The annual Pine Trail Run raises funds to improve the health of our forest by adding new sustainable trails, improving existing trails and educating the public in wildfire prevention through our Firewise Garden and Fire Interpretive Trail.
The venue and finish line for the Pine Trail Run is at the Pine Trailhead in the Tonto National Forest just off Highway 260 about a quarter mile south of Pine, Arizona
The Pine Trail Run is a non-profit event hosted by Pine Strawberry Fuel Reduction (PSFR), Inc. It is supported by many volunteers and 8 local non-profit organizations. It is truly a community event.
The race courses run along the Mogollon Rim at about 6000 ft. elevation, mostly on trails built and maintained by the PSFR trail crew and the Arizona Trail Association. The PSFR trail crew works all year long maintaining and improving the Pine area trails in the Tonto National Forest. As a member of the trail crew I can say that we enjoy meeting people from all over coming to Pine and enjoying our trails.
We have free camping in the Tonto National Forest adjacent to the parking and provide a shuttle service to/from the start and finish areas.
50K Race
All 50K runners will receive a swag bag with goodies, a technical running shirt or cap and a BBQ dinner. During registration there is an option to purchase burrito breakfasts and extra BBQ dinners for the runner’s family, friends and support crews. The breakfast will be served at the Pine Trailhead from 8:00 AM until about 10:30 AM by the Mountain Village Foundation, a local Pine non-profit, and the dinner will be served from 4:30 PM until 6:30 PM at the Pine Trailhead.
You will begin the 50K course going eastward from the Pine Trailhead on the Highline Trail #31, which is part of the Arizona Trail, for 8.6 miles to Aid Station #1 at the Geronimo Trailhead.
From there, go back westward about 0.4 miles on the Highline Trail and then turn right (north) on the Geronimo Trail #240. Go 1.9 miles on the Geronimo Trail, then bear left onto the West Webber Trail #228 and stay on it for 2.0 miles to the top of the Mogollon Rim, where you come to Aid Station #2 at Milk Ranch Point Road, Forest Road (FR) 218.
Go right (north) on FR 218 for 3.3 miles, then bear left onto FR 218A. Go northward on FR 218A for 1.4 miles, where you will cross a cattle-guard. About 100 feet after the cattle-guard, turn left onto FR 9385S. After passing the FR 9385S post, bear right through the trees, following the line of course markers for about 200 feet where you emerge into a meadow with a seasonal pond (Baker Lake). Follow the markers to the left, heading west on the Crook Trail #130. Follow the Crook Trail for 1.5 miles to FR 6038. Turn left on FR 6038 and pass through a wire gate, heading southward. Aid Station #3 is located just past the gate under some big Ponderosa pine trees.
Follow FR 6038 southward for a few hundred feet, until the dirt road merges onto the Pine Canyon Trail #26. Follow the Pine Canyon Trail southward. After about 0.5 mile, it drops steeply off the Mogollon Rim into Pine Canyon. Stay on the Pine Canyon Trail for 7.3 miles to Aid Station #4, at the junction with Good Enough Trail.
From there, continue southward on the Pine Canyon Trail for another 2.3 miles to the Pine View Trail #28. Turn left and follow the Pine View Trail for 1.3 miles to its junction with the Highline Trail. Continue straight ahead onto the Highline Trail/Arizona Trail westbound, and go 1.0 miles to the finish at the Pine Trailhead where you started.
Getting to the Start
The free parking is located off Hwy 87 about a half mile south of the Pine trailhead (.1 mile north of mile marker 266 – look for the event signs). All runners will be bused from the parking area to the starting line. Please do not try to park at the Pine Trailhead. You will be assigned wave numbers for bus loading purposes only. All runners will start at the same time.
Drop Bags
There will be a gear drop at the starting line (you can use your swag bag, it will have a tag attached with your bib number on it). We can transport drop bags to Aid Stations, #1, #2 or #3. There will be a separate area to drop your bag for each aid station. Please be sure your bib number is on each bag as the bag will be sorted by bib number at the aid stations. When each aid station closes the drop bags left at the station will be returned to the Pine Trailhead.
