Pine, Arizona.... A Great Day Trip Located in the Arizona Rim Country

Are you tired of suffering with the summer heat, typical to the desert environs in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area and you want a change of pace? Well, why not take a drive about 115 miles North of the Valley to Pine, Arizona located in Gila County in what is known as the Rim Country.

Pine, Arizona was named for the pine timber that surrounds the town, The elevation is about 5400 feet and with the higher altitude the temperatures are generally about 20-25 degrees cooler than in the Phoenix, Arizona area. The area generally receives about 21 inches of precipitation a year, and they also have a few large snowfalls during the winter months. The mountain tops surrounding the area, can have snowfall that can last during the entire winter as well as into the spring season. During the summer months, with the moist air that flows in from Mexico and mixes with the cool temperatures in the Rim Country a monsoon atmosphere is created producing spectacular thunder and lightening storms. The area also has four defined seasons unlike the Phoenix, Arizona area.

Pine was originally settled in 1879 by Mormon pioneers. Much of the property located within the Rim Country is owned by the US National Forest Service and the Tonto Apache Tribe, due to this there will never be an over abundance of growth and habitation to the area. The area has many recreational facilities nearby such as Bear Canyon, Knoll Lakes, Tonto Natural Bridge State Park and the Blue Ridge Reservoir.

Over the 4th of July holiday as well as the Labor Day holiday, Pine generally hosts an arts and crafts show. Participates come from the surrounding Rim Country area as well as from down in the Phoenix Valley area. You can find home made food items as well as hand made original fine arts and crafts. In addition to the arts and craft show you can tour through the art galleries and antique shops that are located throughout the town. You can generally find something of interest to purchase for a reasonable price in one of the many antique shops.

On a recent trip to Pine I spent a significant amount of time strolling through all the antique shops and also visiting with the artisans at the arts and crafts show that was held over the Labor Day holiday weekend. I found many of the people to be extremely friendly and fairly laid back in their demeanor. It was a welcomed change of pace to the every day rat race so many of us are used to. I noticed that some of the same artisans at the Pine show, also display and sell their work, at the much larger shows found in Fountain Hills or Tempe, Arizona throughout the year as well.

It was time for a late lunch and we decided to go the Rim Side Grill, a well know eating establishment in the area.This popular restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating, along with a volleyball court, gazebo and fire pit. They also have a fairly diversified menu, one to please anyones palette. We ordered the half baked chicken which came with a side of steamed vegetables, a choice of baked potato, mashed potato or brown rice with pine nuts. In addition you get a choice of either a house garden salad or the soup of the day. I decided to have the salad and the home made soup of the day, which was cream of mushroom. The entire meal was delicious and worth ordering again. The waitress was extremely pleasant and very friendly. She sat down with us at our table and talked about the town and surrounding area and how much she enjoyed living and working in the area.

In summary I have traveled throughout the State of Arizona extensively and found Pine, Arizona to be a quaint town filled with friendly, wonderful people. It is not only a great town to visit for a day trip, but also a nice place to have a second home to escape the summer heat of the Arizona Desert. It is a relaxing place, where you can sit back on your porch and not only view the surrounding naturalistic beauty of the Rim Country but also take in a breath of cool air.

Some information and material facts for this article were obtained from Wikipedia the free encyclopedia as well from the Rim Country Regional Chamber of Commerce web site.