Payson, AZ - 15 Toddler Friendly Activities

Oh the hidden gem of Payson, Arizona! We recently had the opportunity to spend a month in Payson while previously it would be a few days once a year to see our grandparents. We were so excited at how much Payson had to offer! There are many family-friendly hikes that lead to stunning rivers, waterfalls, and beautiful canyons. The pine trees make it such that Payson smells different from nearby Phoenix, and it also is a great escape from the heat. Payson also has numerous playgrounds, a new splash pad, and several great restaurants.

Here are our highlights for activities with toddlers in Payson:

Water Wheel Falls  

This is seriously SUCH a cool spot! This trail is 1.6 miles out and back and our little toddler legs did NOT make it! 🙈 At the time we hadn’t invested in a hiking child carrier or hiking shoes yet! BIG mistake! 😝 Learn from that and our other mistakes by looking at our tips for hiking with toddlers.

There are large boulders to climb up and lots of unguarded rock edges on this hike - I was so concerned my little would run off the edge, so we pretty much hand carried him for most of this hike. Overall though, they honestly did SO well and we enjoyed the views along the way, but we didn’t make it to the waterfall at the end of the hike. Fortunately, when we hiked Ellison Creek Cascades, we learned the waterfall at the end of that hike was the same as Water Wheel Falls but less distance, so we still experienced the beauty!  

Regardless if you make it to the end, water wheel falls hiking area is gorgeous and you’ll see beautiful canyons, waterfalls and the green river along the way! Slow down and enjoy it! Our kids also enjoyed circling the water wheel at the beginning of the hike. 

We went on a Sunday and arrived at the trailhead around 9am so we had no parking issues. When we were departing around 1030am, parking was hard to come by. The hike isn’t well marked because you traverse boulders, but as long as you stay along the river, you’ll be fine! Plus this tends to be a pretty popular hike being less than 20 minutes outside Payson.  

Ellison Creek Cascades 

Seriously gorgeous! Plan to play and/or dip in the water on this one! I wish we had brought floaties, but I sure enjoyed hopping in the cold water holding my daughter. The early portion of this hike is along a forest road, but it overlooks a gorgeous canyon and waterfalls. After a 0.5 mi downhill trek, you turn right toward the cascades. Follow the river to the left another 0.3 mi and you'll end at a beautiful waterfall with crystal clear water. You can swim at the base of the waterfall or there are some other pockets of water in the stream to play in. Plan to find rocks and bring a floating toy to watch float through the cascades. We went in May so there was good flow, but I imagine this slows later in the summer so check the conditions. Prepare for a picnic or snacks at the destination and take a nice break because it’s breathtaking…and the hike out is not the easiest for the toddlers. The elevation gain is about 170 ft over 0.25 mi and I hand carried the big most of the way on this. 

We were told to park at the Second Crossing Parking Lot and hike up the Houston Mesa Road until you reach the forest road on the opposite side of the road (the forest road is gated and marked with no parking). However, about 50 ft from the gated forest road, there are gravel areas to park. This made me feel much safer than hiking up the main road from Second Crossing to the forest road. 

Horton Creek 

This trail is actually 8.8 miles out and back so we didn’t attempt the entire distance. We passed families with slightly older kids planning to hike the whole thing though so I think it depends on your kids experience and mood. The trail has a lot of variety as you hike through tall pines, along the Horton Creek and traverse a few empty river beds (at least that was our experience in May). There is a lot of shade so it’s a cool escape and fun place to play in shallow water and picnic. If you or your kids like to fly fish, this is a great spot. If you plan to make it to the end of this hike, the last mile of the trail has a lot of elevation gain.

Parking can be found just beyond the Lower Tonto Creek Campground at the Horton Creek Trailhead lot which is just after a bridge river crossing. If that is full, the Derrick Trailhead is just down the road (closer to the campground). Access to the trail is not in the Horton Creek Trailhead lot (it’s misleading because a trail departs from here though)! Head back towards the road, cross the bridge, and head left to find the trailhead you need.

Cypress/Boulders Trail  

This trail system is just under 5 miles and offers massive boulders, great views and a quick escape just on the edge of town. While there is a map at the trailhead, we found that the trails are not very well marked and there are a lot of intersections. We recommend you pay attention to your turns and if you do get off track, just head back towards the trees at the base of the trails and you’ll be able to recover. Beyond the base, there is very little shade so be prepared with sunscreen and plenty of water. My husband and I like to run together and this time we had family visiting so we had a quick getaway from the kids during naptime. On our trip in May, we actually saw a rattlesnake that was coiled up, hissing and about 5 feet from us (my husband grew up in Phoenix and this was his only experience ever like this). We were so grateful to not have the kids for this encounter! If this happens to you, DON’T panic - just turn around and walk away (which in my opinion is way easier said than done).

East Verde Picnic Area 

The East Verde Picnic Area has two different spots we’d like to mention. To access both of these spots, take a left on E Verde Estates Rd when headed outside of Payson on Highway 87/282. Just after the turn, you can go right to access the river or stay straight for less than 0.25 miles and turn left for parking.

If you take the right turn just after you turn onto E Verde Estates Rd, you’ll find a large parking area, a beautiful spot to enjoy the water and toss rocks, and wren nesting in the large canyon walls. We loved this spot for getting our feet wet, playing with toys, and taking a breath of fresh air. This was honestly one of my favorite places. It is just below the highway bridge, but actually a pretty quiet spot.

