Last Saturday we drove an hour north to Payson, Arizona. We visited the
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park and hiked the Gowan Trail - approximately 1/2 mile long, ending at an observation deck in the creek bottom. Thousands of years in the making, Tonto Natural Bridge is known to be the world’s largest natural travertine bridge. The 150-foot-wide limestone bridge arches 183 feet above Pine Creek. The bridge is surrounded by pine trees, while flowing springs and fern-draped grottos line the narrow canyon upstream. This has always been one of my favorite places to visit. It was the first time we brought the boys there. They enjoyed the hike and loved climbing on the rocks in the grotto - although you would have thought Hudson was on roller skates the way he slipped and slided.
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| Stopping on a rock at the beginning of the trail |
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| We made it to the Observation Deck! |
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| Pine Creek |
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| Cooling off in the grotto |
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| Looking through the bridge tunnel |
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| Waterfall up above |
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| Mossy rocks under the waterfall |
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| Headed back out of the grotto to tackle the trail back up |
