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Hi gang. Has anyone been up to the Pine Mtn Wilderness recently? Was thinking of doing a little overnighter using the Nelson trail, shirt cut trail and bee house. Would like to know water situation and whether or not the area was negatively impacted by the fumire than ran thru there a few yrs ago. Love any feeback. Thanks gang,
Jamie D

@k9hiker I was there last fall. The fire effects were minimal and not an issue. Nelson Place Spring should have perennial water, but the rest of the hike would likely be dry right now. It's probably a little low for elevation and would be warmer than my preference. There has often been cattle grazing in the area on my visits and they tend to congregate in the area of the spring, so that might be negative. Not sure if they graze there midsummer though. Note that the road to get there is an hour of bone-jarring misery.

If you're looking for somewhere for a relatively short backpacking trip with with water, I'd recommend somewhere on the [ Cabin Loop - Mogollon Rim ] . There are multiple road crossings where you can select your start and finish points, and a handful of reliable water sources along the way. [ Houston Brothers Trail #171 ] to Aspen or McFarland Springs are especially nice. Plenty of flat ground and camp spots to choose from too.

Nearer to Flagstaff, I might recommend the [ Sycamore Canyon Rim Loop ] . You don't have to do the whole loop, and there's water on the west side near Pomoroy Tanks.

@chumley
Excellent info. Thank you. Was planning fir beginning of Sept. abd somewhere we've never been. Your other suggestions we've done. Although, it's been a coons age since I've done that Sycamore rim area. Good thought.

Pine Mountain Wilderness is great to explore, and the trails are in OK shape in general. As Chum's mentioned, and from my experiences I would agree, the main problem is finding water this time of year and dealing with cattle. He's listed the info for the only reliable spring. Also, it is out of season due to its general low elevation. Better in fall or spring, IMHO.