Once again it’s time to take a quick look back on the the little details of my most recent high to recap the interesting things I saw and did along the way. The Highline Trail was established in 1870 as a route for settlers to make to their way between their homesteads and the town of Pine. The trail runs in a generally east-west orientation below the Mogollon Rim and forms both a National Recreation Trail and part of the Arizona National Scenic Trail.
Overview
- Year the Highline was designated as a National Recreation Trail: 1979
- Original length of the Highline Trail: 54 miles
- Current length of the trail as of 2023: ~58 miles (due to trail improvements & re-routes)
- Miles of the Highline that overlap with the Arizona Trail: 20
- Type of trail: Point-to-point
- Location of the western terminus: Pine Trailhead
- Location of the northern terminus: 260 Trailhead
- Closest town from which to launch your hike: Payson, Arizona
- Symbol used to mark the Highline trail: White diamond
- Number of trailheads along the route (including each terminus): 6
- Pit toilets on the trail: 3
- Permits required to hike the Highline Trail: 0
- Best time of year to hike the trail: Spring or fall (I went in mid-April)
The Terrain
- Lowest elevation on trail: 5,400′ above sea level (higher than Denver, CO)
- Highest elevation reached: 6,900′ above sea level
- Total elevation change along the route: A challenging 20,000 vertical feet!
- More difficult direction in which to hike the trail: Eastbound
- Number of ultramarathons held annually on this trail: 1
- When the Zane Grey 100k race occurs: the last weekend in April
- Biggest natural hazard on the trail: Loose rocks
- Most difficult section of trial to navigate: Hells Creek Canyon
- Number of recent wildfires that significantly impacted the trail: 2
- Area destroyed by the 1990 Dude Fire: 24,174 acres
- Location of the 2017 Highline Fire: Right on the Dude Fire’s burn scar
Flora & Fauna
- Largest trees seen on trail: Ponderosa pines
- Other popular trees/bushes: Manzanita and juniper
- Varieties of wildflowers spotted: 10+
- Most common type of cactus seen: prickly pear
- Largest animals spotted on trail: Rocky Mountain elk
- Average weight of adult male elk: 700-1,100 pounds (females are 500-600 lbs.)
- Number of elk seen: ~25
- Other large mammals calling the trail home: Black bears, mountain lions, bobcats
- Number of these predators I saw on the Highline Trail: 0
- Horses using the trail during my hike: 1
- Reptiles seen on trail: Horned toads and lizards
- Number of rattlesnakes seen (or heard): 0
- Interesting birds out on trail: Owls, wild turkeys
Weather on Trail
- Temperature when I arrived in at the Phoenix airport: 99°F
- High temperature on the trail during my 6-day trip: 72°F
- Low temperature during my time on trail: 36°F
- Number of days of rain/snow: 0
- Amount of snow on the trail: 2-3″ of patchy snow (near the trail’s high point)
- Snowpack above the Mogollon Rim in 2023: 394% above normal
- Historical ranking for snowiest year in Arizona: #2 (after the 1948-49 season)
- Rivers crossed during my hike: 1 (the East Verde River)
- Number of other moderate-large water crossings on trail: 15
- Number of existing bridges: 1
- Sketchiest creek crossing in 2023: Christopher Creek (near See Canyon TH)
People on the Highline Trail
- Number of people I stopped to talk to along the trail: 16
- How many of them were backpacking: 6
- Number of AZT hikers I crossed paths with: 1
- Equestrians using the trail: 1
- Number of sisters who were out hiking together: 3
- Fellow/prospective military JAG officers I met: 1
- Hikers willing to take my trash and dump it: 1 (Thank you, Jesse!!)
- Canadian snowbirds out dayhiking on the trail: 2
- Shuttle companies serving the trailheads: 2 (Payson Rideshare & Jerry’s local shuttle)
- Locals willing to give me a ride to/from the trailheads for free: 2
Odds & Ends
- Helicopters seen transporting cargo via sling-load: 1
- Pieces of heavy equipment spotted on the trail: 2
- Workers actually building/maintaining trail during my hike: 1
- Items of gear that failed me due to poor planning: 1 (my water filter)
- What my water tasted like upon first using my filter: liquid mold
- Amount of water I had to flush through it before the taste subsided: 8 liters
- Big toes seriously injured after stubbing it on trail: 1
- Gear items I lost/broke on this hike: 0
- Number of new-looking socks I discovered on trail: 1
- Distance I carried the sock looking for its owner: ~50 miles
- Days I had at least some cell service on trail: all of them!
- Loudest place on the trail: Near the 260 Trailhead (tons of road noise)
- Young adults camping near the trailhead on a Friday night: 5
- Size of vodka they brought with them to party with: 1.75 L bottle
Final Thoughts
The Highline Trail was a wonderful spring adventure in Arizona’s rim country. Although it’s a shorter trail overall, it piqued my curiosity when I hiked a portion of it during my 2022 Arizona Trail thru-hike. This year was my opportunity to return to the unique geology of the Mogollon Rim and explore it in greater depth.
Hikers in the western U.S. looking for an early season shakedown hike should really consider the Highline Trail. Water is plentiful, the terrain is challenging, and the overall length is perfectly suited to test out any new gear you may be considering for a longer hike in the summer.
If you are interested in seeing how this shorter hike stacks up to some of my other adventures, check out my “By the Numbers” page containing lots of fun trivia and details I took note of along the way.
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular article! It is the little changes that will make the largest changes. Many thanks for sharing!
This beautiful trail is being heavily promoted for trail bike use. They’ve always been there but not in large numbers, going at good speed around blind curves and along steep drop offs.. Have riden my horse on most portions, and hiked some, over the 18 years I have lived in Payson. But not any more. To dangerous.