Pine Connect Trail #80 - Tonto NF • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Pipeline Trail - Mazatzal

Ballantine Cabin & Corral

Boulder Mountain

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Early end to 2022, and for my customary Mazzy year-ender I went back to Boulder. Started the year by looping Pine Mountain, so there was some poetry in ending by looping its little brother. Followed in the 2014 footsteps of @BiFrost and sent their route to RS. Timed right, this route is one of the best ways to spend a day in Central AZ. Jumped on this one as the cold front finished up. Went CCW an hour and a half before sunrise.

Wrote about this in January, but Ballantine is largely no good past the corral. So it was creek bed until the climb out, where the trail picks up until the ridge. After that, got off track before Rock Tank. Gets easier to follow after as the trail heads into the pines toward the AZT connector.

The very top of the connector is gone, so I headed straight up to the road. There's a barbed wire fence the way I went, but it seemed easier than the alternatives. Clouds passed overhead and storms built to the west as I walked the road. Decided if the ridgeline wasn't covered in clouds by the time I got there, there was no way I would turn back. The sky was cloudy and darkening over everywhere but Boulder, so I took it as a sign and headed up the ridge.

It's a bushwhack around the boulders until the first saddle. Then the route enters the Bush Fire perimeter. The only burned pines are around the first saddle. The mountainside is a nice and easy walk under the green, green pines until the third saddle, where in years prior to 2020 the route became a significant bushwhack. Maybe the only good thing to come out of that fire is that the brushy sections of the Boulder Mountain ridgeline mostly burned. It was almost disappointingly easy. Still tough so many miles in. There's one notable scramble before the final climb to the summit. Other than that the terrain wasn't too bad, mostly piney or burned away.

Made the summit, and like in 2019 I only go to enjoy it for about a half hour before the rain clouds started to roll in. By the time I made Pipeline, the mountain and ridgeline were swallowed up. Took a break at the cabin, and proceeded to Ballantine and down. Awesome cloudy sunset made for a great finish.

Ballantine Canyon

Light flow

	Rock Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full
	Medium-light flow

Upper Pine Creek & Tributaries

Dry

7 archives

Apr 06 2018

jacobemerick

Guides 38
Routes 182
Photos 1,602
Triplogs 232

40 male

Joined Dec 09 2014
Gilbert, AZ

Pine Mountain via Ballantine, AZ

Hiking		Apr 06 2018
		jacobemerick • Triplogs 232

Hiking	25.77 Miles	5,861 AEG

Hiking	25.77 Miles	13 Hrs 32 Mns	2.30 mph
	5,861 ft AEG	2 Hrs 20 Mns Break

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Ballantine to Boulder Flat

Ballantine Connector Trail to FR143

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Ballantine to Boulder Flat
Did most of this by headlamp. Trail is in great shape and seems easier than it did back in 2016. Either the hills are settling or I ate my Wheaties this morning.

Boulder Flat to Rock Tank
Trail is in relatively great shape! Thanks @mt98dew for your maintenance last year. Only wandered off trail once (and it was only through waist-high manzanita, so meh), and there was one or two spots that required crawling, otherwise kept up a solid pace all the way to Rock Tank. Speaking of, that spot is gorgeous. Got some Horse Camp Seep vibes, only these tanks are somewhat protected and the water was delightfully cool. Finished water in pack (3L) and pulled to full capacity (4.5L).

Rock Tank to Pine Mountain
Trail got a bit thicker for awhile, then it entered the pines and holy wah awesome. While I was in the area I zipped up the Connector trail, which is a bit of an annoying thing, got nice views from the road... er, AZT. Ballantine got a bit hard to follow deeper in the pines, with some overgrowth and needles hiding the tread, didn't mind too much. Missed the main cut off from the creek and hacked my way back to cairns and eventually the saddle.

There were hints of path from the saddle up to the summit, plus hints of rock walls / ruins, which kept the off-trail section interesting. Vegetation was definitely not an issue. Made it to the summit unscathed, found two metal disks, and then retreated. Again, easy summit to do, with several open sections and paths. If it gets too hard just backtrack and look around.

Descent to Cline Trailhead
From the saddle down to Cline was in ridiculously good shape. Big cairns, recent maintenance, and great views. Going up this in the afternoon would be a scorcher. Things started to get hot near the bottom because it's apparently summer already or something.

FR 143
It's a road.

Connector Trail to Boulder Flat
At this point I was hot, running low on water, and a joy to be around. Bike trails are not the easiest to hike, either, with the narrow ruts, steep sections, loose dirt, and steep sections. I slipped more than a few times and my knees were hating me. At least the views were good?

