Yesterday, my husband and I went on a tour bus day trip with 45 other locals to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, near Payson, Arizona. At the beginning of the trip, the tour guide asked if any of us had been there before. No one had.

We were on the road for about five minutes when another driver accidentally hit the back of the bus, so our driver had to pull into a fast food restaurant’s parking lot and fill out paperwork. No one was injured. If fact, most of us didn’t hear or feel the accident.

Once we got back on the road, it was smooth going. Our driver was wonderful. We arrived safely at the park. Before we exited the bus, the tour guide cautioned everyone, saying that although the main trail down into the canyon to view the natural limestone bridge was only about half a mile, it was a strenuous and steep dirt trail with no handrails and with lots of switchbacks.

My husband and I and a few others decided to give it a try. Others took the shorter trails and viewed the natural bridge and waterfalls from other viewpoints. The guide was right. My husband had some difficulty with the downhill trek. For me, it was hiking back up that proved difficult. Anyway, we agreed that the effort was well worth it.

It was a photographer’s delight. Both of us, along with other hikers, snapped tons of photos. I’m posting some of my favorites here.

First of all, it’s Fall now, but in Arizona we don’t see much Fall colors. We did see a bit at the park, though.

o10071ac4

o10071ac5

The trail had some stairs, some benches for resting, and some areas with big drop-offs and good views. We loved some of the gnarly old trees.

o10071a6d

o10071a61

o10071a62

dsc02511

o10071a8c

This is what we found at the bottom of the canyon trail.

o10071a80

o10071a92

dsc02519

o10071a96

o10071a99

dsc02524

It’s hard to see, but there’s a waterfall that runs down from the top.
o10071a7c

o10071ab1

o10071ab0

o10071aad

o10071a76

o10071a75

This looks like the old canyon trail.

o10071a86

Lastly, I didn’t notice this until I got home and downloaded the photos. In the rocks, I actually see a face. Look closely and see if you see the eyes and nose.

o10071aa5

Well, I have a lot more photos but I don’t want to bore you with too many. I hope you like the photos I shared here.