At just over one and a half miles into the hike you'll encounter a major change in vegetation. Here the trail crosses the ridge around to a north-facing slope. North-facing slopes generally receive less sunlight than south-facing slopes, which results in cooler temperatures allowing higher elevation plants to survive. Suddenly you'll see a forest of two-needle pinyon, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, and a few southwestern white pines.

From this point on the trail is not quite as steep as the first mile and a half. As you climb higher in elevation, watch the skies for the rare Peregrine Falcon. Peregrines have been known to nest in the cliffs above Pine Spring Canyon each spring.