The Sign at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

Tonto Natural Bridge is a

natural arch A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, that is believed to be the largest natural

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...

bridge in the world. The area surrounding the bridge has been made into a state park called Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, which is located off State Route 87, just north of Payson. Tonto Natural Bridge stands over a tunnel that measures at its widest point and reaches a height of .

History

This natural bridge was first documented by David Gowan, a Scotsman, in 1877 while hiding from Apache tribe members. Gowan was impressed by the location and persuaded his family to emigrate and live there. Gowan also tried to claim the land for himself under squatter's rights. David Gowan died in January 1926. When deputy sheriff Jim Kline on his regular two week's visit, couldn't locate Gowan at his little cabin, he looked around and secured the help of a

posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

, which found David's body in Deer Creek.Coconino Sun, Fri., 1926-01-15, pg. 5 The remains were buried just where they were found beside the creek. Gowan family members lived near the bridge until 1948. Their lodge building survives to this day and is included in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. In 1948, Glen L. Randall, a native of Pine, Arizona, purchased the Tonto Natural Bridge, the Lodge including 160 acres surrounding the natural wonder with his father Walter Randall and a brother owning a portion of it also. After Randall's death in 1967, his wife Eloise Kleinman Randall sold the property and it eventually was made into a State Park.

Park facilities

* Walking trails * Pine Creek Trail - approximately long * Waterfall Trail - approximately round trip to waterfall cave. * Gowan Trail - approximately long, ending at an observation deck in the creek bottom. * Picnic tables and recreation area * Gift shop * Portable restrooms

Closure and Reopening

It was announced in early 2010 that the park was scheduled to close on June 3, 2010 because of budget cuts and to allow for repairs to the historic lodge. Three groups eventually donated funds to allow the park to stay open until the end of September 2011. The park was reopened 5 days a week in 2013.

Hours

As of 2020, the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is open. The park hours are 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, the last entry is at 4:00 pm. The Park entrance fee is $7.00 for adults, $4.00 for kids between the ages of 7 -13, children 6 and under are free.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Tonto Natural Bridge State Park has a

hot-summer mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Tonto Natural Bridge State Park was on June 27, 1970, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 13, 1963.

References

External links

* {{authority control State parks of Arizona Landforms of Gila County, Arizona Landmarks in Arizona Natural arches of Arizona Parks in Gila County, Arizona Protected areas established in 1969