A cow spotted along Horton Creek Trail in Payson. (Jessica Swarner/The Copper Courier)
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I wanted to spend some time in cooler air last weekend, so I went for a quick hike in Payson.
I drove just under two hours from downtown Phoenix to the Horton Creek trailhead, a hike I’ve done before and always enjoy. There was plenty of parking when I arrived around 11 a.m. on Saturday.
The out-and-back, dog-friendly trail is almost 9 miles long and could take up to six hours to complete, but I turned around at the 2.5-mile point after a short rest by the creek to make my trip a bit quicker.
The trip is rated as “hard,” but you can make it to the creek without much difficulty. The steep elevation gain doesn’t come until the last mile. I lean toward moderate hikes, and the portion of the trail that I did was easy for me.
One part of the hike I enjoyed was seeing three cows—all different colors—roaming through the forest. That’s definitely not a common sight on Arizona hikes!
After the hike, I went to Macky’s Grill for a cheesesteak, potato salad, and an Oreo milkshake, which really hit the spot. The cool breeze on the patio added to the joy of an outdoorsy day.
MORE: Why apple picking in Sedona is the perfect fall afternoon
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