Boulder Flat to Ballantine Trailhead
After polishing off the last of my water at the Flat I felt a little better. Plus, it was all downhill and the temps were already sinking. Pine Creek (S) got some recent maintenance to keep the trail out of some of the drainages and it looks fantastic.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Boulder Mountain Rock Tank

Ballantine Canyon

Dry

	Rock Tank	51-75% full	51-75% full
	Dribbling from tank to tank, somewhat stagnant. Nice and cool.

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Nov 22 2014

BiFrost

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 22 2014
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	21.47 Miles	2,381 AEG

Hiking	21.47 Miles	9 Hrs 49 Mns	2.60 mph
	2,381 ft AEG	1 Hour 34 Mns Break

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slowandsteady

Goal for the day was Pine Mountain AZT #21 starting at Pigeon TH to the end at Sunflower. However we needed a ride to Pigeon TH and Lee was awesome and dropped us off there after we left a vehicle at Sunflower. After parting ways we set out down the road which is easy walking. The first 11 miles is all road before hitting the trail section. To make it interesting we did a short side trip at mile 7 to Rock Tank about 6 tenths of a mile from the AZT. We had been to Rock Tank before so we knew it would be cool side trip. Good clear water amongst the rocks with pools 2 to 3 feet deep. We spent some time here and enjoyed an early lunch before hiking back up to the road/AZT.

From there it's about 4.5 miles to where AZT leaves the road and begins on real trail. Right from the beginning I could see very recent trail work. Nicely done in the upper section and based on recent triplogs it looks like Shawn was busy on this section

We continued down the switchbacks enjoying the good trail work until we reached the bottom of the canyon. Very nice in this section with grassy meadows and some sycamores in the drainage. Took a short side trip to look at Crab Tree Spring. It's about 300 feet below the trail in the drainage which was dry except for two small pools marking the spring. Good water and definitely filterable. Took another break in this area before continuing on down canyon.

Eventually made it down to where AZT crosses Sycamore Creek. Lots of water in the creek with good flow. From there it's only 2 miles to the TH at Sunflower which we arrived at just before sunset. Another AZT section in the books.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Crabtree Spring Rock Tank

	Crabtree Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	two small pools right at the spring source. clear and good for filtering.

	Rock Tank	26-50% full	26-50% full
	some decent clear pools about 2 to 3 feet deep

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1 archive

Nov 22 2014

slowandsteady

Routes 67
Photos 966
Triplogs 694

51 female

Joined Jan 05 2012
Phoenix,AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Nov 22 2014
		slowandsteady • Triplogs 694

Hiking	21.47 Miles	2,381 AEG

Hiking	21.47 Miles	9 Hrs 49 Mns	2.60 mph
	2,381 ft AEG	1 Hour 34 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

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BiFrost

_____________________

Jan 01 2014

BiFrost

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Boulder Mtn via Ballantine TH, AZ

Hiking		Jan 01 2014
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	22.84 Miles	6,019 AEG

Hiking	22.84 Miles	14 Hrs 27 Mns	1.76 mph
	6,019 ft AEG	1 Hour 30 Mns Break

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Ballantine Connector Trail to FR143

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slowandsteady

New year so we wanted to try a hike that alluded us in 2013. Made an attempt to do Pine Mtn and Boulder Mtn as a loop hike but the distance and terrain proved to be too much for one day. So the new plan was to do pretty much the same loop but without Pine Mtn in the mix.

Early start before sunrise at Ballantine TH and headed up to Rock Tank where we grabbed a snack and tanked up on water. We made decent time up the trail making Rock Tank by 10am and then headed up the connector trail that leads to AZT#21 which is a road. From there followed the road/AZT 3 miles to the ridgeline for Boulder Mtn. The ridgeline is 4.3 miles of off trail brush, boulders, and route finding. Outlander had done the ridge and was following his route but we found that the general rule is stay on the very top of the ridgeline as much as you can. Wasn't sure how tough the ridgeline would be but we definitely got our money's worth....took us exactly 5 hours to traverse the 4.3 miles :sweat:

We finally reached the road below Boulder Mtn at 5pm and still had 7.3 miles to go but really all that mattered was we had finished the off trail part while it was still light. The remaining trail section seemed like a formality at this point. By the time we reached the Ballantine cabin it was all dark but took a few mins to check it out before making the last climb over to Ballantine trail. Made the junction at 7pm with 3.5 miles to go and nice easy stroll to the vehicle. Overall great hike, awesome weather but a long day!

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bushwhack Cag Shot

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Boulder Mountain Rock Tank

	Rock Tank	51-75% full	51-75% full
	Good flow probably from recent snow.

