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.

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!

Decided on a Sunday drive to Payson. After lunch we drove to Monument Peak Loop Trailhead for an…read moreeasy hike as it was 82 degrees. The parking lot is very small. We shared it was four other vehicles. The trail signage is perfect. The hike is partially shaded but more sun then shade. It is an easy 3.4 miles. If you take the loop counter clockwise, the beauty is in the last mile. We truly enjoyed this hike and recommend it for something easy and close to the city

It's a nice place to stretch your legs or have kids run around. It's a nice short loop hike around…read morefor those with mobility issues. The history around the ruins are interesting and you can read little markers describing historical aspects. But other than that there's not much to see. We stopped here in the way to Water Wheel Waterfalls just down the road.

Nice little trail and large community of ruins to walk among. Area was very wet and the flooding…read morehas continued around us. We enjoyed the short trail in the area but could not explore much due to the flooding.

The town of Payson is a beautiful small town, about an hour and a half drive from the Phoenix area…read more We enjoyed the hiking, food scene and culture. This is definitely a "tourist trap" type area, and I wouldn't say there's much more than 2-3 days worth of things to do. Any longer, you may get bored. It's significantly cooler than the Valley so that's a plus!!

Cute little town outside of the Phoenix area. It is in the Tonto National Forest at about 4,900 ft…read more elevation. It has summer temperatures in the 80-90's making it a great get away from the heat of the valley below. I came up in December when daytime temperatures are in the mid-to upper 50's and night time in the upper 20's. Almost all of the land around Payson is under the U.S. Forest Service or by tribal governments so much of the land is still natural for hiking, horseback riding, fishing and hunting activities. The Tonto Natural Bridge is the largest known travertine natural bridge in the world, is just northwest of Payson in Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. Payson is also a good place for rock hunters. There are quartz crystals, geodes, agate and onyx. In town, there are so many restaurants and shops to explore. The area has three golf courses, two being private country clubs. Mazatzal Casino, a tribal casino, is on the south end of the city. I'm not sure about other carriers but T-Mobile has decent service in town but sketchy as you travel Payson and beyond for activities. There are lots of places where I have No Service. Payson is a nice town with lots of things for me to do. It has, obviously grown a bit, since the last reviews. It is a nice place to explore and enjoy both beautiful outdoors and fun activities in town.

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.

Over Memorial Day weekend we were on the quest to play in as many parks as possible. When we…read morestopped for lunch in Payson I went on Yelp! to find a park to play in before driving back down to Phoenix so my daughter could get out and play. When we first drove up to the park, we went to the older swing set (not shown in the photo) and were a little let down because it wasn't kept up very well and pieces of the play equipment were broken. When we walked around and up the hill we found the nicer playground with better looking and more updated equipment! It was so fun even I got out on it and played. It looks like a really great neighborhood park that was very busy with baseball tournaments. We would definitely stop by the next time we are in town.

We had a phenomenal hike here. This park is easy to find, has great views, and the hikes aren't too…read morehard physically. Be sure to download AllTrails and track/rate your hike! Decent amount of parking and a variety of sports courts as well. Payson's such a fun spot to get in touch with nature.

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