The Tonto National Forest is a large territory of preserved lands northeast of Phoenix ideally…read moresuited for recreation. There is a lifetime of official and unofficial trails in the Forest. Most of them are in the desert, with little shade and oppressive heat, but if you live in Arizona that probably doesn't stop you. Based on its size and preservation, there are stunning vistas of the Forest even a short drive from the Phoenix area. Describing it as a "forest" is a deceptive term. It is more of a National Desert. Acknowledging that point does not make it a less impressive place to explore. Arguably, the panoramic views are even more impressive in the desert because there are no trees blocking your line of sight. One of the more surprising aspects of the forest is how few Arizona citizens take advantage of the recreation opportunities. Phoenix is a megacity, but if drive 30 minutes away, you can have a 10 mile trail all to yourself. This means either Phoenix citizens are not into the outdoors or there are enough trails for everyone to spread out. One trail in particular that my brother, wife, and I were able to explore by ourselves was the Ballantine Trail. It's halfway between Mesa and Payson on highway 87. The first couple of miles suffered significant burn damage a year earlier. This was quite disappointing at first. As we continued hiking, we were able to appreciate the signs of transition from burned and blackened landscape to fresh grass and bush rejuvenation. The return hike along the side of the mountain, rather than over the top, yielded one of the most stunning views of grass and saguaro cacti that I have seen.

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!

Super nice park! Came here from phx to somewhat escape the July heat! Had been here before but not…read moreto the playground/splash pad. Took us a bit of driving as google maps was unclear on where to find the playground. It's a good sized playground with a nice splash pad. Perfect way for kids to cool off and my on had fun! It was a little crowded when we were here but I think there may have been a bday party going on. Would for sure come again.

I absolutely love this park. It's probably the best one in Payson. They have events in the summer…read moresuch as movies and music in the park. They have events all throughout the year for family fun they have fishing events and four different types of fish in the lake. You can also use a boat if you want to go out further into the lake. It's a great place to walk your dog bird watch in a or just get some peace. There is also a nearby playground and museum nearby. It has plenty to do and I never get bored. Look for the bald Eagle to nest every spring is my favorite activity to do when I visit!

My partner and I had a great experience renting kayaks from Michelle! The kayak rental was…read morestraightforward, smooth, and lots of fun :) The assistance in attaching the kayaks to the car was also very appreciated. What a great way to enjoy the beauty of Payson and Willow Lake Pros: Responsiveness: Michelle was incredibly responsive and helpful over text! She was clear and prompt and great to communicate with. Help with securing kayaks: Michelle and her friend helped my partner and I secure kayaks to the car, and were patient with us as we figured out the best way to get them stacked and loaded. Flexibility: Michelle was flexible to our needs and allowed us to keep the kayaks as long as we wanted, and was there to give us the kayaks and coordinate the drop off as well. Straightforward pricing: Pricing was clear and straightforward and just as stated on the website and in all communication with Michelle. The Kayaks were $45 for a full day of use! Convenient location to Payson and Willow Lake: We were staying in Payson, and the kayak pick-up and drop off point was incredibly convenient. Dog friendly: Our pups enjoyed getting in the kayak, as seen in the pictures! They had a great day as well! Michelle's dogs were also at the kayak pick-up site, and we had so much fun petting them and playing with them. Cons: No cons to speak of! I will happily rent a Kayak from Michelle in the future!

What a great way to explore the lake. We rented two kayaks from Rim Country and they made it super…read moreeasy. I drive a convertible so no picking up kayaks for me! They drop them right off at the top of the hill where you can dump them in the water and they come and pick them up as well. Make sure you make a reservation.

Well organized, clean and pleasant from making the reservation check-in, waiting area and the tour…read moreitself. We had "Andrew" for our guide and he was informative, courteous and pleasant to be hosted by. Took various photos for us using our mobile phones which was nice. They have various tour options which I think will fit most anyone's interest and fun level.

