Passage #21 - Pine Mountain

Location:  Lone Pine Saddle to Sunflower

Length:  20.0 miles

Southern Trailhead:  Pigeon Spring/Lone Pine Saddle Trailhead - FR 648
- GPS Coordinates:  33.71095° N, 111.33618° W

Northern Trailhead:  Sunflower - Hwy 87
- GPS Coordinates:  33.86250° N, 111.47278° W

Trail Route Description:  From the Pigeon Spring Trailhead the route follows FR 648, intersects with FR 143, turns right on this road to the junction with FR 422. This road heads northwest, then west and then north as it follows the ridgeline and keeps to roughly the same elevation. The route turns to the left off of the road and onto a trail. After a short climb the trail begins a long descent towards the Sycamore Creek area. It becomes a two-track road and descends down into the Boulder Creek area. Before reaching the creek it returns to singletrack and contours along, crosses Sycamore Creek and works its way north and then west to Highway 87.

Difficulty:  Moderate to Difficult

Season(s):  All year (snow can be present at higher elevations after winter storms and lower elevations can be quite warm in summer).

Water:  Water can usually be found in Sycamore Creek. There is seasonal water at Circle M Spring, which is about 0.4 miles off of FR 422.

Notes/Warnings:

• All water along this passage should be purified prior to use.
• The section of this passage along FR 422 passes through a heavy ponderosa and oak forest that has many nice campsites.

Resources:

• USGS Topographic Maps: Four Peaks and Boulder Mountain.
• Tonto National Forest map.
• BLM Information Center maps.

For more information, contact:

• The Passage Steward
• Tonto National Forest, Tonto Basin Ranger District, Hwy 88, HC02 Box 4800, Roosevelt, AZ 85545   (928) 467-3200.
• BLM Information Center, One North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004   (602) 417-9300.

Current Trail Information:
4/2007 - The Bushnell Tanks road is currently closed. Contact the Tonto National Forest for more information. 1/2007 - The section of this passage near Boulder Creek is filled with dense chaparral and erosion caused by a 2005 fire. It is passable by hikers using care but not by horse or bicycle riders.