Tonto Natural Bridge State Park - Payson, Arizona

Address:Payson, Arizona
Tel: (520) 476-4202

The Tonto Natural Bridge is composed of travertine, which is actually calcium carbonate, that was deposited by underground springs with mineral laden waters upon a base of rhyolite, purple quartz sandstone, sand, and mud. The bridge is 180 feet high, 400 feet long, and 100 feet thick on top and has a variety of vegetation on either side with thick pines in the Northwest and yucca, cacti and bushes in the Southeast. The hiking trails here are steep and strenuous and include the half-mile Pine Creek trail, the Waterfall trail, which leads to a waterfall cave, and the Gowan trail, which leads to a fabulous creek-bottom observation deck. There is no camping available here but there are excellent facilities for group visits and picnicking. In this beautiful valley between Pine and Payson is a geological wonder you will not want to miss.

Tucked away in a tiny valley surrounded by a forest of pine trees, Tonto Natural Bridge has been in the making for thousands of years. It is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. The bridge stands 183 feet high over a 400-foot long tunnel that measures 150 feet at its widest point. The discovery of the small and beautiful valley between Pine and Payson was documented in 1877 by David Gowan, a prospector who stumbled across the bridge as he was chased by Apaches. Gowan hid for two nights and three days in one of several caves that dot the inside of the bridge. On the third day, he left the cave to explore the tunnel and green valley surrounding it. Gowan then claimed squatter's rights. In 1898 he persuaded his nephew, David Gowan Goodfellow, to bring his family over from Scotland and settle the land permanently. After a week of difficult travel from Flagstaff, the Goodfellows arrived at the edge of the mountain and lowered their possessions down the 500 foot slopes into the valley by ropes and burros.