Really quick to get in and out of. And conveniently across from our hotel. Lots of poop and dry…read moregrass, but a good late night stop for our doggos.

Absolutely. The most horrible "dog park" I've ever seen, and I wouldn't even call it a park. It's…read moremore of a dog run... nope, more like a walk. Filthy, not stocked, poo everywhere! Do better pet owners. But whoever takes care of it needs to be my more attentive.

This place is magical! You have to stop her if in Payson I love bringing my little dog! I love…read moreseeing the ducks swimming in the water. I enjoy going out on the pier and being amongst all the fishermen. I just love walking around there and basking in the sun and seeing the beautiful weeping willows and grass!

Super nice park! Came here from phx to somewhat escape the July heat! Had been here before but not…read moreto the playground/splash pad. Took us a bit of driving as google maps was unclear on where to find the playground. It's a good sized playground with a nice splash pad. Perfect way for kids to cool off and my on had fun! It was a little crowded when we were here but I think there may have been a bday party going on. Would for sure come again.

5 paws! Large separate areas for small and large dogs with grass. Water at the fire hydrants with…read morebowls available. Dog bags and garbage cans. Seats for the humans.

Cute and clean! Dog bowls were available and were clean as well. It was so nice to be able to let…read morethe pups out in a grassy, shaded area!

What a cool park!…read more We have a lifetime parks pass, so it's been great to be able to explore when we can. We spent about 1/2 day here - drove to many of the overlooks for some very cool views. Followed someone recommendation to hike the Blue Mesa and truly felt like we were walking on the moon. Very cool colors and petrified logs lying around. It's about a mile; so quite a short hike but you are 'up close and personal' with nature. Take the time to walk thru the museum at the Inn (there's also clean restrooms here and an ice cream shop). They've done a great job preserving the original furniture and such. The parking lots at many of the stops had several spots for RV's and could accommodate towing as well. Clean restrooms thru out the park too A tip would be to hike in the morning as the afternoons can get pretty toasty and windy

I am a big fan of national parks and am also a big fan of keeping them fully budgeted and staffed…read more If you have ever been to a national park, you know that they get a ton of visitors from other countries. These foreign folks love our national parks for good reason. Americans should also appreciate them. Now, this is probably not one of the "must do" national parks. It is not a Yosemite or a Yellowstone. There is no camping here and much of the park is entirely experienced by driving around in your car. There are a few hiking spots, some better than others. There are two entrances and there is only one road between them. It is impossible to get lost, although there are a few turnoffs. You drive from one entrance to the other and then you are done. Apparently, some people drive through the park, never leave their car, and spend about an hour in total here. It seems crazy to me to visit a national park in one hour and I do not recommend it. Do one or more of the hikes. Get out and experience a few of the overlooks. The Blue Mesa portion of the park is incredible. That was probably the highlight of the park for me. The color of the hills is just surreal. It is like you landed on Mars. You will, of course, see petrified (or "fossilized") wood here. It is multi-colored beautiful stuff. The visitor center on the north end is much better than the one at the south end. There is a cafe at the north visitor center, better souvenirs, and also the Painted Desert Inn where you can experience a bit of history from about a 100 years ago. Spend some time here whether you are just entering the park or leaving it. I would plan on spending about three or four hours here, especially if you do at least one good hike and stop at most of the overlooks. If you did all the hikes and all the overlooks and bring a lunch (there are no picnic or lunch areas, by the way), you could probably spend the entire day here. Half a day, including one long hike, was fine for us and I feel like we saw all of the highlights. I hate to give any area of land less than 5 stars through no fault of its own but this is not one of the more spectacular national parks in the country. But if you are in the area, it is worth a visit.

The Petrified Forest is known for its fossils, but the sediments (Chinle Formation) that encase the…read morepetrified wood are also just as beautiful! The northern part of the national park really focuses on the badlands. I unfortunately didn't have time to do the trail here, but there are many pullouts and viewpoints along the road so you do get a taste of the beauty right from the road. If you're a more experienced hiker, you can backpack this area after getting a permit. There are ancestral Pueblo structures and petrogylphs here in addition to the petrified wood. This is definitely worth a stop!

