Two Ravens-Waterfall-Bradshaw Loop

TWO RAVENS-WATERFALL-BRADSHAW LOOP

Bradshaw Tank

On a clear day in early October, I stepped out of my Jeep and into a Hitchcock film.

Switchbacks on the Two Ravens Trail

At least that’s how it seemed as I began hiking on the Two Ravens trail near the town of Pine beneath the Mogollon Rim. 

Two Ravens Trail

The 2-mile non-motorized route in Tonto National Forest was unveiled in July 2025, as part of a 21-mile loop of connecting trails that circle the town.

The route is well signed

If I wondered about the trail’s name, the answer swarmed overhead in the form of circling ravens. Not two, though—-more like two dozen.

Maples and oaks for fall foliage color

And they were agitated. I’m no bird expert, but I know enough to recognize when ravens are anxiously protecting something like a food source or nest.

A raven croaks from a pine limb

Ear-splitting croaking, congregating in trees and “dive bombing” are unmistakable clues.  As it wasn't nesting season (usually January - March), it could mean only one thing—-a rotting carcass.

The waterfall grotto

Bradshaw Tank

And, sure enough, about a quarter mile in, the scavenged remains of an elk lie splayed in a ravine some 10 yards off the trail, dripping in fresh bird droppings.

Juniper passage on the Two Ravens Trail

Above, a cacophony of raven squawks radiated from the branches of a Ponderosa pine. Clearly, they needed me to move on down the road. I did move on and found myself in an Alejandro G. Inarritu film.  Rife with big vistas, a variety of vegetation zones and natural landforms, the Two Ravens trail packs in a plethora of movie-worthy attractions. 

Trailhead sign

Even though it’s just steps from town, the path is generous with its wild feel and connectivity to new and legacy trails. While the entire 21-mile loop would be an ambitious day hike, a 4-miler using the Two Ravens, Waterfall and Bradshaw trails provides a milder alternative.

Pine-oak woodlands on the Two Ravens Trail

From the trailhead, the Two Ravens dips into a shady pocket of pines, oaks and maples—evidently a raven stronghold. At the 0.2-mile point, the route meets the junction with the old Walnut Trail before twisting uphill to emerge on a sun-drenched, juniper-dominated plateau with amazing Rim and distant mountain vistas. 

Mogollon Rim view from the Two Raven Trail

Another dip brings the trail back into pine cover then meets the junction for the Waterfall trail at the 1-mile point.  Waterfall Trail is a 0.23-mile leg named for a stone grotto with a dry waterfall formation. Crowded with Big-tooth maple trees, the narrow waterfall cavity will likely blaze in red foliage in mid-to-late October.

Gate at Bradshaw Tank

The trail ends at a residential cul-de-sac where the next leg of the loop picks up on the Bradshaw Trail.

Meadow on the Bradshaw Trail

Once again in a pine-oak woodlands, the 0.66-mile segment crosses several rocky drainages and passes by Bradshaw Tank. A rustic wood-and-wire gate beckons a short detour to the tiny created waterhole situated at the edge of a meadow.  Soon, the hike starts an uphill climb to reconnect with Two Ravens.
To complete the loop, continue straight ahead, or for a longer trek, go east to connect with the Whiterock Mesa passage of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. The return leg of the Two Ravens trail starts out on long switchbacks that easily move hikers from moist ravines and deep woods back onto the airy, juniper-studded mesa. 

Alligator juniper on the Two Ravens Trail

Passing by the elk corpse, a conspiracy of ravens scattered, leaving threads of meat hanging from rib bones while a lone bird perched on a pine limb croaked menacingly as if daring me to filch some flesh.  That would be a whole other kind of film that I wouldn’t want to star in. 

Trailhead on Hardscrabble Mesa Road

LENGTH: 4-mile loop

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 5,846 - 5,398 feet (1,591 feet of total elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

Hardscrabble Mesa Road Trailhead:

In the town of Pine, go 2 miles on Hardscrabble Mesa Road (FR 428) to the parking area on the left. This is also an access point for the Pine-Strawberry Trail. There’s limited parking along the road and in nearby pullouts. The last mile on FR428 is dirt/gravel suitable for all vehicles. 

Pine Loop

PINE LOOP

Mazatzal Mountains from Lower Pineview Trail

When asked what passage of the Arizona National Scenic Trail is the “best” one, trail users are quick to state that it’s the one you’re currently on. 

Pine Loop uses AZT Highline Passage 26

For those who have trekked the entire 800+-mile non-motorized route that runs from the Mexico border to Utah, the oft repeated refrain precisely sums up the experience.

Highline/Arizona Trail

Traveling south to north, the trail’s 43 Passages move through wildly diverse terrains. 

Highline/Arizona Trail

Deserts, mountains, riparian corridors, canyons, chaparral, grasslands, valleys, alpine meadows and coniferous forests. So, it’s easy to understand why naming a favorite is an impossible ask.

Mogollon Rim from Lower Pineview Trail

 

But for hikers, bikers and equestrians looking to sample the trail without committing to days-long backcountry hauls, a special bias must be directed at the Highline Passage 26.

Lower Pineview Trail

As the last Passage in the Central Arizona zone, in Tonto National Forest, the 23.9-mile single track marks the transition from arid desert mountains to Arizona’s woodsy high country.

Community of Pine below the trail

It’s also one of the more approachable Passages with several trailheads, connecting trails and access points.  Treatable water is available at several springs and creeks along the way.

