. It was February when we went and the trees were bare but I imaging this would be beautiful in the spring and fall. We will plan to go back during one of those seasons to enjoy the trees along the waterway.

We stayed at the Sycamore Cabin, see recreation.gov, which is incredible, fully equipped, and…read moreoffering great solitude. $125/night. I drove east from the cabin on Dugas Road (171/68) but the dirt/rocky road went from bad to worse to, around 5k elevation, "I swear I'll turn around the 1st chance I get!" which I did, although the map showed some great trailheads a couple miles beyond where I tapped out. All in all, Prescott Nat'l Forest, east of I-17, is a great place to get away, hike in solitude, and enjoy great views.