If you head further down the road and take a left into the parking area, you’ll find restrooms, a picnic area and river access. We found the river access here to be challenging with our toddlers in May. There is a small sandy area but its a steep drop off into the water and the water was deep (meaning our toddlers couldn’t stand, but I’m not sure how deep it actually is). Our kids aren’t interested in being fully submerged - they just wanted to play in the sand and dip their toes in the water - so this place didn’t work so well for us. If your kids are more like ours and the water is still too cold, we’d recommend going to the first spot on the right on this road.

Flowing Springs Recreation Area 

The drive to Flowing Springs is really pretty, parking is easy and it’s a great location for a snack with toddlers. There is a pathway along the river but it’s a bit rocky - we lost track of the amount of times our littles tripped - so hold their hands if you can. You’ll find plenty of places to toss rocks into the river and a good amount of shade. Our toddlers really enjoyed the East Verde Picnic Area (right stop) more than anything in this area so we’d choose that over this location, but it’s still a great option.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park 

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is such a treat and is really pleasant with toddlers! We learned that it is the largest natural bridge in the world at over 100 ft wide and 100 ft tall. The trails can all be done with your toddlers especially with a hiking child carrier. The only exception, in our opinion, is the portion of the Pine Creek Trail which goes through the natural bridge – the conditions can be quite slippery and we didn't want to have a fall. We did hike the Gowan Trail to the lower Observation Deck (just over 0.75 miles round trip) and had to carry the big toddler up out of the canyon most of the way, so be prepared for that (think of it as your daily workout! 🏋️‍♀️ 😉). Also, don’t miss the Waterfall Trail shortly north of the natural bridge from the parking lot! It’s a dead end and quite a few stairs (about 0.1 mi round trip), but when you get to the bottom the kiddos can touch the water falling.  

While you could spend more time here, we were able to see everything we wanted to in a morning before nap. The entrance fee is $7/adult, $4/youth (7-13), and children (0-6) are free. You'll stop at the visitor center to pay the fee and they'll give you a handy map of the trails. When we visited during the week there were little crowds. There are several viewpoints that are accessible from the top near the parking lots where you can see views of the natural bridge, waterfall (maybe even a rainbow) and the canyon. This place gets hot in the summer – as expected in Arizona. We visited in the morning mid-May and it was perfect.

Green Valley Park

This park has been a go to of ours for years! It is open, green, boasts great views, there is a large pond for fishing, oftentimes elk, a playground, and now a new splash pad! When we were there in May 2024, the splash pad was still under construction but it since opened in June 2024. The playground has some shade around the outskirts, is finished with mulch, and is not fenced. There are clean restrooms and the path around the pond is great for scootering/biking. Keep an eye out for turtles and, of course, geese! We wanted to check out the Rim Country Museum and Zane Grey Cabin which are located at this park but there are short hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday which didn’t work with our schedule. If you find this is toddler friendly, leave us a comment!

Rumsey Park

Rumsey Park actually has two playgrounds. The first time we went we found ourselves at the old playground (near the skatepark) and the best part was the wooden bridge (which our daughter sadly tripped over) and the garbage truck that came by. Haha! People raved about this park and we were confused. Then we found that there is a second playground (near the pickleball courts) which IS awesome! This playground is shaded, has great variety (including a tire swing), has picnic tables, is mulched and is not fenced. We had a great time playing here and the kids made several friends.

Mustang Park

This was definitely our most visited playground during our month in Payson! It is new, small, has a perfect amount of variety for our toddlers (including a sand pit and play ice cream stand), lightly colored slides (perfect for hot Arizona days), mostly fenced, finished with AstroTurf, and has covered picnic tables and a sunsail. There was no potty at this park though so I recommend you bring your own - we keep this potty in our car at all times and it has come in handy SO many times!

B. McDaniel Community Park 

While this park is actually in the town of Star Valley, we included it in this article because it is less than 10 minutes from Payson and it’s super great! There is a small trail system with exercise equipment, several new and fenced mulch/AstroTurf playgrounds for different ages with natural shade/sunsails, a pavilion with a separate grassy area and playground equipment, a zip line, a splash pad, and clean restrooms.

El Rancho 

El Rancho has been our go to for years. This is such good Arizona Mexican! We found it to be toddler-friendly as the staff was kind and accommodating to our kiddos and they had both high chairs and boosters (it’s wild how many places we are finding on these travels that don’t!). We had a big spill and they were unphased and the booths are convenient with toddlers.

THAT Brewery

This brewery is actually in Pine, about 15 minutes outside of Payson but it totally deserves mentioning because it has such a great covered outdoor space with toddlers and their beers are great. Our toddlers clambered on the rocks and logs around the fire pit while we awaited our dinners.

Duza’s Kitchen

Duza’s Kitchen is our favorite spot in Payson for breakfast. We’ve tried several different breakfast locations (Beeline Cafe, Miss Fitz 260 Cafe & Pinion Cafe), but this is the only one we’d recommend for a fresh and tasty breakfast (the others are honestly too heavy).

Danzeisen Creamery 

 Our toddlers love a good ice cream treat and Danzeisen Creamery is our favorite spot in Payson. We stick with ice cream, but they have fancy milkshakes and also sell milks, cheeses and other local goods.

There are so many more lakes and trails for you to explore which are greater than 30 minutes – Roosevelt Lake, Woods Canyon Lake, Willow Springs Lake, Bob Bear Trailhead, Tonto Bench Day Use Area, Diamond Point.  While we didn’t explore these during our visit, we’d love to hear you feedback on these locations!

Do you have a favorite spot in Payson?

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