railroad tunnel trail

It's about 20 miles past the natural bridge.. follow the directions below.Very step hike. Bring your hiking shoes and water.

the first 1.5 miles is rolling along a power line road & pipeline from the top of the Mogollon Rim. SPECTACULAR VIEWS of the ' Rim '! However the last half mile of the trail is very steep & sometimes hard to find.On the ascent there is a trail that goes to the left, which will take you to the top of the Rim. There is an old Rock structure outside the tunnel - nice place for lunch & the view... You can return on a trail on the other side of the creek & it comes back into the main trail.

In the early 1880s, the Arizona Mineral Belt Railroad made plans to cash in on the need for transportation of ore from Globe to the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in Flagstaff. The scheme called for a tunnel to be excavated through the Mogollon Rim. The plan was discarded after they twice ran short of funds. Now all that can be seen of the tunnel is a 70 foot hole in the rock. Also next to the tunnel is a rock house with no roof. Someone on another site said it was the remains of a powder house? Directions: From Payson, travel north on Hwy 87 and turn right onto Forest Road 300, 12.2 miles east of Hwy 87 to Battle Monument on the north side of Forest Road 300. Trail 390 starts .5 mile down Trail 290 and goes for another .25 mile up ( More like .4 miles up) to the tunnel. (**Big Tip**: Stay East of the Power Lines and look for rock cairns (piles of rocks) to guide the way. There are no signs telling you which way to go or identifying the trailhead. When you see the path intersect another path leading downward, take the path going up. Keep climbing up the small canyon, the payoff is great.) Alternate access is 100 yards east of Washington Park Trailhead on Highline Trail (According to the Payson, AZ website but we did not go that way to verify) Important Trail Information: Difficulty: Most Difficult Total round trip: About 1.6 miles