We booked the Antelope Canyon and Grand Canyon Horsebend tour from Sedona. We were ready for a…read morelong day since the drive to Page was about three hours. They picked us up from our hotel, made several stops including clean bathroom breaks and couple gift shops. Overall, the tour was amazing. Although we only spent 45 minutes at a horseshoe Bend, we were able to take some awesome pictures and walk around. But definitely the highlight was Antelope Canyon. You can only go on a tour here with the Navajo guide and our guide Ray was fantastic. We spent about 1.5 hours at lower Antelope Canyon. He really made the tour fun, informative, and he took the best pictures. The photos do not do it justice. The experience was just unreal. Each term that we took we were in awe. The downside was our tour guide Brandon. Although he was very friendly, he didn't seem that knowledgeable. Maybe he was having an off day but there were a couple times that he stopped mid sentence while telling a fact and even ended a fun fact with blah blah blah to finish up his sentence. At one point, he even started chewing on a candy or something while hooked up to the microphone. This was really annoying. We still had a very great day just a couple things that didn't make it a five star experience. Did you have a lot of options for tours and their office is located centrally in the uptown area.

This was an interesting historical site. Identified as the remains of a prehistoric community from…read morebetween 1,000 and 1,200 AD, it is a peaceful area along the drive to Payson, AZ. Beautiful backdrops are everywhere as you walk along the trail with historical fact placards. Several spots with ruins are unmarked and it would be nice to know what we were seeing. But there were also many placards which explained different practices from the time of the ruins. There are also several drawings of what the community would have looked like so it was very informational. Overall a nice stop where natural beauty abounds.

This was my first visit to the Verde Valley archaeology center, and I was truly amazed! I was…read morehoping to see artifacts from the immediate vicinity at this location and was not disappointed! The center has been here for 15 years and exists primarily to display artifacts recovered from a single site in the area. This is extremely rare as most sites have been pillaged by pot hunters over the last 100+ years, and this site was privately owned and protected for many decades. I was honored to received what was basically a private tour of the facility by the executive director Monica Buckle. She took her time and provided much detail to give an excellent overview of this facility. Thank you so much Monica! The entire Verde Valley area is a much overlooked archaeology gem in the history of our country & this facility champions the learning and understanding of this unique place. If you're ever in the area, I strongly recommend a visit. Please note the visiting hours change for the summer season so be sure to research this first.

This spotless well appointed museum is user friendly and can be completed quickly under 1/2 hour if…read moreyou breezed through. We chose the guided free tour which lasted about an hour and was quite thorough. I really enjoyed the quality of items on display and learning about the artifacts. If one is lucky the libraries in Scottsdale have a free pass for 2 people to enter. We paid but it was worth the $5 entry fee each.

We had such an amazing time! My friend and I booked the sunset tour which was so much fun. William,…read moreour guide, was super knowledgeable, funny, and friendly. TBH, everyone we interacted from booking to checking in for the tour and beyond was kind and helpful. It was neat getting to see a different side of the park. The jeep was comfortable and let us see a lot of different views. It was nice having guidance for the different viewing spots that we wouldn't have thought to go to on our own. Definitely would highly recommend for someone visiting the GC!

Brian was an excellent tour guide. He gave us a great tour of the Canyon and lots of tips on what…read moreto do the rest of our trip.

I found this transportation service because I needed a ride in Payson, AZ and realized that there…read moreweren't any good options for transportation. I was so impressed by the professionalism and friendliness of the driver! She was amazing and we had a great conversation, I also felt very safe- she was very familiar with the roads in AZ. I would highly recommend if you need a ride to reach out to this company. Their rates are very reasonable and you feel like a VIP!

Driver was friendly, polite, on time. Rates are fair. We called her to take us back and she didn't…read morerespond. We tried flagging her down also but she paid no mind. Theres no ubers or lyfts in this town so we were stuck. Maybe she was busy

Canyon ministries provided the most informative tour for the Grand Canyon that we've ever done…read more David, our tour Guide, was charming, funny, and had many great facts and history to share with us on the tour. I highly recommend this for Adults & Teenagers especially.

The best tour of the Grand Canyon mixing sound Biblical doctrine supported by strong scientific…read moreevidence. We highly recommend this tour David is amazing- from Jerry and Kathleen PA