Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

Katherine Kelly
May 14
2 min read

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is truly something everyone should go out of their way to see. The hikes are short but steep, and once you get down to the base of the natural bridge, the terrain gets slick and rocky. You’ll definitely do a bit of light scrambling—but nothing to be scared of.

I wish I could tell you exactly what made this place feel so magical, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it was just the perfect combination of timing, mood, and setting. I had originally planned to hike somewhere in Tonto National Forest, but when my GPS automatically rerouted to Tonto Natural Bridge, I just shrugged and went with it. A couple of hours—and a quick REI stop—later, I was passing by wild javelina and winding through lush, green mountains, until I found myself looking down at this massive, incredible natural bridge.

The trails are relatively short, but they'll get your heart rate up—steep in places, but totally doable. The steps are well-maintained, and surprisingly, the hike back up felt shorter than the way down. (Huge win.)

When I went, the water was flowing—more than I was prepared for—so I couldn’t make it through the bridge and onto the other side. But that’s okay. Next time, I’ll bring a spare pair of socks and maybe even some backup shoes. Honestly, it seems like a place to take your shoes off and hang for a while.

There was another trail near the bottom that I didn’t get to explore because of time. But next time I’m planning to spend the whole day there.

So far, Tonto Natural Bridge is my favorite stop.

A little history, because you might be curious too: Tonto Natural Bridge is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world, at 183 feet high and 150 feet across. It was “discovered” in 1877 by prospector David Gowan, who reportedly hid in one of the nearby caves while evading Apache tribes. He later claimed the land under squatter’s rights, and his family lived near the bridge for generations. But long before that, this land was known and cherished by Indigenous peoples. The area became an official Arizona State Park in 1990.