Tonto National Forest

Rugged trail, wear hiking footwear! Wish they had signs telling history of how old the markings are.

So many places to visit. From hiking to river tubing to picnic to boating… so much to do around. If you want to rent or cruise or have twilight dinner on water or just want to camp ground .. so many spots.

Apache trail is one of the most scenic roads I’ve had the pleasure of driving. Out of words. Pictures don’t do justice to it. It made me wanting so bad to come back and explore the rest of this national forest 🖤

This was an awesome place to visit! We went to the Sear Kay Indian Ruins in the Tonto National Forest. This is located just out side of Carefree AZ which is like 15 minutes from the actual old west town of Cave Creek AZ. We love this area and have lived out here for a few years and the hiking in this area is beautiful. These Indian ruins are only like a few miles North of Lake Bartlett. There is wildlife here and you will probably see see deer in the area if you look for them. The parking lot to the ruins is paved and has a bathroom. The also have picnic tables and areas to sit. The parking spaces are limited to probably less than 20 spots. The parking lot does have a gate that the forest rangers probably open and close daily. The hike it self is pretty easy, it is up hill and the trail is marked and maintained. Wear hiking shoes… The views up top are amazing, you can see for miles. The ruins are not still all intact. There are medal signs around each structure showing great pics and information. The walls are still standing in some of the rooms. This is a way cool place to come because you can walk around everything and sit in the rooms that are still partially up. We hiked up and had lunch and came back down the south East trail that is super rugged and steep in some areas. Again, hiking shoes is a must due to the super loose gravel trail coming down this way. If you go this way you can get pretty close to some free standing boulders that are huge and pretty neat looking. This trail is not maintained or marked. I would highly recommend this hike it’s pretty easy especially if you just use the marked trail. Up and down in an easy half hr. There is plenty of places to sit up top and gaze out. Carefree and North Scottsdale are easily visible from the top. Great place for a picnic on top.

Only visited a few times in February and March. The forest has a lot to offer on west side. This side is not really for solitude seekers, but hiking or doing some 4x4 trails can get to those spots. The county and state also have a lot of amenities to offer for water sports, OHV, jeep trails, wonderful areas along the lakes in the area, and awesome day use areas. There is even some wild camping if you look around. Just a nice drive has some great scenery to be seen. Take a hike and every turn will reveal another beauty. Seems that traffic can be difficult during peak times. A must do is find the wild horses and walk out to see them. Follow the rules because these are wild animals and they are not in a zoo. You are in their home, so be respectful of that fact. East side might offer a little more solitude since it’s a bit further away from Phoenix. A little more wild camping is available. OHVs have some fun trails on this side too. East side is just a little more laid back during our times of visits.