Pine Creek Narrows - Isolation Canyon • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Jan 20 2020

ShatteredArm

Guides 12
Routes 192
Photos 863
Triplogs 356

42 male

Joined Nov 30 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Pine Creek Narrows - Isolation Canyon

Payson, AZ

Pine Creek Narrows - Isolation Canyon

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Jan 20 2020
		ShatteredArm • Triplogs 356

Hiking	9.56 Miles	1,419 AEG

Hiking	9.56 Miles	5 Hrs 23 Mns	1.86 mph
	1,419 ft AEG	15 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Oak Spring Trail #16

Partners

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no partners

Been wanting to check out Pine Creek narrows for a little while, so I got a few friends together yesterday for a little exploration. Honestly, I didn't expect to be able to make it all the way through the narrows, as I'm not much of a climber, and didn't know what to expect.

Made quick time getting to Pine Creek, and headed downstream. Once we hit the slickrock sections, I was really impressed. Throughout the whole canyon, the rock has a pinkish/purplish hue, and lots of deep pools. Water was flowing nicely.

Eventually we got to the part where there are a few pouroffs, and it didn't look easy to get down. Maybe it would be easier dry? We scrambled up a scree slope on creek left to a bench that slopes down to the creek, and followed that down. There was a 40 foot or so drop down to the creek, but we found a break in the cliff that provided a moderately easy scramble down a boulder field.

Headed back upstream to see it from the bottom, and saw a really nice waterfall, something the grammers would probably flock to if it weren't so hard to get to.

We continued downstream, making pretty good time. There were a couple of spots that required wading through numbingly cold water, but it felt pretty good on the wounds. Overall, we only had to do 4-5 easy scrambles, with the worst being a 10 foot or so climb. Really not too technical if you bypass the pouroffs.

Eventually we made it down to Oak Spring Canyon, and headed up there to AZT for our exit. Good outing, and it's such a great little canyon. Can't believe I didn't even know about it, despite dozens of visits to Pine Trailhead.

Bradshaw Creek - Pine

Medium flow

	Oak Spring Canyon	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Intermittent. Decent flow in some spots, dry in some spots.

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Dec 28 2019

MountainMatt

Guides 3
Routes 202
Photos 3,513
Triplogs 530

male

Joined Jan 24 2016
Arizona

Pine Creek Narrows - Isolation Canyon

Payson, AZ

Pine Creek Narrows - Isolation Canyon

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Dec 28 2019
		MountainMatt • Triplogs 530

Hiking	5.78 Miles	432 AEG

Hiking	5.78 Miles
	432 ft AEG		45 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

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no partners

A cold, snowy stomp through fresh powder with a tad more falling during the trek.
Side canyon galore, the main stem of Pine Creek roaring with glory.
Came back a couple days later after snowmelt for falling water attractions.
Always enjoying exploring the rim and inside this sweet “little gorge in the pines”.

Pine Canyon

Heavy flow

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Jun 24 2019

MountainMatt

Guides 3
Routes 202
Photos 3,513
Triplogs 530

male

Joined Jan 24 2016
Arizona

Pine Creek Narrows - Isolation Canyon

Payson, AZ

Pine Creek Narrows - Isolation Canyon

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Jun 24 2019
		MountainMatt • Triplogs 530

Hiking	3.18 Miles	468 AEG

Hiking	3.18 Miles
	468 ft AEG		35 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

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no partners

Quick little evening after work trip to this sweet little spot.
Instead of starting on the AZ trail and eventually walking down canyon like before I entered from a eastern side canyon I remember from my last visit.
Had to make a big bypass to avoid a swimmer and cliff but other than that the spur trail was cairned and I assume the preferred route by climbers.
Once I hit Pine Creek Canyon I forgot how rugged this worthy chasm is and it has taken a beating with fresh massive flood debris piles from the snowmelt earlier this year which created new and bigger pools overall.
Stopped at the big pools and currently dryfalls below “The Ledge” and returned back the same route with variation at the top hitting high points and scanning cliff edges for anything of intrigue.

Wildflowers Observation Light

Pine Canyon

Pools to trickle

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1 archive

Jul 22 2017

MountainMatt

Guides 3
Routes 202
Photos 3,513
Triplogs 530

male

Joined Jan 24 2016
Arizona

Pine Creek Narrows - Isolation Canyon

Payson, AZ

Pine Creek Narrows - Isolation Canyon

Payson, AZ

Backpack		Jul 22 2017
		MountainMatt • Triplogs 530

Backpack	4.23 Miles	397 AEG

Backpack	4.23 Miles	18 Hrs 29 Mns		1.54 mph
	397 ft AEG		55 LBS Pack

no routes

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Partners

partners

Jonnybackpack

I have no idea how I let Buford talk me into backpacking inside a rugged canyon during the height of monsoon season but I did and I'm sure glad too!
We got a late start messing around earlier that day testing the capabilities of Bufords trucks 4-wheel-low and new tires as we scouted narrow and rough roads leading to another entrance into Pine Creek downstream from the narrows.

