I hiked twice in the Sedona area. There were obviously a lot of other places and opportunities to choose from. I chose these two largely because there were more people than I preferred on the most popular trails (which means I would have had to get to the trailhead extra early to get a parking spot plus an overcrowded trail distracts me from my enjoyment). I was not disappointed in the outcome.
Boynton Canyon
Boynton Canyon on the outskirts of Sedona was very picturesque. What made this location especially interesting was its variety...hiking the canyon from its widest to narrowest points, being in the open to under the forest canopy, and seeing the diversity of rocks and plants.
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| Boynton Canyon |
Early on, I had great views of the canyon, its rock walls, and rock formations.
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| Canyon Wall |
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| Dome |
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| Finger |
At this point, the trail was mostly red clay or rock, and the dominant plants were short with lots of shrubs.
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| Trail through Bushes |
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| Sonoran Scrub Oak |
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| Pointleaf Manzanita |
After I entered and began to walk through the canyon, its walls rose high above me.
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| Partway into the Canyon |
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| Red Rock Glows in the Sunlight |
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| White Rock Rises above the Red |
At about the halfway point, a forest of tall trees that provided welcome shade. This is also where the trail became rockier, and I began to gently climb.
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Trail Goes between and over the Rocks on the Right
(a dry creek bed is to the left) |
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| The Trail Skirts along this Large Rock |
As the canyon narrowed, I was gained a closer view the different rock colors and textures.
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| Stained Rock |
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| Lined Rock |
Along the way, I saw things I both expected and didn't expect to see in the Arizonan climate.
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| Parry's Agave |
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Ornate Tree Lizard
(it was shorter than my little finger) |
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| Colorado Four O'clock |
The last climb to the end of the canyon was steep, yet mercifully short. Still, it required some scrambling up and over the rocks.
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| Final Ascent |
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| The End of Boynton Canyon |
West Fork of Oak Creek
This hike is extra nice on hot days as the majority of the trail is shaded by canyon walls and trees. While creek crossings are a fairly common occurrence while hiking, I'd never done it so often in one hike. Over the 3.3 miles (one=way), the trail went back and forth across the creek 13 times. Following the West Fork of Oak Creek back into the canyon its carved out of the rock over countless years made for an enjoyable morning.
In the beginning, sections of the trail were lined with ferns as I passed unexpectedly through some fruit trees. As there were the ruins of a historic lodge nearby, maybe they had once been part of an orchard.
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| Fruit Trees and Ferns Ahead |
Not knowing what the parking situation would be like, I had started in the early morning. One result of that was having the canyon walls stand out as they reflected the light from the rising sun.
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| Canyon Wall in the Spotlight |
The West Fork of Oak Creek meandered back into the wilderness. Sometimes it was right next to the base of a canyon wall. Other times, it was more out in the open.
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| Rock Carved by the Creek |
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| The Creek Makes Its Path over Bare Rock |
Being at the end of summer, I did not see many plants in fresh bloom along the trail. But these yellow beauties definitely stood out.
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| Tall Evening Primrose |
At times, I was able to see the red rock that Sedona is known for in all its glory.
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| Red Rock with a Tattoo |
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Red Rock Robot
(danger, will robinson!) |
Most of the time, the trail was shaded as I wound my way through trees and between the canyon walls.
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Trail in the Forest
(more ferns line the way) |
While this hike didn't offer the grand panoramic views, I was able to see impressive and interestingly shaped geological formations, white rock especially, through breaks in the trees.
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| Leaning Columns |
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White Castle
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| A Variety of Shapes, Shades, and Lines |
As with many of the hikes I've been on, I also encountered a couple of oddities (or at least things that caught my eye).
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Huge Rock Must Have Fallen from the Canyon Wall
(it is probably 15 feet high) |
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Plants Grow within the Creek
(apparently the water here is shallow and slow enough) |
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