Ultimate Guide To Visiting Tonto Natural Bridge In Pine AZ
Are you planning to visit the Tonto Natural Bridge in Pine AZ? If so, this article’s for you.
The Tonto Natural Bridge is a fascinating 183 foot tall travertine bridge, with a tunnel that stretches 400 ft long. It’s thought to be the world’s largest travertine bridge, and it’s one of the most beautiful Arizona landmarks.
I decided to visit the bridge on a whim, and I’m so glad I did! This article will cover how to get to Tonto Natural Bridge, best hiking trails in the park, and a few important tips.
Here’s everything you should know before visiting Tonto Natural Bridge.
How To Get To Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
The Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is located around 20 minutes (14 miles) north of Payson, off of Highway 87. The park is nestled at the base of Pine Creek, so you’ll have to drive on a narrow, windy road for the last few minutes on the drive over.
The park is open daily from 9am-5pm, with the last entrance being at 4pm.
It’s the perfect day trip from Phoenix, and you can explore the nearby charming small towns of Pine, Payson, or Strawberry!
Distance from nearby cities:
- Payson: 20 min (14 mi)
- Pine/Strawberry: 10 min (7 mi)
- Phoenix: 2 hours (103 mi)
- Sedona: 1.5 hours (80 mi)
Once you get to the park, there’s a small gift shop you’ll park at to purchase entrance tickets. Entrance is $10/adult (14+), $5/children, and free for children below 7. The park ranger will give you a map, and a quick overview of the hiking trails.
There’s a large parking lot, with restrooms, picnic tables, and more often than not, herds of javelina roaming around!
Where To See The Bridge
Tonto Natural Bridge has four easily accessible viewpoints of the bridge, as well as four short hiking trails. The two main hiking trails are the Gowan and Anna Mae Trail, which both descend into the canyon, on opposite sides of the bridge.
These trails are both very short (<0.5 miles), but steep, and require sturdy hiking shoes because Pine Creek flows underneath the bridge.
When I visited, I hiked both trails to see different sides of the bridge, and it took me less than an hour.
The Anna Mae Trail is a short trail to the bottom of the canyon, with large red rocks, and up close views of the travertine bridge.
From this trail, you can really see the interesting geology of the travertine walls up close, and it has the most beautiful view in my opinion.
If you want to enjoy the bridge without crowds, this is the hike to do. For this hike, I highly recommend wearing shoes with good grip, and flexible clothing so you can climb over the rocks without getting into the water.
The next trail in the park is the Gowan trail, which is on the opposite side of the bridge.
This is a short downhill hike, to a boardwalk with stairs, you can climb down to explore the bridge up close.
This trail gives you the easiest access to the bridge up close, whereas the Anna Mae trail requires a bit of scrambling over the rocks. It’s also the most popular trail in the park, so you can expect to see more people hiking there.
Keep in mind that you cannot swim directly underneath the bridge, but you can swim downstream in Pine Creek. There are places to swim along Pine Creek Trail, which is in a different area from the Anna Mae and Gowan trails.
Best Hiking Trails In The Park
The state park has four main hiking trails, to the bridge, a waterfall, and a creek. All of these trails are short, and can easily be explored in 1 to 2 hours. You can view an official map of the park here.
Here’s an overview of the park’s four hiking trails.
Anna Mae Trail
- Highlight: Short downhill hike to an amazing up close view of the bridge (requires a bit of scrambling)
- Length: ~0.5 miles
- Duration: 30 min-1 hour
The Anna Mae Trail is a short trail that descends to the base of the creek, where you can explore the bridge’s geological features up close. The trailhead for this hike is right next to the bridge’s main viewpoint, so I decided to hike it first.
It’s a short downhill hike, and then requires a bit of scrambling over large red boulders to get to the bridge. It’s at the base of the creek, so you have to step over the rocks to avoid getting into the water.
This hike only took me around 45 minutes, and it was my favorite in the park. If you’re visiting with young kids, you may want to opt for the Gowan Trail, as it gives easier access to the bridge.
Gowan Trail
- Highlight: Short downhill hike to an easily accessible up close view of the bridge (most popular hike in the park)
- Length: ~0.5 miles
- Duration: 30 min-1 hour
The Gowan Trail is the ideal hike if you want to explore the bridge up close, without needing to scramble over the rocks. It’s a short downhill hike, to a boardwalk with stairs for easy access to the bridge.
Once you get to the bottom viewpoint, you can further venture into the bridge’s tunnel, but it will require a bit of scrambling.
This trail gives you a great perspective of just how big the bridge is, and it had a tiny waterfall flowing over the moss covered rocks when I visited.
Waterfall Trail
- Highlight: Short trail to a waterfall cave formed by a natural spring
- Length: 300 ft
- Duration: 30 min
The Waterfall Trail is a very short, 300 foot trail to a small waterfall cave formed by a natural spring. It only takes around 5-10 minutes, and it’s worth checking out if you have the time!
Pine Creek Trail
- Highlight: Short, partially undeveloped hike to the creek bottom (requires a bit of scrambling)
- Length: ~0.5 miles
- Duration: 30 min-1 hour
The Pine Creek Trail is a short half mile hike to the base of Pine Creek, where there’s multiple natural swimming holes.
The trailhead for this hike is by the parking lot closest to the gift shop, when you first enter the park. This is a great hike if you want to cool off in the summer, but it’s partially undeveloped so you’ll want to wear hiking shoes.
Best Time To Visit Tonto Natural Bridge
The best time to visit Tonto Natural Bridge is on any sunny day, ideally in the summer, or spring. In the winter, it can potentially snow in Pine, so just make sure to check the weather beforehand.
I visited the bridge on a sunny day in February, and the weather (67°F) was perfect for hiking.
Tips For Visiting Tonto Bridge
- Wear sturdy hiking/water shoes with good grip, and sunscreen
- Download the offline maps for directions on the way over
- Bring snacks and drinks
- Hike both trails (Anna Mae & Gowan) to get a perspective of the bridge’s sheer size!
- Things not allowed: Glass containers or pets on the trails, swimming underneath the bridge
- Check out the charming nearby towns of Pine, Strawberry, or Payson
Summary
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is one of Arizona’s last hidden gems, and a fascinating landmark worth checking out in person.
It’s the perfect nature getaway for the day, and near a few charming small towns (Strawberry, Pine, Payson) to shop and dine at. These small towns have a variety of great restaurants, small souvenir and gift shops, and cabins to stay the night at.
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