Hell's Hole Trail is a 10.9 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Payson, Arizona that offers the chance to see wildlife and is only recommended for very experienced adventurers. The trail is primarily used for hiking and backpacking and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
backpacking
hiking
forest
views
wildlife
old growth
This trail is located in the Salome Wilderness.
Wasn't able to make it all the way down to Hell's Hole due to poor timing on my part. I made it to about mile 5 and had to turn back around to beat sunset. I think if I had allotted myself time to rest at the bottom, the trail wouldn't have been so tiring but a 10 mile hike with no break was TOUGH. You do have to cross the small creek at one point and I'd definitely advise wearing long pants because the overgrown brush isn't too friendly. Even though I didn't make it to Hell's Hole there were amazing views and a quiet trail. I'd recommend this hike in a heart beat for someone who's in shape and has a hiking buddy to go with!
This was a beautiful trail not very difficult at the beginning but on the way back be ready for all up hill. Painful but definitely worth it!
Great hike but pretty difficult. The trail was overgrown and narrow on the final descent into the hole, so I would recommend pants and sleeves. I recommend this one for experienced hikers only.
Great hike, not many people at all. It's clean, didn't see a single piece of trash. Took 7 hrs total.
Great backpacking trip with a Boy Scout Venture Crew. Parts of the trail are a little overgrown but never missed the trail. It seemed like the mileage may be off a little but overall a good trip. Lots of water from winter runoff made for beautiful streams and waterfalls
Over grown in areas but very easy to stay on trail despite not much maintenance on it. Once down there, we were able to make it down part of Salome Creek, but it just rained and water was flowing pretty good and far too cold this time of year to purposefully go swimming. excellent places to set up camp by the water, but easy to make it just a day trip as well. whole trip took us a total of 7 hours with hanging out at the creek for about 2 hours.
Great hike! Easy to get off trail at bottom so keep your eyes wide open.
Sandra L.
When you see the sign Reynolds Creek Group Site or Reynolds Trailhead you are in the right place. The start of Hell's Hole is just a short walk up the road from the Reynolds Trailhead sign. Lots of bristly over growth on second half of this trail so pants will make for a more comfortable experience. Start with steady inclines and declines for about 1 hour before you get to a plateau that seems like it might be a usually muddy area but was dry when I went. After about 15 minutes of this you decend down some very long, steep switchbacks which will eventually get you to the bottom, Hell's Hole. Nice pools of water to wade in, surrounded by ginormous boulders. You will be glad if you take a dip because the hike back out is strenuous! I do not recommend trying this hike in the late spring or summer. It was 88 degrees when I did it and already too warm for the level of exertion this hike demands. 12 miles out and back took me about 6.5 hours