An Adventure at Tonto Natural Bridge
May 2021
Boulders, Bridges, and Coatis at Tonto Natural Bridge
Following a local recommendation, we spent the afternoon at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, one of Arizona’s hidden gems. The natural bridge is considered the world’s largest travertine bridge. It is enormous, with a height of 183 feet, a width of 150 feet, a length of 393 feet, and a thickness at the top of the arch of 60 feet. Seeking a challenge, we avoided the paved paths and set out on the undeveloped Pine Creek Trail. This is the park’s most difficult route, a hike through the creek bottom, crawling over massive, slick boulders.
Halfway through our hike, we had a rare wildlife encounter with a group of white-nosed coatis crossing just a few feet away. While most of the group quickly passed us, two stayed behind and started “screaming” at us. I was completely fascinated watching these long-tailed, masked creatures with sharp claws defending their territory. However, I was a bit scared at the same time, because I wondered if these little noisemakers were as physically aggressive as they were vocal.
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Once we reached the gigantic space beneath the natural bridge, my fear of heights kicked in as we had to climb a steep, massive boulder. The wet surface felt incredibly slippery, and with nothing to hold on to, the climb felt too risky. We decided to climb the safe Anna Mae Trail back to the rim.
