I love to explore all Arizona has to offer and since welcoming a little one into our family, I still try to enjoy the great outdoors with a baby bjorn in tow. During a recent trip to Payson, we wanted to do a hike that was scenic and burned calories without being too difficult to bring a baby. We discovered the Horton creek trail which is located in the Tonto Creek. I loved this hike and it was the perfect hike to bring my four month old in the baby backpack. I highly suggest it if you are looking for a scenic, easy-to-get-to and simple hike. You can also set up camp for the night. How to get there: This hike is just past Payson and across from Kohl’s ranch. When you travel on the 260, take the Tonto fish hatcher turn off and then follow the signs about a mile in to the trailhead entrance. They have a small area to park and it fills up fast so I suggest getting there early. Setting: Simply beautiful. Have you been to Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona? This reminds me of it in the sense that it’s a beautiful creekside hike that is family-friendly. You walk along an easily distinguished dirt trail that sits among beautiful large trees and a beautiful creek. At times, you can go off the trail and climb down into the creek area to explore. You can also cross over the creek to other parts of a trail, or you can just stay on the same straight trail. It’s a choose your own hiking adventure! Difficulty: To get to the creek, the hike is 4 miles in(which means 4 miles back out), however you travel along the water the entire time so you can turn around at any point and still enjoy a nice hike. I did this hike with a 4 month old baby in a bjorn backpack which is a good indicator of the type of hike this is. This hike is what you want to make it. You can walk along the trail and stay on even ground the majority of the time, or if you want to venture down into the creek, you can climb down and cross over the creek throughout the hike. Tips: — Pack a picnic and make a day of it! This is a gorgeous setting and you will want to enjoy the water. — Wear water shoes so you can cross the creek.
