Man I love coming here! And it's been too long since I did. Over the weekend on Saturday I decided…read morelast 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.

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 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...

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.

Michelle was incredibly friendly and helpful. The paddle board I rented was in great condition and…read moreeasy to transport and use as it was inflatable and she provided a pump. She made returning the equipment easy as well. She doesn't hassle you with an extra fee for having the paddle board past 4 hours or for the pump as some spots for renting down in Phoenix do. All around great experience!

Excellent experience with Michelle!…read more We came unprepared from phoenix to escape the heat -decided to spend weekend on the water and called Michelle the last minute. She kindly showed us how to place the kayak on the car rack & extra tips and recommendations. Best kayaking experience in Payson ever Highly recommended

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