Verde River
Verde River Trail is a 27.6 miles trail in Tonto National Forest, Arizona. The Forest Service rates it trail class 2, moderately developed. It is open to hiking and horse and pack stock. It enters Mazatzal Wilderness.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Tonto National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.
Map
One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.
| One end | 34.0763, -111.7035 · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 34.3487, -111.5742 · Directions ↗ |
The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start. The trail is recorded as 43 segments.
The trail
| Length | 27.6 miles |
| Trail class | 2, moderately developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 0-5 percent, 12-20 percent, 8-10 percent, 5-8 percent, 20-30 percent |
| Typical tread width | 18-24 inches, 60-96 inches, 24-36 inches, under 12 inches, 96-120 inches |
| Motor vehicles | Closed to all motorized use year-round |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Special management area | WSR - WILD |
| Trail numbers | 11 |
| Forest | Tonto National Forest (unit 0312) |
| States | Arizona |
| Detail published | management level, with uses |
Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.
Allowed uses
| Hiking | Allowed year-round |
| Horse and pack stock | Allowed |
A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.
Wilderness
- Mazatzal Wilderness WildernessFS · about 91% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.
Trailheads
The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.
Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date. The recreation page link goes to the Forest Service site, which may redirect to the forest's recreation index.
Camping nearby
Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.
Explore
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Verde River Trail?
27.6 miles, the sum of the 43 segments the Forest Service records under this name in Tonto National Forest.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Verde River Trail?
hiking and horse and pack stock. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Where does the Verde River Trail start?
The line begins at 34.0763, -111.7035 and ends at 34.3487, -111.5742. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Verde River Trail in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Mazatzal Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Source: Mazatzal Wilderness Wilderness
Where can I camp near the Verde River Trail?
Sheep Bridge (0.3 mi) is within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.
Source: Campsite Atlas
How developed is the Verde River Trail?
Trail class 2, which the Forest Service describes as moderately developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
How steep and how wide is the Verde River Trail?
The typical grade is 0-5 percent on most segments and 12-20 percent or 8-10 percent or 5-8 percent or 20-30 percent on others. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Verde River Trail?
Tonto National Forest, Forest Service unit 0312. The trail is in Arizona.
Source
This page is built from 43 segments named VERDE RIVER in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0312. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.