Two small towns on SR 87 below the Mogollon Rim: an 1885 log schoolhouse, a volunteer museum, the trailheads for the Highline and Pine Canyon trails, and the long walk down to Fossil Springs. Hours, permits and the way up, from the Forest Service, Arizona State Parks and the historical society that runs the museums.
No rankings here: the Tonto National Forest does not publish a difficulty rating for these trails, so they are listed, not ranked.
Ten miles north of Payson on Highway 87, before Pine. The bridge is 183 feet high over a 400-foot-long tunnel, and Arizona State Parks says it is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry 4 p.m.; $10 adults 14 and up, $5 ages 7 to 13, free 6 and under. All of its trails are steep and strenuous, and no pets or glass are allowed on them. The park posts trail closures on its home page. More in the Payson guide. Tonto Natural Bridge
1 Strawberry · 2 Pine · 3 Bob Bear Trailhead · 4 Fossil Springs · 5 Tonto Natural Bridge State Park entrance. Pins 1, 2 and 4 are U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names points; 3 is the Tonto National Forest's; 5 is Arizona State Parks'. The schoolhouse, the museum and the Pine Trailhead have no published coordinates, so they have no pin. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
The Strawberry Schoolhouse, a one-room log school that opened in the fall of 1885. Its National Register nomination says research suggests it is the oldest Arizona schoolhouse still standing in its original location.
The Pine-Strawberry Archaeological and Historical Society offers guided tours from mid-May until mid-October. It is on Fossil Creek Road about 1.5 miles west of SR 87 in Strawberry.
Pine is just south on SR 87, and Payson is 18 miles south of Strawberry on Highway 87, as the Tonto National Forest gives it.
About 74 miles in a straight line from Phoenix City Hall to the U.S. Geological Survey's point for Strawberry, and about 71 miles from Mesa City Hall. Road miles run longer.
The Bob Bear Trail No. 18, formerly the Fossil Springs Trail, is about 4 miles one way, 8 round trip, as the Tonto National Forest and Recreation.gov both give it. It starts at 5,700 feet on Deadman Mesa and descends to the springs.
The Forest Service calls it steep and extremely hot in summer, with no water and little shade for the first 3.75 miles. It says to carry at least a gallon of water per person.
From April 1 to October 1, yes: a $6 per vehicle day permit booked ahead on Recreation.gov, for the Fossil Creek lots and, separately, for the Bob Bear Trailhead. From October 2, 2026 to March 31, 2027 no permit or fee is needed.
October 2, 2026 to March 31, 2027 is the no-permit season. The road from Strawberry has no vehicle access to the creek: vehicles reach it only from Camp Verde by SR 260 and Fossil Creek Road (FR 708). The Forest Service hotline for conditions is 928-226-4611.
Fossil Springs is the spring area in the 11,550-acre Fossil Springs Wilderness, reached on foot by the Bob Bear Trail from the Strawberry side. Fossil Creek is the Wild and Scenic River that runs through it, with its day-use lots on FR 708 reached from Camp Verde.
Not during the April to October permit season, and in winter camping is banned from Fossil Creek Bridge to the dam. Campfires and glass are prohibited year-round.
Adults $1, children 11 and under free, with donations accepted. The museum is at 3886 AZ-87 in Pine, with summer hours Wednesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., depending on volunteers.
$10 for adults 14 and older, $5 for ages 7 to 13 and free for 6 and under. It is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry 4 p.m., 10 miles north of Payson on Highway 87.
Living in the Valley puts the pines an hour and a half up the road. If you are weighing a move or a second home, I can walk you through the areas that fit how you live.
Checked 27 October 2026. Strawberry Schoolhouse construction, opening, closing, restoration, location and the oldest-schoolhouse finding: National Register nomination, agreeing with ADOT on 1885 (the historical society's page says 1884, the year of the petition). Tours, the museum, hours and admission: Pine-Strawberry Archaeological and Historical Society. Bob Bear Trail, its permit, hours and rules: Tonto National Forest and Recreation.gov. Fossil Creek access, permits and rules: Coconino National Forest. Fossil Springs Wilderness acreage: Coconino wilderness. Highline, Pine Canyon and Oak Spring trails: Tonto National Forest trails. Fire restrictions: Tonto alerts and Pine-Strawberry Fire District. Tonto Natural Bridge: Arizona State Parks. Road work: ADOT. Distances: straight-line miles from each city hall's Maricopa County Assessor point to the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names point for Strawberry. Left off: Strawberry Schoolhouse hours and admission (not posted), dated 2026-27 events (no organizer page posts the year) and the Bob Bear Trail's elevation drop (the Tonto and Coconino pages differ). Photo: the canyon above Fossil Springs from Fossil Creek Road, Coconino National Forest, 2006 (CC0, Wikimedia Commons). The questions answered are ones people search on Google, each answered only from the pages above.
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