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BILLY GOAT TRAIL
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| View of the Mogollon Rim and Monument Peak |
The Town of Payson has long been an exceptional hiking destination.
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| Billy Goat Trail |
Its location at the base of the Mogollon Rim where the Tonto and Coconino National Forests merge and offer a variety of hiking environments from high-desert to tall pines which makes it perfect for year-round outdoor recreation.
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| New signs in the Boulders Area Trail System |
Payson is also an Arizona National Scenic Trail Gateway Community, solidifying its status as a hike epicenter. While the old standards around town—the Highline National Recreation Trail, Houston Loop, Horton Creek, and the Payson Area Trails System (PATS) are perennial Rim Country favorites, new trail development and maintenance had stagnated over the past few years.
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| Antelope Sage blooms July - October |
That’s all changing now as the Payson-Pine-Strawberry corridor is about to explode with exciting new non-motorized routes.
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| Boulder passages throught the hike |
The big push includes 15 miles of new and improved trails in the Granite Dells area, a 15-mile Pine-to-Payson connector, a 20-mile expansion on Houston Mesa as well as other plans still in the works. Additionally, the Town of Payson and Tonto National Forest, Payson Ranger District will address issues of limited neighborhood access and parking quagmires with two new trailheads off Granite Dells Road.
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| Cypress trees and manzanita line the trail |
A few trails in this ambitious multi-year project have already rolled out starting with the adoption of two former social trails in the Granite Dells (aka, the Boulders) area south of downtown Payson.
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| Granite Dells from Billy Goat Trail |
Boulders Area Trail System (BATS) is taking shape with the official legalization of the old “200” and “300” social trails and 6 miles of new non-motorized trails underway.
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| Monsoon over the Rim |
Now dubbed “Billy Goat” and “Bootleg” respectively, the user-created tracks in Tonto National Forest have been buffed up, trimmed and outfitted with signs at all junctions and folded into the Payson Area Trail System (PATS).
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| A footbridge spans a drainage on Billy Goat |
Picking this low hanging fruit was a no-brainer because, well, trying to eradicate social trails is rather like bringing a butter knife to a gunfight and also, the trails are amazing.
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| Foxtail dalea bloom June - October |
Hiking or riding the re-worked Billy Goat Trail is a great way to get a sense of what’s to come.
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| A tight squeeze on the Billy Goat Trail |
Beginning with a short walk on the legacy Cypress Trail, Billy Goat spirals off heading uphill over vast slabs of granite.
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| Mogollon Rim and Monument Peak |
Forests of cypress, oaks, firs and pines soar over tangles of manzanita yucca and agaves as the trail works it way to high-point vistas with never-ending view of the Mogollon Rim, Monument Peak and the surrounding dells.
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| Epic vistas all around |
At the Bootleg junction, the trail begins its downhill sweep, jogging among gigantic boulders and slick rock passages. It’s truly a gem that’s earned its legal status.
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| Trailhead kiosk |
“Adventure Where We Live” is Payson’s slogan, and while that’s always been an apt descriptor, the town’s next chapter is a super-charged venture that ties into legacy routes, builds connectivity for long distance treks and adds inviting new paths for outdoor enthusiasts of all ilks and abilities.
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| trailhead |
LENGTH: 3.1-miles
RATING: moderate
ELEVATION: 4,722-5,001 feet
GETTING THERE:
CYPRESS TRAILHEAD:
From State Route 87 in Payson, go 2 miles east (right at the intersection) on East Phoenix Street to where the road ends at a turnaround. Park on the curbs and observe all no parking areas. Hike begins at Phoenix Street Trail Access sign.
KEEP UP WITH THE PROGRESS:
