Hike of the Month

HIKE OF THE MONTH Nelson Trail Is a Lush Entry Point to the Secluded Pine Mountain Wilderness

All around, the woods celebrated with an excess of color before the snows. Suddenly, movement caught my eye. In a shallow creek gilded with autumn leaves, a small trout pricked the mirror surface with its snout. Through binoculars, the trout grew eight sizes, revealing a stripe along its side of the same deep vermilion as the sumac that lined the lower end of the Nelson Trail leading into the Pine Mountain Wilderness, 80 miles north of Phoenix in the Prescott and Tonto national forests. "Is this place what you expected?" my guide, public defender Curtis Beckman of Phoenix, asked. Not a bit. To get to the Wilderness, we had crept over 19 miles of rough road through juniper hills and grassland. About the last thing I expected to see at road's end was a pine tree or a trout. Set aside as a Wilderness in 1972, the area protects 20,061 acres of virgin ponderosa pine. A network of trails took us to overlooks 2,000 feet above the Verde River canyon. Nelson Trail begins at a Forest Service campsite with latrines, crosses frequently dry Sycamore Creek, and goes on past a spot called The Nelson Place, which doesn't exist anymore. The first four miles were easy going up a gentle grade past stands of large pine and sycamore, maple, and oak.I spotted a suspicious heap of rocks. Closer inspection revealed the tumbled foundations of apparent prehistoric Indian shelters. We speculated Indians lived there part time, coming to gather meat where the forest is fed by year-round springs. Acorns still attract deer to the spot. The remaining two miles to the 6,814-foot top of Pine Mountain were steeper, but our reward was a vista eastward to the ramparts of the Mogollon Rim and south to the landmark Four Peaks of the Mazatzal range. Notes found in a Forest Service ammo box at

WHEN YOU GO

To reach this trailhead from Phoenix, take Interstate 17 north to the Dugas-Orme exit and drive east on FR 68 through Dugas, a cluster of weathered-wood buildings and a ranch house. Follow the Forest Service signs marking the way to Pine Mountain. For more information, contact the Prescott National Forest's Verde Ranger District, P.O. Box 670, Camp Verde, AZ 86322-0670; (520) 567-4121.

(LEFT) Early morning light illuminates the Nelson Trail in the luxuriant Pine Mountain Wilderness.

(RIGHT) Morning sunlight bathes boulders along the Verde Rim in a golden glow.

Spared by the cold snaps, were violet-colored flax blossoms. Brown and white butterflies wore perfect camouflage for an autumn life cycle. We passed other day hikers and serious backpackers headed for high ground. I suppose you could hike the Pine Mountain Wilderness year-round, but autumn is special and springtime must be truly something to see. I was glad I remembered to bring my camera. A topographical map helps but isn't necessary because Pine Mountain Wilderness trails are signed and easy to follow. Keep a watch for foul weatherer, however. Rain or snow could easily turn the graded dirt road into a broth of gummy clay. We drove the road in a sedan, but a high-clearance or four-wheel-drive vehicle would be better.