Arizona Trail/Pineview junction

A popular family-friendly day hike option that’s doable spring through fall is the Pine Loop. Starting at the Pine trailhead north of Payson, the loop uses the Arizona Trail/Highline, Pineview, Lower Pineview and Pine Canyon trails.

Pine Canyon Trail

The well-signed hike starts out on the Arizona Trail, which shares space with the rerouted Highline Trail. This lower elevation side of the Passage features an interesting hybrid vegetation zone where cacti, yucca and agaves make their last stands as the dominant plants among oaks, junipers and Ponderosa pines.

Pine Canyon Trail

  The loop follows the AZT/Highline Trail for one mile to the Pineview, Lower Pineview junction.  Nearby, a large information kiosk marks the spot.  This is where the loop departs the AZT and heads west on the Lower Pineview Trail. (For a longer option, go north on the Pineview Trail and follow the signs.

The Pine Loop is well signed

This adds roughly a half-mile and 200 feet of elevation to the loop). 

Pineview Trail

Lower Pineview serves up some great views of the Mazatzal Mountains to the south, the craggy cliffs leading up to the 700-foot escarpments of the Mogollon Rim and glimpses of the community of Pine.

Map of the loop

At the 1.5-mile point, the loop swerves left onto the Pineview Trail that hangs on rolling foothills studded with junipers and scrub oaks. After less than a half-mile, the loop picks up the Pine Canyon Trail heading south.  Now, the route is shaded in tall pines as it winds through gullies and drainages before ending back at the AZT/Highline Trail where the loop concludes with a backtrack to the trailhead.

Pine Trailhead 

While short in length and only mildly challenging, this scenic little loop gives a concise tour of a major shift point on the Arizona Trail and might also tempt those just sticking their toes into the world-class trail to explore deeper and maybe discover their own “best” parts. 

LENGTH: 2.9 mile loop

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 5,362 - 5,692 feet (525 feet of accumulated elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

From Payson, drive 12.6 miles north on State Route 87 to the turnoff for the Pine Trailhead on the right. Roads are paved all the way.  There’s a restroom but no other facilities. Restaurants and services are available a short drive up SR87 in the community of Pine. 

INFO: Arizona Trail Association
https://aztrail.org/explore/passages/passage-26-highline/

+-mile

CEDAR MESA

Cedar Mesa, Tonto National Forest.

Mogollon Rim seen from Forest Road 322

Cedar Mesa is the kind of place you just don’t stumble upon. The desolate, flattop spread resides at the end of a ridiculously undulating road at the base of the Mogollon Rim south of the community of Pine.  

Gate on Cedar Mesa

It takes effort to get to it but the payoff is a pleasant, uncrowded diversion from the old standard hikes in the area.

Milk Ranch Point, a prominent nose on the Mogollon Rim

The hike follows Forest Road 322 that begins at a dirt pullout along heavily-travelled Control Road (Forest Road 64) near where numerous trailheads and cliff-climbing routes provide connectivity with major travel corridors.

Hikers walk the rough road to Cedar Mesa

The road is an easy snare for curious hikers wondering where the heck it goes. Open to both motorized and foot travel alike, the rough dirt two-track in Tonto National Forest reveals its colors immediately with a steep ascent to a crest where visitors are treated to the first set of magnificent views and a welcome breath-catching moment.

The hike’s ubiquitous landform is the imposing rock jetty of Milk Ranch Point, that towers to over 7400 feet. Patches of vivid green foliage clinging to its escarpments expose the locations of Red Rock and Pine springs that serve as reliable water sources along Highline Trail which is part of the state-traversing Arizona Trail. From here, the climb continues on a milder slope, gradually exposing bigger and better vistas of the Mogollon Rim--a wall of uplifted rock that spans roughly 200 miles from New Mexico to the Sedona area.

Follow the fence line on Cedar Mesa to extend the hike

Although the difference between the hike’s high and low points is only 358 feet, the out-and-back route’s constant ups-and-downs adds up to more than 1000 feet of elevation change. As the road moves southeast through forests of cypress, pinion pine and a fringe of manzanita, the peaks of the Mazatzal Mountains appear as hazy purple mounds on the western horizon.

A baby horned lizard blends in with the local rocks.

At the 1.2-mile point, the route heads left at a 3-way junction where the road narrows as it descends through a rocky corridor fringed with scrub oak, Alligator junipers and a smattering of Ponderosa pines.

Mazatzal Mountains on the horizon

This is where the first good glimpses of the destination come into view---a low slung mesa fleeced in conifers with three quad-burning dips-and-climbs in between. From here, the Payson airport, a brush pit and the chiseled watershed of the East Verde River and its tributaries are visible to the south. Once over the last major hump, the trail emerges on Cedar Mesa proper, encountering a gate at the 2.6-mile point.

Hikers contemplate the undulating route.

The hike features beautiful Rim Country views

 Although the road disappears beyond the fence, it’s possible to extend the hike by exploring on the irregular-shaped mesa that’s just over a mile across.  Vegetation on the sparse, breezy plateau is a homogeneous labyrinth of junipers, so a good sense of direction or GPS skills are essential to avoid getting lost. An easy way to wander and stay found is to follow the barbed wire fence line that encloses the summit for more spectacular Rim views from a seldom-visited, hard-won platform.

The route has many ups and downs.

LENGTH:  5.2 miles roundtrip

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 5495 – 5853 feet (1183’of accumulated elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

From the junction of State Routes 87/260 in Payson, go 12 miles north on SR 87 to milepost 265 (2 miles north of Tonto Natural Bridge State Park), turn right on Control Road (Forest Road 64) and continue 0.8-mile to the parking pull out at Forest Road 322.