Payson is a double whoosh: wind and waterfalls
A 90-minute drive to beat the heat and explore Nature
HARK!
I hear…whoosh…
Payson is a double-whoosh: wind and waterfalls.
The sound of wind whipping through towering pines isn’t just cool–it’s cool! This is one of the reasons Payson is a great get-out-of-the-heat getaway for sun-beaten Valley locals.
HARK Valley recently made the 90-minute drive from Phoenix to Payson, plus another 20 minutes or so to discover two watery treasures: Woods Canyon Lake and the Tonto Creek waterfall.
On a day when the thermometer kept going like a Bugs Bunny cartoon until it hit 115 in Phoenix, the high in Payson was a mere 99. But keep driving east on Highway 260, making a right at the main intersection in Payson, and soon enough the temps really plummet: even down to the 80s, believe it or not.
Ah, the sounds of wind whipping through trees.
Even in the middle of summer, Woods Canyon Lake offers loads of seclusion; it’s a huge lake with easy trails to take you away from the crowds.
One of the great disappointments, when I first moved to Phoenix, was driving to a few nearby lakes–Lake Pleasant, Bartlett Lake and Saguaro Lake–and finding…absolutely zero shade!
On the map, the areas around those lakes look green and inviting; in person, they might be fun for boaters, but hangin-out-by-the-shore is an absolute baking-in-the-sun deathwish.
And, sure Prescott, like Payson, is a regular 10-to-15 degrees cooler than Phoenix; but Watson Lake and Lynx Lake in Prescott are only slightly better, in terms of shade.
So I approached Woods Canyon Lake expecting more shade disappointment…but no! This place is spectacularly shaded, ringed by tall, beautiful pines that don’t just look great–they smell fantastic. I took a hike almost around the entire, decently-sized lake.
I somewhat foolishly took my hike alone, with no pepper spray–just a walking stick to guard against bears, cougars, lynx etc….The north end of the lake is backed by hundreds of acres of thick woods; ever get that feeling eyes are one you? That was me.
I did see evidence of big critters, but I’m not a scatologist.
I didn’t jump in the lake, but if you do, look out for these little guys:
According to the U.S Forest Service, “Woods Canyon Lake is a beautiful, canyon bound, deep lake, with plenty of trout fishing opportunities. At an elevation of 7,510 feet, Woods Canyon offers 55 surface acres and a maximum depth of 40 feet. This lake is stocked regularly with catchable rainbow trout…”
One of the things I was pleasantly surprised by: free parking. Unlike lakes at state parks, where you have to pay to play…
Canyon Lake is about 30 miles east of Payson, off Rim Road; easy drive, no crazy unpaved roads.
WATERFALLS
The Tonto Creek waterfalls are closer to Payson, only about 15 miles east–but a little trickier to get to. Generally, you can access it from the Kohls Ranch development of cabins just off the 260.
But…
If there are any directional signs–I missed them. Relying on in-and-out cell service and guesswork, I found a parking area next to one of the cabins and just…followed the creek.
The trail on the east side of the creek ranges from a nice, beaten path to bushwhacking through neck-high grass, with a bit of rock scrambling.
The trail/not-trail runs just outside fences that surround the perimeter of cabins; the creek itself and its shores seem to be public property, but there’s still a feeling of intrusiveness. Then again, it’s nature, and no “private property” signs visible on the trails.
Off and on during a cloudy day, the wind would whip up and dramatically WHOOSH through the pines that line the creek. That, combined with the clean smell of the place and the trickling creek are a fantastic sensory wash.
Every quarter mile or so, you come across a mini-waterfall, a foot or two high. Eventually, after an hour’s hike or so, I came across this:
OK, it’s no Niagara Falls or Hoover Dam, but still quite enjoyable.
Click here to see the video.