Tonto National Forest

Central Arizonas most popular forest area houses six separate ecosystems, and much of it can only be seen on foot. Hikers have long known about the natural wonders that exist here, and this guide corrals all of the best hikes no small task, since there are over 900 miles of trails in the park. Offering detailed descriptions of each hike, along with practical, need-to-know logistical information, this guide demystifies a truly enormous and beautiful stretch of wilderness.

Much of what is really worth discovering in the Tonto National Forest can only be reached by foot. Wilderness boundaries and the sheer ruggedness of the terrain mandate that visitors get out of the car and lace up their boots to explore the numerous high peaks, deep gorges, babbling river beds, near silent deserts, hundred year old mining camps and thousand year old native American settlements scattered widely across this vast national forest.

Winding through all of these rugged wonders are more than 900 miles of trails. This guide follows the best of them, representing each of the Tonto’s unique areas. Some are well known, such as the Highline trail, which winds across the 2000’ escarpment of the Mogollon rim for 79 miles, or the Lost Dutchman trail through the wild and weird Superstition Mountains. Some are known only by numbers, or faint lines on old maps. While the Highline Trail offers panoramic vistas of the entire Tonto Basin, Jacob’s Crosscut Trail offers a vista of metropolitan Phoenix. Others tunnel through thick brush or squeeze through claustrophobic slot canyons. Many of these trails are as obvious as sidewalks, but a few are trace routes marked only by instinct and an occasional pile of rocks.

Central Arizona's most popular forest area houses six separate ecosystems, and much of it can only be seen on foot. Hikers have long known about the natural wonders that exist here, and this guide corrals all of the best hikes -- no small task, since there are over 900 miles of trails in the park. Offering detailed descriptions of each hike, along with practical, need-to-know logistical information, this guide demystifies a truly enormous and beautiful stretch of wilderness.