Verde River Trail

Pueblo La Plata is the largest ancient Indian ruin in Agua Fria National Monument and dates back to before 1200 A.D. The ruin at one time had 80 to 90 rooms for living quarters. Now the sight seems like just a pile of rubble. However there is significant research continuing on the mesa of Agua Fria which has about 400 sites. The community was quite large.Today, few people visit the site because...

To get to the trailhead, use the turnoff of highway 87 labeled Barnhardt trail (has a marked sign coming from both Payson and Phoenix). Barnhardt road is just over 4 miles and is unpaved. The road can be driven on by lower clearance cars because the terrain is not too rocky. Once at the trailhead the trail is very easy to follow. Right from the beginning you will gain elevation, the trail has m...

The pools at the Verde Hot springs are the remnants from an old resort built in the 1920's.  The resort was a once thriving tourist attraction and also rumored to be one of Al Capone's hideouts.  In the 1960's a fire destroyed the resort only leaving behind the foundation and the thermal pools along the Verde River. To get to the hot springs, a high clearance vehicle is recommended to drive th...

Verde Rim Loop Trail is a loop trail where you may see beautiful wildflowers located near Camp Verde, Arizona.

This hike beings at Spur Cross Ranch in Cave Creek, which is a lush riparian area flowing with Saguaros. Starting at the trailhead, you will start this loop by hiking clockwise on Tortuga trail which will connect with the Elephant Mountain trail at 1.5 miles. As you start to ascend the Elephant Mountain Trail, you will start appreciate some magnificent desert views!As you adventure around the n...

There is a fee to enter this area. It was $7 when we went. There are 4 trails with many viewpoints from the parking lot, all of which are out and back. We followed the recommendation of the ranger working at the visitor's center and took the Gowan Trail down to the observation deck located in the creek bottom. This park can be very crowded on weekends and holidays. We went on a day that was a l...