Pine Canyon

Weather:  82º, dry, sunny

About this Hike:  First let me say that I didn't come into this hike with high expectations. The lower end of this trail begins at a large trailhead in the town of Pine. I've hiked Highline Trail and likely portions of Pine Canyon trail from this very trailhead in the past.  It's hot, dry, exposed, and definitely not the best scenery Rim Country has to offer.  However, there is an upper end to Pine Canyon.

The unmarked upper trailhead for Pine Canyon Trail 26 is a quick turn off AZ-87 heading north from Pine/Strawberry and just passed the AZ-260 west junction.  We used a map and carefully watched for the turn off.  There is a rollaway cattle gate that you have to open and then close after you drive your vehicle through.  Once back near the trailhead, there's parking for a few cars and a couple numbered OHV roads branch off as well.

Once parked the trailhead was easy to find, as large signs denote it.  The trail began in thick ponderosa forest and then quickly descended into the canyon via switchbacks.  The scenery here is incredible.  Pine Canyon is more majestic than I ever imagined--a little bit of Grand Canyon and maybe a bit of Oak Creek Canyon too.  The forest is thick and heavy, but the trail is well blazed and marked.  

The switchbacks eventually level out and the trail traverses beautiful forest.  It also parallels Pine Creek which was flowing strong in mid-May, but not too strong for a couple creek crossings.  There are a lot of interesting, well-signed side trails to check out including Tiny Cave and Darling Rocks.  The tiny cave is exactly what it sounds like, but we didn't get too close since it's in the creek bottom and there was poison ivy and poison oak in the vicinity. 

The main trail is denoted by red metal blazes nailed to trees.  However, many trees had orange spray paint marks on them.  The spray paint was very fresh and also detracted from the otherwise wonderful forest smell.  As I loudly made a comment about, "How many gallons of orange paint is out here? Are they putting a fresh coat on the whole forest?" I rounded a corner and ran into a forest service contractor with two gallons of orange tree striping paint in his hands.  Foot in mouth moment.

He was a friendly gentleman with an even friendlier black lab.  He explained that the striping project is in preparation for forest thinning.  Overgrown forests are full of fuel, and I would hate to lose Pine Canyon to a fire. However, I also hate the thought of them sawing down all those trees with the orange stripes.  There are a lot of orange-striped trees out there right now.  

We reached an interesting bridge that the placard said was built in 2016.  The bridge crosses Pine Creek and from there the trail continues another six miles into the town of Pine.  At this point we also reached Camp Lo Mia which is an LDS church camp for women.  The fenced property had No Trespassing warning signs all over, and we decided this was a good turn around point.  In fact, when you've reached the camp you're closer to civilization than you realize.  From highway 260 the road that runs up to the camp branches out into residential neighborhoods full of cabins.  

We turned back and explored the Darling Rocks side trail on the way back up.  The trail eventually became a little overgrown and poison ivy was present.  The Darling Rocks is a large rockslide pile.  A sign denotes this, and there's also a well-worn memorial placard posted as well.  While the side trail is considered an out-and-back, it was considerably lengthy and there was the aforementioned poison ivy.  My All Trails hiking GPS app showed an off-trail jaunt would return us to the main trail.  This proved tricky because I followed the orange-marked trees at first, thinking the forest service contractor had likely come from the main trail.  I had to study the GPS map on my phone carefully in order to stay on course.  I also tested the ground before every step with my hiking pole.  The ground was very soft in spots, almost like you would step and full into a booby-trapped pit.  

A steep climb up a short embankment, and Trail 26 was back in sight.  We left the forest behind and headed back up the switchbacks.  The rocks of Pine Canyon was illuminated completely different now in the late afternoon sun.  

I am so glad to have discovered this.  I've probably passed this trailhead countless times heading to Rim Road (FR-300) or Blue Ridge Reservoir.  Pine Canyon definitely outdid my expectations.