Bear Flat sits at 4,957 feet in the Tonto National Forest, tucked into canyon country about 14 miles east of Payson on Highway 260. It is one of those places that rewards repeat visits — we have camped here multiple times across 2017, 2018 and 2025 and discovered something new on every trip.

Camping is accessed via Forest Road 405 and 405A — easy dirt roads suitable for most vehicles. Dispersed sites are spread through the pine forest along both roads, well before the road reaches Tonto Creek. The Bear Flat community and Tonto Creek itself are reached by continuing further down FR 405, where the road narrows and descends steeply with abrupt hairpin turns and significant drop-offs. The Forest Service has installed mirrors at the sharpest turns to help drivers see oncoming traffic. Tonto Creek is a day activity from camp — drive the lower road to the trailhead and creek for hiking and fishing, then return to your campsite. Camping is no longer permitted along Tonto Creek.

The Bear Hide Group Site is the centerpiece of the area and one of the most interesting dispersed camping spots we have found in the Tonto National Forest. It is large and genuinely private — across multiple visits we have only once shared it with another camper. The site holds the remains of an old homestead — stone foundations and partial walls still standing in the trees, a surviving apple tree and a blackberry patch that produces fruit in late summer. August is prime blackberry picking time. Wild grapes also grow in the area, ripening by late August and early September. In May wildflowers and cactus blooms color the terrain. October brings spectacular orange fall color to the cottonwoods and sycamores along Tonto Creek below.

A trail leads down the canyon from Bear Hide Group Site to a spring and a large excavation in the rock — a hole that appears to have been dug by hand, purpose unknown. The canyon continues beyond the spring toward Tonto Creek but there is no established trail past the water. Blackberries and wild grapes line the route. In 2017 we discovered a downed trail camera in the area with photos of elk and bear still on it. In 2025 we found a burnt log near camp with claw marks consistent with bear activity. Bear scat has been found on multiple trips. Bear country protocols apply at all times — store food properly, keep dogs on leash.

The hills surrounding the camping area reward those who hike them. Climb to the ridgeline and sweeping views open across the canyon country below with sightlines to the Mogollon Rim in the distance.

Bear Flat Trailhead is located at the end of FR 405 near the Bear Flat community, where a campground once existed. Camping is no longer permitted at this location. The trailhead provides access to Bear Flat Trail #178, which crosses Tonto Creek and climbs steeply into the Hellsgate Wilderness — 37,440 acres of rugged canyon country established in 1984, accessible only on foot. The trail begins with a Tonto Creek crossing then climbs immediately through pines and junipers with no switchbacks. It is rated strenuous. At the top the terrain opens into grassy meadows with manzanita, wildflowers and rim country views. Bear Flat Trail #178 runs 8.4 miles end-to-end through the wilderness. Tonto Creek holds rainbow, brown and brook trout — best fishing in hidden pools at higher elevation with a stealthy, quiet approach.