Arizona is a popular destination for many avid out-of-town, out-of-state, and local hikers as well. Nowhere in the state is hiking more interesting and exciting than in Payson. Hotels in the area are often packed with hikers during the peak spring and fall seasons. Payson offers a myriad of beautiful, well-maintained trails that will satisfy the novice to the very advanced hiker.

One of the local hiking trail areas is the Payson Area Trails System (PATS). This system is a work in progress featuring an interconnected trail system that employs elements such as separate trails, open sidewalks, and bike lanes to create an extensive network of indoor trails. These trails connect to Forest Service highways and outlying trails and offer a rustic, nature-focused hiking experience. Trails include the American Gulch Trail, the Boulders Loop Trail and the Cypress Trail, the Goat Camp Ruins Trail, the Houston Trail, and the Houston Loop Trail.

In addition to PATS, the Tonto National Forest and surrounding wildlife areas feature nearly 900 miles of National Forest System Trails. These trails offer a variety of opportunities for hikers, cyclists, and horse enthusiasts to enjoy all that Payson’s nature has to offer. Many outdoor enthusiasts visit the area, stay at Payson hotels, and spend their days exploring Arizona’s amazing outdoors.

In addition to hiking, the Payson area has many fishing spots on the Mogollon Rim. Many of the streams below the Rim have many stocked and spawned trout in the streams. A variety of warm-water sport fish inhabit lower-elevation lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. Rim Country, just an hour from Payson hotels, contains many lakes teeming with a variety of fish. Roosevelt Lake is known for its ability to produce trophy fish, so if you like fishing, be sure to make plans to visit Payson!