Payson is a little cooler than the Valley, so why not try a hike there. The Barnhardt Waterfall Trail is rated a moderate trail, 6 miles in/out and an elevation of 1,500 feet. A good workout.
The trailhead is approximately four miles off the main road. Reading reviews, it sounded like a jeep or four-wheel drive vehicle was needed to drive the access road. Naw! It's just a country dirt road. Translated that means you drive 10-25 mph, watch for rocks and cattle, and just be careful.
We did not see a single person on the drive to the trailhead or the entire hike. It wasn't until our drive back to the main road when we encountered our first vehicle. The driver seemed almost as surprised to see us as we were to see him. Oh, and signs are posted to watch for bears. We watched. We didn't see any, but it was another good hiking tip. When hiking in the high country, probably good to have bear spray...just in case.
The hike itself was beautiful. The views got better and better as we ascended, well, for the first two miles. The third mile, the steeper grade made it more challenging and the trail turned so we lost the best views. The trail, although over-grown most of the way, was more so the last mile. As the reviews mentioned, the waterfall is beyond the 3 mile point, probably another 1/3 of a mile. There wasn't any water flowing so we aren't 100% sure we reached the waterfall but it seemed likely.
The hike down was definitely easier. We were thankful we read about the trail before going. One of the big tips was to wear pants due to the over-grown trail. That is very true.
Not sure it would be a trail to do again. Definitely not one I would do often. Nice to know about if the right people were interested in going and the water was flowing. Always fun to visit a waterfall, especially when living in the desert.
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