Hidden within Pine Canyon just below Central Arizona’s long and lofty forested Mogollon Rim is the largest travertine natural bridge in the world. Unlike most natural bridges composed of sandstone or hard limestone, the Tonto Natural Bridge is comprised of travertine, a soft limestone formed by a process of rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate
Here two mineral-rich springs produce travertine deposits which Pine Creek eroded into a natural bridge 183 feet high and 150 feet wide with a nearly 400-foot-long tunnel. And the bridge is still growing as Pine Creek continues to add calcium carbonate deposits to it, adding inches each year.
This massive bridge with its 60-foot-deep platform across the valley is stunning. The travertine composition has allowed stalactites, stalagmites and caves to form within the tunnel. Pine Creek flowing through it feeds five pools, one 40 feet deep. Surrounded by talus and forest and forested on its span, it’s a truly unique natural landmark and it had been proposed as a National Monument. Yet unlike the great natural arches in Utah, Kentucky and Virginia, Tonto is widely unknown. Its relative obscurity makes it far less crowded to visit than the other great natural geological features throughout the Southwest. And its travertine composition makes it one of only a small number of such bridges in North America.
Craig Romano
Tonto Natural Bridge
Tonto didn’t even become a state park until 1991, long after being a private retreat and site of a guest lodge. The Tonto Apache occupied the area for hundreds of years establishing a seasonal encampment on the terrace above the natural bridge. After they were expelled from the area by the U.S. Army, a Scottish gold prospector David Douglas Gowan filed a homestead claim here. The Goodfellow family took over ownership afterward building a guest ranch to attract visitors to the natural bridge. Their lodge, built in the 1920s is now on the National Historic Register and can be toured in the park.
The bridge can easily be observed from several angles via a short, paved ADA-accessible path that leads along a rim above Pine Creek to the bridge top where cacti grow among stately pines. Feeling more adventurous? Take to four other trails: all short, but steep with stairs leading to Pine Creek in the canyon bottom, a waterfall and to the bridge’s base. A challenging route involving scrambling slippery rocks travels through the bridge’s massive tunnel offering the most spectacular perspectives of this natural landmark.
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is located about 14 miles from Payson. Learn about visiting Payson at adventurepayson.com and about Tonto Natural Bridge State Park at azstateparks.com/tonto. Plan your stay in Arizona at visitarizona.com.