Donahue Trail

Weather:  76º, sunny

About this Hike:  I didn't have lofty expectations for Donahue Trail. While it is a climb up to Milk Ranch Point on the Mogollon Rim, I also know this area is burned pretty badly from the Sept. 2024 West Fire. 

However, today was a half day of work, and with unseasonably beautiful temperatures, I knew I had to get out and do something. I think the last time I visited the Pine Trailhead we were still wearing masks and social distancing. 

From Pine TH the Arizona Trail, Highline, Pine Canyon, and a shorter jaunt called Pine View Trail all converge. In many places the trails run together. Despite well-signed junctions, it can make taking a precise route confusing. In fact, I made a wrong turn on Pine View, deviating from the AZT / Highline route I had planned. No worry though, Pine View looped around and hooked back onto the correct path. 

I reached a crossing at Pine Creek, which was flowing fairly strong—testament to the fact that just one week ago the area experienced measurable snowfall. And speaking of that precipitation, shortly after the creek crossing the trail began to get annoyingly muddy. My personal annoyance aside, I'm glad the area is still retaining moisture. 

Once I reached the junction with Donahue the mud let up. Donahue was more rocky, but it was a good trail. It was never too steep, and always in good condition. It does pass through some burn scar, although the vegetation in this area is mostly juniper and chaparral, with the occasional pinon pine mixed in. 

I reached the out cropping of Milk Ranch Point and found a shady juniper to take a break under. It had been a hot, exposed climb up. I enjoyed the views of the town of Pine, Bear Canyon, and Payson / Granite Dells to the south. 

The hike down Donahue wasn't too bad, taking about 20 minutes until I reached the junction at AZT / Highline. This time I followed the correct route back, not getting tangled up on Pine View. This afforded me two additional crossings of Pine Creek. At another junction Highline and AZT split, although the junction sign indicates they both return you to the Pine TH parking area. I opted for the AZT fork since this was on the GPS track. I watched the slightly longer Highline segment run parallel to the south and then go into a stand of ponderosa pines. Despite being slightly longer, I kind of wish I had picked the Highline track. Regardless, I finished the hike a few minutes earlier than anticipated. 

Drew Canyon and 9350 Campground Trails

Weather:  57º, sun

About this Hike:  To wrap up a holiday week filled with great hikes, I decided to check out Drew Canyon Trail up on the rim. I spotted Drew a few weeks ago on a hike along the Highline Trail. Drew intersects with Highline at a prominent horse gate. 

The map indicated that Drew could be accessed from the top of the rim via the 9350 campground. This assessment was correct. With just a few campers on top of the rim today, parking was easy. I chose to park in campsite #15 since Drew trail literally bisects it. 

Down and back up Drew was just under two miles. It was a little steep going down, but not too bad. Nothing like Turkey Springs a little further west on the rim. 

I popped back up at the 9350 campground with the intention to explore more of the trails in area. There are miles and miles of loop trails including Aspen, Carr Lake, and General Crook. I ended up spending the afternoon exploring a combination of all of the above. 

The trails and junctions are all very well marked with tree blazes and signage. I used one connector trail called Boulder Hop, and that one became hard to follow. Eventually I gave up and just continued off trail toward Aspen Trail knowing it was ahead somewhere, per my hiking GPS. 

The other trails take you through typical, but beautiful, Mogollon Rim country. There are grassy meadows, thick ponderosas, and occasional blue spruces and Douglas firs. There are dry creek beds punctuated with pale rust-colored boulders. There may even be a water feature in a wetter season around Carr Lake. 

Carr Lake is where I reached an overlook point. On the drive up this morning smoke from the Horton Fire was not even visible. Fire reports indicate the fire is mostly low intensity and under control. I did see a few wildland fire crews just before Woods Canyon Lake. 

However, the winds seemed to shift this afternoon. The smoke plume became very visible near Carr Lake overlook. I could also smell the smoke and see the haze amongst the pine trees. I opted to turn back. Heading inland away from the edge of the rim meant clearer air and no smoke. I should also mention that I was careful to respect current fire closure boundaries. 

I've wanted to explore both Drew Canyon and the network of trails around 9350 campground for some time now. While the area should have about five feet of snow over it, I'll take advantage of our warmer-than-average December weather while it lasts.