Mead Ranch, AZ

Mead Ranch is a tiny community of 218 people located 15 miles northeast of Payson on Highway 260. Most visitors arrive via the scenic two-hour drive from Phoenix, taking Highway 87 north through Tonto National Forest to Payson, then continuing on 260. The area sits at 5,000 feet elevation where desert meets pine forest. The community was named after the original Mead family cattle ranch from the 1800s.