We than just parked at the official Pine Canyon TH and looking like homeless people crossed the highway and began our formidable descent into the depths of Pine Creek.
At first travel was at a normal pace of your typical canyon but as the paths soon faded it became a arduous and incredibly slow moving task that tested my patience with a fully loaded pack.

After alot of bushwhacking and portaging we surprisingly discovered one of the only decent campsites in the entire canyon which was also high above the creek bed which gave me extra peace of mind even though the radar showed no more rain for the day.
We unpacked and continued further downstream to "The Narrows" in preparation of shooting sunset inside them.
It was that point I almost backed out due to how gnarly it appeared [ youtube video ] and due to the constant thought of flooding in the back of my mind probably because I witnessed a few firsthand the previous day.

Bufords enthusiasm can be contagious at times and considering he pursued on down with the Daisy the wonderdog in hand it was enough encouragement to follow.
We then were inside the guts of the narrows and came to a stop at a 100ft long silty deep placid pool, Jon begin to strip down and got ready to swim to see the largest waterfall on the other side while I instead climbed up to a highpoint and set up for some photos.
We finished up photos at 8pm (later than I had planned) and of course still had a fair share of canyoneering to do under the darkness of the night. [ youtube video ]
On the way back to camp Buford feel chest deep in the water behind me due to some miscommunication of what "staying to the right" meant. :sweat:

His phone, clothes and bag were soaked but eventually it all dried out and no harm was done.

Sawyer filters are amazing, it was my first time using one with brown silty water and it surprisingly came out crystal clear except it definitely still tasted like mudwater, vitamins and minerals yum!

The next day if it were up to me I would have made the steep climb out of the canyon at a particular weak point and walked back from there but we stayed inside the canyon instead and made the slow trudge back upstream.

Capped off the great trip with burgers and beer for breakfast at "That Brewery" and then spent the rest of Sunday chasing storms and driving the entire length of FR 300.

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5 archives

Feb 14 2015

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Pine Creek Narrows - Isolation Canyon

Payson, AZ

Pine Creek Narrows - Isolation Canyon

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Feb 14 2015
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	7.27 Miles	2,696 AEG

Hiking	7.27 Miles	4 Hrs 25 Mns	2.11 mph
	2,696 ft AEG	58 Mns Break

Linked

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Partners

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no partners

I spotted this canyon from up on the rim last summer and followed up with some map research. Saturday was a perfect day to check it out after kicking off Arizona Beer Week with breakfast in the Wilderness. :y:

Needless to say, that put a solid delay on going anywhere, and I wasn't on trail until 2pm.

My mapped plan was to descend through the narrows and then climb up Oak Spring Canyon to meet up with the AZT/Oak Spring trail back to the TH.

I was really pleased with the water flow in the canyon, as I hadn't expected there to be much. In fact, I suspect that much of the year there are only standing pools of water in here rather than a nice flow. This canyon can definitely flash though. Luckily you can see if there's flow in Pine and the watershed is only a few miles across, so no distant thunderstorms can sneak up on you in summer.

It was only after I spotted three climbers rappelling down the several-hundred foot cliffs on the side of the canyon and got back home to research it that I realized that "The Narrows" of Pine Creek (as they are called on maps) is known as Isolation Canyon in the climbing community. Suddenly, I knew all about the place ... I just hadn't realized that's where I was!

I managed to keep my feet dry until near the end, when it was just easier to cross a pool on foot than attempt some kind of bypass. There are some really special spots in these narrows including some very good size waterfalls. Two places involved some climbing, and I was happy to find ropes in place to help me along.

Because of my late start, I realized I wasn't going to have time to complete my loop as planned. So I bailed up a very steep slope and headed for the power lines that lead back to Pine. I don't recommend this route as it is very steep and thick with brush that eats hikers. I did startle a healthy looking bear on the ridge, and it lumbered down into a side canyon. So that was another highlight of the day!

I made it back to my truck just as it got dark, and then crossed the street to meet up with Karl, Kathy, and Kyle at THAT brewery for a few minutes.

For somewhere that is so ridiculously easy to get to, I was surprised to see only one previous post on HAZ through here. I'll definitely be back. I'd like to see it in summer green, and also see how the water flow changes in different seasons.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Blackberry

Geology

Geology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Unidentified Geology

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] The Narrows

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I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

May 05 2001

mazatzal

Routes 36
Photos 2,658
Triplogs 1,347

67 male

Joined Jul 28 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Whiterock Mesa - AZT #25

Payson, AZ

Whiterock Mesa - AZT #25

Payson, AZ

Hiking		May 05 2001
		mazatzal • Triplogs 1,347

Hiking	9.40 Miles	1,500 AEG

Hiking	9.40 Miles	6 Hrs	1.94 mph
	1,500 ft AEG	1 Hour 10 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Oak Spring Trail #16

Oak Springs from Hardscrabble Rd

Walnut Trail #251

Pine Creek Narrows - Isolation Canyon

Partners

none

no partners

PIne TH to Ridge tank and return.

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1 archive

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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