Tonto Natural Bridge
June 9, 2010 by taha
Inside the tunnel under the bridge
Just spent the weekend up in Payson camping with the kids and enjoying the somewhat cooler weather. One of the main activities we planned for our trip was a visit to the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. The park itself is located 12 miles north of Payson right off Highway 87. It is very easy to find. Due to state budget cuts, the park is currently open 5 days a week – Thursday through Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) and is scheduled to close as of September 27th! Hopefully, a resolution (other than actually closing the park) can be found before September so we can continue to enjoy this beautiful area.
The natural bridge itself is thought to be the world’s largest natural travertine bridge. Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs. The precipiation of the mineral springs forms a coating on nearby surfaces such as plants, roots, rocks, etc and forms very interesting formations including stalactites and stalagmites in limestone caves. Another great example of travertine forming over plants and roots are the Havasu Falls in the western part of the Grand Canyon on the Havasupai reservation. But, back to the Tonto Natural Bridge. The bridge itself sits 183 feet up above the ground. The tunnel below the bridge is 400 feet long and as wide as 150 feet in some places. Both the views from above and looking up from below are amazing!
Our favorite part of the trip was hiking down the Gowan Trail and entering the tunnel itself below the bridge. We spent quite a bit of time inside the tunnel climbing around and hiking to the other end. Some spots were a bit hazardous due to the slippery, wet surfaces. With that said, keep in mind that it is a lot easier to climb up some of these slippery slopes than it is to come back down them. So be sure to take a look at what you are contemplating climbing up and see if it is something you can manuever back down.
heading down some slickrock
In addition to the beautiful scenery the bridge provides, the other great thing about the tunnel is the cool air and refreshing water constantly dripping down from the ceiling above. It is a great way to cool off on a hot day!
Also, you are allowed to enter the water to swim as long as you are not within the tunnel. So as you come down the Gowan Trail, right before you step onto the man-made bridge that takes you to the entrance of the tunnel, veer off to the right and you can swim right there. The water is very refreshing (meaning down right cold) and there are quite a few little critters that the kids will enjoy looking for around the swimming hole. We found monster size crayfish (seriously, they looked like lobsters!), lots of fish and some interesting frogs. There’s also a large number of swallows that nest in the tunnel and many other colorful birds flying in and out of the area. So there is a lot to see. We spent the better part of our day enjoying the park and we look forward to going back up again later this summer before the park closes in September. For more information about the park visit the state park website and check out our photo gallery on our Facebook Fan page to see our photos from the trip.
Grand Canyon Camping & Hiking Trip
August 19, 2009 by taha
Grand Canyon Wildlife
So, we had a few extra days (4 to be exact) on our hands before the kids returned to school and we figured why not get out of the heat of the desert and go camping up at the South Rim? So we did! We made reservations at Mather Campground, which is one of the campgrounds located within the National Park boundaries of the Grand Canyon. We packed up our camping gear and the kids and headed out. With kids, it’s about a 4 hour drive from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon. We always time it just right so we can stop in Flagstaff to stretch our legs a bit and have lunch.
Mather campground is one of my favorite places to stay (as long as you can get a reasonably sized site with shade). The campground has bathroom facilities throughout (although the facilities on the Juniper Loop by site #118 are closed and currently under construction) and there is also a shower/laundry facility available as well. We sort of like the idea of having a shower handy after hiking the Grand Canyon in 90-100 degree heat all day!
After settling in at the campsite, we decided to go for a walk on the Rim Trail at sunset. It was my 5 year old’s first visit to the Grand Canyon so I was curious to see what his impressions would be. As usual, on the way through the campground and the village, we came across a number of mule deer and elk. I don’t care how often you visit the National Parks, it is still always a great treat to see the wildlife! What’s really nice about the Grand Canyon village area, is you can almost set your watch by when the deer appear around the railway station and tracks. At least during this time of year, you are practically guaranteed to see the deer which makes it a great evening walk for the kids! So, we admired the deer (from a distance) for some time and then hightailed it to the rim for the view of the canyon at sunset. As always, it was spectacular! And yes, my 5 year old was duly impressed with the sheer dropoffs and kept asking what would happen if he jumped/fell from this spot…or this spot…or this spot. Needless to say, his wrist still has the indentations from my fingers wrapped tightly around it!
