ArizonaRealCountry.com 29 August 2018 ArizonaRealCountry.com August 2018 TOP 5 Things to do during your visit... 1Drive, Bike, or Hike the Top of the Mogollon Rim Whatever route you take to reach the top of the Mogollon Rim will leave you in awe of the beauty of Rim Country. Visit the Payson Ranger District to get a map of the area and an idea of the hiking trails, such as the Highline Trail. 2Visit the Zane Grey Museum “My beloved Arizona" was the term of endearment Zane Grey bestowed upon this state. Its history and people inspired his western novels. Its game and landscape impassioned his zeal for the wild and its rugged natural beauty stirred his introspective soul. He wrote 13 novels about the "Rim Country" and often hunted in its forests and fished in the lakes that surround Payson. 3Visit Tonto Natural Bridge Driving north on Highway 87, just before the community of Pine, is the Tonto Natural Bridge. The park has four hiking trails. Several stairs lead you to the area under the natural bridge where you can walk the slippery rocks into the enormous cavern. 4Fish at One of the Lakes Arizona’s Rim Country is an outdoor paradise waiting to be explored. The lakes in the Rim Country are truly the centerpieces to a landscape that rivals any other outdoor get-away. 5Visit Tonto Fish Hatchery Who thought feeding fish could be so much fun? The fish hatchery is just off Highway 260 on the way to Christopher Creek. For a few quarters, you can feed the fish while learning about the life cycle of the trout. 1 2 4 Rim Country IN THE GEOGRAPHIC center of Arizona lies the “Rim Country”, so named by the overwhelming presence of the Mogollon Rim. The Rim is an escarpment 7,000 feet plus high that presents a dramatic drop of over 2000 feet to the communities below. It is covered in forest and grassland and has been the home to Native Americans, Cowboys, ranchers, farmers, hunters, fishermen, and nature lovers for centuries. It is a land of extreme beauty, natural endowments, and historical significance. Other towns may have woods, lakes, and mountains, but nobody else has the Mogollon Rim! Technically, it’s known as an escarpment, as opposed to a canyon. But, together the Mogollon Rim and the Grand Canyon constitute Arizona’s two most spectacular landforms. Formed 600 TO SEE OUR AZ ROAD TRIP VIDEO OF PAYSON, VISIT ARIZONAREALCOUNTRY.COM million years ago, the 200-mile long “Rim” was named after Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollon, governor of New Mexico in the early 1700’s, when the area, which then included Arizona, was under Spanish rule. Because the Rim has been largely preserved as national forest, it remains the home to a large and diverse group of animals. Over 239 species of birds, including eagles, hawks, and ravens inhabit the forest as well as Rocky Mountain elk, both mule and whitetail deer, black bear, mountain lion, bobcat, fox, javelina, and coyote. Despite the wondrous diversity of the creatures which we share Arizona Rim Country with, it is a land big enough to accommodate all styles of recreationalists. Scenic drives throughout Arizona Rim Country abound. The Mogollon Rim Road (part of the historic General Crook Military Road) follows the edge of the breathtaking Mogollon Rim. Beneath the rim is the Control Road where you will see evidence of a 24,000-acre fire evolving into one of the best stands of oak and native grasses in all of Arizona. For fall colors, you will be directed to areas showcasing crimson oaks, yellow aspens, dusty white sycamores, and riotous grape vines. From hikers to families with picnics, bird watchers to campers, hearty backpackers to nature photographers…Arizona Rim Country has what you are looking for.