The Painted Desert is a badlands area in the northern part of Petrified Forest National Park. I…read morelove this beautiful part of the park. This colorful Chinle Formation consists of a variety of sedimentary rocks on cliffs, hills, mesas and buttes. Its pretty colors is why it is called the Painted Desert. The Painted Desert stretches all the way to the east end of Grand Canyon National Park. There are some overlooks off the main road that allow you to see an overview of the area. There are also some hiking trails. The map at the overlook gives you information on far away many of points of interest are. Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark is nearby and has a lot of history to it. The original building from the early 1920's was made of petrified wood. Today it is a museum that showcases the history of the building, historic Route 66 that once passed through here and the Civilian Conservation Corps. The Painted Desert Visitor Center is also nearby with park rangers on hand for information.

Really nice dog park with two sections for the small and big dogs. There's some structures for the…read moredogs to play and benches to sit on.

Over Memorial Day weekend we were on the quest to play in as many parks as possible. When we…read morestopped for lunch in Payson I went on Yelp! to find a park to play in before driving back down to Phoenix so my daughter could get out and play. When we first drove up to the park, we went to the older swing set (not shown in the photo) and were a little let down because it wasn't kept up very well and pieces of the play equipment were broken. When we walked around and up the hill we found the nicer playground with better looking and more updated equipment! It was so fun even I got out on it and played. It looks like a really great neighborhood park that was very busy with baseball tournaments. We would definitely stop by the next time we are in town.

We had a phenomenal hike here. This park is easy to find, has great views, and the hikes aren't too…read morehard physically. Be sure to download AllTrails and track/rate your hike! Decent amount of parking and a variety of sports courts as well. Payson's such a fun spot to get in touch with nature.

The Tonto National Forest is a large territory of preserved lands northeast of Phoenix ideally…read moresuited for recreation. There is a lifetime of official and unofficial trails in the Forest. Most of them are in the desert, with little shade and oppressive heat, but if you live in Arizona that probably doesn't stop you. Based on its size and preservation, there are stunning vistas of the Forest even a short drive from the Phoenix area. Describing it as a "forest" is a deceptive term. It is more of a National Desert. Acknowledging that point does not make it a less impressive place to explore. Arguably, the panoramic views are even more impressive in the desert because there are no trees blocking your line of sight. One of the more surprising aspects of the forest is how few Arizona citizens take advantage of the recreation opportunities. Phoenix is a megacity, but if drive 30 minutes away, you can have a 10 mile trail all to yourself. This means either Phoenix citizens are not into the outdoors or there are enough trails for everyone to spread out. One trail in particular that my brother, wife, and I were able to explore by ourselves was the Ballantine Trail. It's halfway between Mesa and Payson on highway 87. The first couple of miles suffered significant burn damage a year earlier. This was quite disappointing at first. As we continued hiking, we were able to appreciate the signs of transition from burned and blackened landscape to fresh grass and bush rejuvenation. The return hike along the side of the mountain, rather than over the top, yielded one of the most stunning views of grass and saguaro cacti that I have seen.

I was in town in Show Low staying at my friend's place and decided to take my dog to Tonto National…read moreForest (specifically the two sixty trail area) so we could enjoy the weekend day. It was an hour ride, but I think it was so worth it! My dog really enjoyed it! What I loved was that the facility and trail were clean and well maintained. There was a restroom station and a marker/direction for a subtrail at the entrance from a parking lot. The trail itself was clear and not crowded at all. There were just 2 other people we met during a weekday late morning during our visit for an hour there. My dog really enjoyed roaming around the trail and we loved that we didn't see any trash at all. While the trail was a bit unleveled, the path was clear! Bonus too that it was a free hike/walk for us, including parking! The only minus was that there was no cell phone signal (T-mobile/Mint Mobile), so I was very wary that we might get lost if we didn't keep track of ourselves well enough..so we mostly stayed on the trail and didn't go in too far. But...it is a wonderful place to enjoy the nature for sure!

Wonderful little spot. Clear water, nice and peaceful. People seem to keep to themselves. No riff…read moreraff in

2 friends and I went to the this place having not much of an expectation. We are up in Flagstaff…read morefor school and wanted to get some sun in before we go back to school tomorrow. Jac had a great idea to come here for a lil sun day to go cliff jumping! k and I haven't been before, met a nice man who help film a video of us jumping from the underneath of the bridge. Bunch of people kayaking and paddling with dogs and kids! friendly area, would come back again! Remember to pick up after yourself, lots of trash which is sad. ;(