Hike | Pine Creek Loop – Arizona Hikers Guide

Right off the Beeline Highway, this short loop hike will take you through lush desert landscapes, views of beautiful mountains, and near a seasonal creek. This is a great hike if you would like to get out of the valley and explore some higher desert.

The Hike: The trailhead is located quite literally right off of the 87 Beeline Highway.  There is a large sign indicating the Ballentine Trailhead with a right turn lane and is located about 20 miles northeast of Fountain Hills.  The TH is never overly crowded and has enough room for about 20+ cars if people park correctly.  From the trailhead there are two options; head to the north or head to the south.  I chose to head north which runs parallel to the Beeline for about 1/2 a mile and then turns east and runs along Pine Creek.  The first 1/2 mile is annoying because the Beeline is very loud and it doesn’t feel like you are hiking in wilderness.  Once the trail heads east, however, the desert comes alive and is quite beautiful.  When I hiked this trail in the winter Pine Creek was flowing really well and was just a beautiful little creek.  The hillside to the north is dotted with giant Saguaros which makes the northeastern view that much cooler. The trail will head east for about 3/4 of a mile and then begin to loop back south. You will find yourself in the middle of the loop when you approach a junction in the trail. If you started with the north route you will now be facing south. To the east (left) is the Ballentine Trail which leads to Boulder Flat, Cline Trail, and further. To continue on the loop follow the southern portion of Pine Creek Loop which will begin to ascend up the hill/mountain you just hiked around. The trail will lead you to the top of the hill and then gently descend back to the trailhead. The southern portion of the loop is more of a thigh burner but does offer some more aerial type views of the desert below.

The trail is very easy to follow and would be nearly impossible to get lost. In my opinion, the northern section of this hike was more interesting than the southern. It hiked near Pine Creek and had very little elevation change. The loop can be completed in either direction and I don’t know that one way is better than the other.