Hike #49: East Webber Trail, Tonto National Forest

Length: 12 miles

Located north of Payson just below the Mogollon Rim, the East Webber Trail provides a refreshingly cool, enjoyable walk through some extremely secluded woods. (Perhaps the main reason for the isolation is the fact that the only access to the East Webber Trail is via the Geronimo Trail, which when added to the East Webber Trail makes for a full 12-mile hike.)

Beginning at the trailhead for the Geronimo Trail, the trail briefly passes along the famous Highland Trail before connecting to an old jeep trail that has now become Geronimo Trail. Following this path, the trail slowing climbs through the surrounding forest for approximately 3-miles before connect with the remote East Webber Trail.

Following along East Webber Creek, the East Webber Trail is remarkably well-marked for a trail that seemingly sees so little traffic (the Boy Scout Camp located nearby is likely responsible for this.) The East Webber Trail is a pleasant little trail that works its way through some remarkably lush forest (the number of ferns and wildflowers along this trail was quite amazing); however the true star of this trail is the East Webber Creek itself. The trail repeatedly meanders back and forth across the creek, allowing for a perfect mixture of forest hike and water play. Unfortunately, the final segment of the East Webber Trail is overgrown and extremely difficult to navigate, so we were unable to complete the full trail. However, after a long rest along the creek banks, we did not feel too bad about returning to the trailhead - and I doubt our poor feet could have handled much more walking.

I will advise extra attention be paid at the initial segments of trails; after a long day of hiking, we had extreme difficulty remember where exactly we turned onto the Geronimo Trail (though had we just kept walking we would have realized all our worry was unnecessary - the trail could not have been more clearly marked.) Also make sure you return on the LEFT segment of the Highland Trail - we passed a good 20 minutes of rigorous climbing before we realized we'd headed the wrong direction. Still, the cool temperates, lush forests, and scenic creek made for an enjoyable day.

To view more photos of the East Webber Trail, click here.

Hike #2: Geronimo Trail, Tonto National Forest

Length: 7 miles roundtrip (just a segment of the total trail)

The Tonto National Forest is definitely a remote area! Turning off the main highway (SR 87), you immediately encounter a small, rough dirt road. To get to the trail head, you must follow this road for 8 slow miles. I don't exactly think my Hyundai Elantra was designed for this type of road! That vast majority of the other vehicles I encountered were SUVs or trucks...although I did see a couple other small cars...and my Elantra did survive the trip - even if it did come back with quite a bit of mud caked on the sides.

Anyway, the original plan was to hike the East Webber Trail; however, time did now allow us to actually make it far enough into the forest to actually hike this well-hidden trail. These are the directions to the trail as listed by Phoenix magazine:

"Follow Highline Trail #31 for a quarter mile to the Geronimo Trail 240 junction. Go right at the junction and follow the trail for 3 miles to the end where in intersects with the East Webber Trail #289..."

Now, that sound relatively easy....until you realize how difficult it is to find the correct intersection. It was also VERY difficult to judge when you've traveled the 1/4 mile and the 3 miles for the trail intersections. (And, as anyone who's ever driven along trying to find a street in 2 miles knows, that 2 miles is going to seem like 20!) I wish we had known that the intersection were both going to be clearly marked with trail signs. (We accidentally turned off of the Highline Trail too early and ended up walking a 1/2 mile out of our way!)

Although, we never made it to the East Webber Trail as hoped, the 3 miles along Geronimo Trail did provide a good view and a challenging walk. The trail was pretty much on a straight incline on the way in, so coming back out was much easier. The mountains and pines also made for a nice getaway from the desert environment of Phoenix and Southern Arizona. This trail also provided a great deal of isolation (in our 4 hours on the trail, we saw but one other couple!)

For my pictures of the Tonto National Forest and the Geronimo Trail, click here.