That was our first foray of the weekend to the edge of the canyon. Since we had kids with us, we decided to do a pretty mild hike the next day that we figured they could handle. We headed down the South Kaibab Trail with the plan to stop at Cedar Ridge, have lunch and head back up. I could only hope that the kids would enjoy their hike into this phenomenal wonder of the world as much as they enjoyed their shuttle bus ride to the trailhead. So, with lots of water, snacks and lunch we started down the trail in the early morning. The temperature at the trailhead (about 7,000 feet elevation) was about 75 – 80 degrees with a forecast of 95 degrees for later in the afternoon. Now, as you head down into the canyon those temperatures increase significantly. It is not uncommon for Phantom Ranch (elevation of 2,400 ft) to be at least 20 – 25 degrees hotter than the top of the canyon. Something to keep in mind when you know you will be hiking out as the day is heating up.
Anyway, we had a great hike down to Cedar Ridge (a descent of 1,140 feet from the rim). The kids did an awesome job and by that I mean, few complaints and few incidents of being too close to the edge of the trail. The one thing to keep in mind about hiking this trail is that there is no water supply available to refill your hydration pack or water bottles. So be sure to bring enough water (about 1 -1.5 liters per hour) for your trip down and back up from Cedar Ridge or Skeleton Point. What is nice about Cedar Ridge, besides the view, is that there are restroom facilities available. But there is no water to wash your hands so have some anti-bacterial gel or wipes along with you as well. And Cedar Ridge is a beautiful spot to have lunch. Just ask the squirrels!
The second we sat down we had a number of rock squirrels doing reconnaissance around our spot. We literally were under constant surveillance! Obviously, many visitors before us have conditioned the animals to expect a hand out. As frequent guests of our National Parks, we have learned that you do not feed the animals. First, it makes the animals dependent on humans to feed them, second, the type of food we feed them is detrimental to their health and lastly, they will bite you! Did you know that the Grand Canyon rangers have reported that more people are injured by bites from these cute furry little squirrels than by anything else at the Grand Canyon? I don’t know about you, but I’m in no hurry to go get my rabies shot! So keep the kids (and yourself) away from the squirrels and please don’t feed them your leftovers. Oh and did I forget to mention that all wildlife in the park is protected by federal law and if a ranger does happen to see you feeding the animals that you could be subject to a $500 fine? Ouch.
So, with lunch done and the day starting to heat up quickly, we started heading back up the trail towards the rim. The hike back up is about 1.5 miles and we needed to go up that 1,140 feet that we just came down quite easily a short time ago. It quickly became apparent that we made a wise choice to turn around at Cedar Ridge (as originally planned) versus heading a bit further down to Skeleton Point. The kids got tired with the steep climb and the increasing heat as did my husband who was backpacking our 5 year old up. But, we made sure everyone took frequent rest stops and drank lots of water. I even had a couple of bandanas that I wet down and used to cool off heads and necks. That helped immensely. We made it up the trail with no issues and still had water to spare at the top. So, overall I would have to say that our camping/hiking trip to the Canyon with our kids was a success. My husband actually admitted that he enjoyed camping (never did it before in his life!) and my kids will have fond memories of their Grand Canyon adventure and their favorite shuttle bus.
If you have never visited the Grand Canyon and would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact us at Take A Hike Arizona. We do not guide hikes in the Canyon, but we love to share our knowledge about it with those who are interested and we do know of a few great companies that do provide guiding services there if that is something else you would like to know about. If you are going to the canyon, have a safe trip and send us your photos! We would love to see them.
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