Aid Stations
There are four (4) Aid Stations on the 50K course, as shown on the map. Open hours of each Aid Station are given in the Schedule below. All Aid Stations will be manned, have first aid and emergency communications.
Aid Stations #1, #2, and #3 will have water, electrolyte/energy drink, soda, snack foods, and portable restrooms.
Aid Station #4 is at a remote location with no motorized vehicle access. Therefore, Aid Station #4 will have only water, electrolyte/energy drink, and a few snacks (no portable restrooms and no drop bags).
Crews and their vehicles are allowed at Aid Stations #1 and #3 only. Aid Station #2 is located several miles down a dirt road that is part of the runners’ course, so to avoid raising dust, crews are not allowed to drive vehicles to Aid Station #2. Aid Station #4 is not vehicle-accessible; it is about 3/4-mile up a steep, rough trail from the nearest parking area to the Aid Station location. Therefore, crews are discouraged from trying to meet their runners at Aid Station #4.
9 Mile Race
The 9 mile race follows the same course as the 2019 race that we called 8.6 miles. After receiving input as to course distance from a few of the 2019 racers with GPS devices, which varied by over a half mile, we decided to call the race a 9 miler. The GPS route presented below shows the route to be about 8.7 miles, which we believe is a little short.
All 9 mile runners will receive a swag bag with goodies, a technical running shirt or running cap, and a burrito breakfast. The breakfast will be served from 8:00 AM until about 10:30 AM by the Mountain Village Foundation, a local Pine non-profit.
The race starts at the end of Camp Lo Mia deep in the Pine Canyon. The course leaves the camp on a dual track trail for about .15 miles to the junction with the Pine Canyon trail, which allows racers to jostle into single file. It then follows the Pine Canyon trail about 6.5 miles through various forest flora and soil conditions until it reaches the Pineview trail junction. The course then makes a sharp left turn onto the Pineview trail. It continues on the Pineview about 1.3 miles to the Highline trail, then down the Highline about 1 mile to the finish line at the Pine Trailhead.
You will start at Camp Lo Mia at 5750 feet elevation and climb at an almost constant ascent to 6190 feet in 1.4 miles (6% grade), then descend 150 feet in the next half mile (-6% grade). You will then ascend the next 1.3 miles to the course peak of 6325 feet. You then do a steep descent that quickly becomes gradual for 1.3 miles to 6190 feet. A steeper descent, passing the Goodenough trail junction aid station (liquid refreshments) will take you to about the 6.6 mile mark and 5525 feet (-6.3% grade). This brings you to the Pineview trail junction and the 2nd aid station (liquid refreshments). Turning onto the Pineview trail, you will ascend to 5800 feet in 1 mile (5% grade), where you will be afforded beautiful views of the valley and surrounding forest. Descending the next .4 miles you will reach the Highline trail junction at a beautiful shaded area next to a creek. You will continue your descent on the Highline trail 1 mile to the Pine Trailhead finish at 5380 feet.
Pine Trail Run 5K Race
All 5K runners will receive a swag bag with goodies, a technical running shirt or running cap, and a burrito breakfast. The breakfast will be served from 8:00 AM until about 10:30 AM by the Mountain Village Foundation, a local Pine non-profit.
The 5K race starts at and ends at the Pine Trailhead, proceeding in a counter-clockwise loop.
After a short lead-in to allow runners to jostle into single-file, the course passes through the Arizona Trail Association gate onto the single track Highline trail. It follows the Highline for about 1 mile to a beautiful shaded area next to a creek. The course then follows the Pineview trail counter-clockwise to the Pine Canyon trail junction, which is about 2.3 miles from the start. There will be an aid station with liquid refreshments at this junction. The course follows the Pine Canyon trail back towards the Pine Trailhead, joining the Highline trail for the final .2 mile descent to the finish line.
The course starts at 5380 feet elevation and climbs almost continuously to 5800 feet to the course peak at 1.37 miles (6% average grade). You will be on the Pineview trail and afforded beautiful views of the valley and surrounding forest. Then it descends for the next 1.2 miles to 5480 feet (-5% average grade). At this point you will be at the bottom of a small canyon on the Pine Canyon trail. Next is the final ascent about 50 feet on some switchbacks for about .25 miles before descending the final .4 miles back to the Pine Trailhead.
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