Tonto National Forest
Tonto National Forest
4.5
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
About
This forest occupies approximately three million acres of wilderness for exploration via hiking, backpacking and horseback riding.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
134 reviews
Excellent
93
Very good
35
Average
5
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Heidi J
Seville, OH429 contributions
Feb 2021 • Couples
If you're in the Phoenix/Tucson area and are looking for a day trip, drive through here. Lost Dutchman State Park is on 88. Then follow it north. Due to a landslide, 88 does not go all the way to Roosevelt. But the drive to Tortilla Flat is amazing. We drove until the road ended then got out and walked around. We flew the drone for some amazing videos. It's stunning - we definitely were not expecting to find the scenery this drive offers. The pull offs always offer beautiful view. We saw many people camping through the area and would love to do the same someday.
Written February 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cadillac-Dave
Grand Rapids, OH109 contributions
Jan 2020
My wife and I were in the Phoenix area for the annual Salt River Horse Run to save the Salt River Horses. On the Sunday after the run we took out time and travelled through the forest area and the vaious roads. One exciting side trip was up 288 near Roosevelt. The road is great to a point....a sign come up and says paved road ends. Well actually it did not end there, it was chip and tar. However, about 10 miles up it does turn to dirt and at that elevation (top of the mountain) in January the road gets soupy. Too soupy for a motorcycle. We gingerly turned around and went back the way we came, but it was a great adventure. Later on we saw two bands of wild horses and spent 45 minutes watching their interaction. We will be back again next January!!
Written January 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jerri L
Johnston, IA4,019 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
Looking for a trail to hike we ran across this gem. We parked at the Broadway Trailhead and began hiking. At .6mile mark there is a fork in the trail - heading to the left is Jacobs Crosscut and to the right towards Gold Canyon. We went left - the first mile was very flat, trail has loose rocks but an easy hike with lots of cacti. After that first mile the wild flowers were beautiful! The trail smoothed out and although it seemed flat was slightly uphill. It was a beautiful, quiet hike. We went in 2 miles then turned around and came back. It was an easy 2 hour hike with lots of stops to enjoy the views and take pictures.
Written March 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Leslie J
Rochester, NY343 contributions
Feb 2020
Beautiful views and relaxing drive, with plenty of opportunities for a hike or stop. We visited the area in late February and our hotel had this amazing view of the mountains and surrounding area. We were lucky enough to see the wild horses on two trips through the river bed area where they like to hang out and graze, keep cool.
Written June 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travis B
Dubai, United Arab Emirates250 contributions
Aug 2020
We started in the south early morning, hiked a few trails and headed north. Visited as much as we could in one day. From parched desert, millions of acres burned and black, lush forests and rivers. We had a fabulous time and recommend.
Written August 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gorton54
Plymouth, MI1,630 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
We came to Tonto National Forest primarily to see the wild horses. At first we hiked along the Salt River hoping to catch a glimpse of them but none were to be seen. The forest is scenic and well maintained. On the way out we finally saw some horses.
We stopped the car and parked at a viewing area a lo and behold there were over twenty horses there and we were able to walk up close to them. Signs caution you to stay 50 feet away. It was an exhilarating experience to see these majestic animals roaming freely.
We stopped the car and parked at a viewing area a lo and behold there were over twenty horses there and we were able to walk up close to them. Signs caution you to stay 50 feet away. It was an exhilarating experience to see these majestic animals roaming freely.
Written March 7, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dane H
Goodyear, AZ56 contributions
Jun 2023 • Friends
This high desert region has a wide range of mountains, valleys, and small lakes. There are many places for tent camping, most accessible by dirt road. A vehicle with 4wheel drive is recommended if you go off the paved roads. I have found this area to be great for winter tent camping as the days have not become too warm. As always in the desert no matter what time of the year, bring plenty of water and a bit of bug spray just in case.
Written September 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeff D
San Jose, CA95 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We drove from Phoenix to Canyon Lake and hiked the Boulder Canyon Trail. We did about 8 miles yesterday. Not to strenuous and beautiful views and changing terrain. Loose rock so bring good foot wear but definitely hike to the lookout point and from there go down about a mile to the river and enjoy the view from the riverbed. Totally worth it!
Written January 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TS
Kansas18 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
It is a pretty area.. if going to enjoy the lake it looks like it'd be a great time. We went to hike and have to agree with a lot of other reviews we had read, the path is small and a bit over grown... we debated if we were still on the right track on more than one occasion. Ultimately we turned around when it got a bit more narrow around a tree near a ledge and we couldn't see the rest of the path... we gave into the thought we had gotten off path. However when we went down the other fork it took us back to the parking lot. Think we read the trail right and it just got a bit more precarious than we were comfortable with. Though it is very odd to have to cross a downed barbed wire fence - the area must've been closed off at one point (no signs said it was).
Written August 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BethJ117
Piedmont, SC153 contributions
Mar 2020 • Family
We spent the entire day here driving through the forest. The vistas are amazing. Enjoyed the hike up to the cliff dwellings. It was very interesting.
We ate lunch at the restaurant at the visitor center. It was a nice day so we ate outside. Hamburger was delicious. Saw some wild horses on our way out. It was a perfect day.
We ate lunch at the restaurant at the visitor center. It was a nice day so we ate outside. Hamburger was delicious. Saw some wild horses on our way out. It was a perfect day.
Written March 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How can we find the turn off for this hike? We'll actually becoming FROM the north, heading to Phoenix. Any hints of what to look for?
Thanks, Pam
Written April 5, 2018
Directions:
To reach Diamond Point go northeast from Payson on Highway 260 (Star Valley Road) for about 14 miles. Turn west on Forest Road 64 before reaching Kohls Ranch. Follow Forest Road 64 west for 4 miles; then turn south on Forest Road 65 and follow it for about 3.7 miles before pulling off the road and parking.
Written May 1, 2018
I will be driving a hightop van alone through the Tonto National Forest coming in through, New Mexico to Phoenix... I am a bit nervous about road conditions, are the roads paved and big enough for two big vehicles to pass..? This will be in January
Written December 1, 2017
The roads are paved, however, in January they may have some snow. Delivery trucks use this route so I would think “wide” is not an issue. They’ve been working on the roads so they are in good condition. Wishing you a safe drive.
Written December 15, 2017
I live in Phoenix area and plan to go to Tonto National Forest for day trip with my teenage girl. It takes only about 2 hours from my home so I think it's doable.
Is there any hard or scary road to drive because I'm kind of scared to drive on very high mountain or super rough road even though I'm a good driver.
Written July 13, 2016
Hi there,
The drive in the Tonto National Forest was on paved roads and I don't recall any scary moments. Check out a good map or google maps or google earth before going anywhere, select roads and you will see where the paved roads are. This way you can plan your route and avoid any surprises. The road option and photo options in in Google earth.
Written August 9, 2016
Are there any particularly nice or charming or romantic (or even kitschy/quirky) lodgings in this area? I'm headed through this area in July... Thanks!
Written June 3, 2015
I have a very short weekend in Scottsdale, but think I would be remiss if I didn't at least try and see Tonto National Forest, or any of the surrounding beautiful areas. Any suggestions or recommendations on where in Tonto would be best to explore/see? I'm spending some time at the Taliesin West Saturday morning, and leaving Sunday evening so not a ton of time, unfortunately.
Written April 17, 2015
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