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Jan 01 2014

slowandsteady

Routes 67
Photos 966
Triplogs 694

51 female

Joined Jan 05 2012
Phoenix,AZ

Boulder Mt via Ballantine TH, AZ

Hiking		Jan 01 2014
		slowandsteady • Triplogs 694

Hiking	22.84 Miles	6,019 AEG

Hiking	22.84 Miles	14 Hrs 27 Mns	1.76 mph
	6,019 ft AEG	1 Hour 30 Mns Break

no routes

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Ballantine Connector Trail to FR143

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BiFrost

After our aborted goal of a Pine Mt and Boulder Mt loop, we had been given more appealing options to do Boulder, but it felt like we would be cheating if we didn't start at Ballantine.

The night before a hike it always seems so logical to set an alarm for 4 am. But, then when that alarm goes off, your only thought is that hiking is dumb and why bother. We started out four minutes later than last time, despite our efforts to be ready earlier.

I had an advantage on this trip. Having already done the section from the Trailhead to the AZT road, I knew what to expect. If I have done a trail before, I will be faster the next time. I just kept making goals. I needed to get to 1.5 mile marker, then to the giant arrow at the intersection, fight the catclaw, wrestle the manzanita, enjoy the uniqueness of Rock Tank and then tackle the last hill up to the road. We made the road, 90 minutes ahead of our last attempt! (Did I mention I'm faster the next time on a trail?)

Everything now would be new...and slower. Looking back I should have savored the road more. We saw a tent but none of the inhabitants. We then made the turn off for 4.33 miles of the unknown.

The first 30 minutes were enjoyable so we stopped and had lunch in some Pine Trees. Then off again. There were snowy spots, just enough to make you smile and ignore that things were getting denser. I'm OK with getting on all fours to crawl under brush, but I have reached the age where the concern is with the energy needed to stand back up! Right before Boulder Summit, there are some rocks to climb. I got a little shaky, any exposure does me in. Karl had his summit brew while we did the math on how long it took us to arrive at the summit and the almost two miles left to get off Boulder. Karl had hoped to be at the road at the bottom of Boulder by 3, and here we were just starting our trip down at 3:30. The down felt never ending. I'm thankful for the scrubby oak bush and it's strength to let me use it as hand holds on the way down.

Finally we hit the trail/road. There was no time to savor flat ground as the sun was quickly disappearing. We were following what we thought were pretty fresh tire tracks, later confirmed by Mazatzal and his triplog. We had many chats about who was crazy enough to be driving out there. It was rugged in spots and had steep ups and downs. Karl said let's turn on the headlamps and not fall. So I turned mine on and promptly fell. Grace being my middle name.

Up a hill we went and through an entryway and boom there was a cabin. It was a little freaky in the dark.

Finally we made it to the giant arrow at the intersection. Whew! Now only 3.5 miles to go and done. This was our fourth time on that section of trail and the fourth time doing it in the dark, so we cruised on down.

I have Ballantine out of my system for awhile!

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bushwhack

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Boulder Mountain

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Dec 14 2013

slowandsteady

Routes 67
Photos 966
Triplogs 694

51 female

Joined Jan 05 2012
Phoenix,AZ

Pine Mt via Ballantine, AZ

Hiking		Dec 14 2013
		slowandsteady • Triplogs 694

Hiking	20.64 Miles	5,110 AEG

Hiking	20.64 Miles	12 Hrs 50 Mns	1.74 mph
	5,110 ft AEG	1 Hour Break

no routes

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BiFrost

We got a chilly start at 6:15 AM. We knew we were going to need as much daylight as possible to conquer some of the days goals. The first mile and a half was a gradual up hill with the hums and lights of the Beeline HGWY.
The next two miles were steeper with large rocky step ups, but it was a nice trail. The sun was starting to rise and shine.
The next four miles through Boulder Flat to Rock Tank was a challenge. Lots of uphill, catclaw and manzanita. I actually had blood splatter on my pant legs! I did my best Godzilla impersonation to get through the manzanita. With the bruises, I think I lost the battle. The views and boulder formations were interesting to see. Rock Tank was pretty sweet, and would be a great destination to spend more time.
The next two miles plus to the top of Pine Mt, was the best part. The ground was covered in soft pine needles. The creek had clean and clear water. Any sharp things could be walked around. There was some deadfall, we crawled under some and over others.
On the way down from Pine we took a quick side trip up to the dirt road.
Then we couldn't delay any longer and had to go back to the car. We saw the only other hikers, two guys camping about 3 miles up from the trail head. We ended up hiking the same sections in the dark.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Corral

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunset

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Mar 31 2013

mazatzal

Routes 36
Photos 2,658
Triplogs 1,347

67 male

Joined Jul 28 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Hiking		Mar 31 2013
		mazatzal • Triplogs 1,347

Hiking	9.00 Miles	1,500 AEG

Hiking	9.00 Miles	4 Hrs 20 Mns	2.30 mph
	1,500 ft AEG	25 Mns Break

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