On the Trails in Sedona Arizona
Posted: Wednesday, December 14, 2011
by Dianne Lehmann
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I've written about Sedona in Arizona before. Mostly that was regarding the grandeur of the red rock formations. And believe me they are quite something to see. I remember my very first glimpse of them. We were driving into Sedona by way of the Village of Oak Creek on Highway 179. First you get a hint of red and then you'll come around a curve and the full majesty of it strikes you. Bell Rock is an awesome ambassador to the rest.
In order to park anywhere in the Red Rock area, you need a pass from the forestry service. You can purchase a one day pass, a weekly pass or a yearly pass. There are many places to buy them along with the newly built Ranger Station on Highway 179. But we were happy for the convenience of buying our one day pass at New Frontiers. New Frontiers, located on State Route 89A, is a "health" food store that has a great deli (though I do like the one in Flagstaff better). I like the salad bar and sometimes so does my husband, Bernd. So once we finished our lunch, we did a little shopping and then bought our Red Rock Pass. We then headed straight for Midgley Bridge.
The parking lot at the trail head is small and sometimes you have to drive up and down SR89A several times before a spot opens up. But it's well worth the bother. On this particular outing, we walked the Wilson Canyon Trail. It's about two miles and does not loop back. You have to turn around and walk back the way you came. It rises about 500 feet and is what I would call a medium difficulty hike. Mostly because the trail is quite narrow in places and goes over a few very rocky spots. Be wary of sand or dirt on top of the rocks, it can act like marbles on a wooden floor.
The scenery is outstanding. The trail, sometimes difficult to see but with occasional markers, crosses many times over a dry creek bed. On the day we visited, it had snowed two days previously and so there was a fair amount of melt water running in the creek. But at no time was it impossible to follow the trail as it crossed the creek. And the sound of running water was like a balm to the soul.
We saw a squirrel, many scrub jays, heard lots of woodpeckers, but nothing larger. Hikers have encountered small black bears, coyotes and foxes while on the trail.
The flora was an impossible mix of aspen, juniper (alligator bark and one seed primarily), pinion pine (some of the cones were ripe and dropping their pine nuts), Manzanita, prickly pear cactus, narrow and broad leaf yucca, four different kinds of mosses, and lichens in sage green, orange, yellow and an amazingly bright racing green. We ran across some wild sage and a lot of mistletoe. Once we got toward the end of the trail and higher in elevation, there were also true pines of the blackjack variety. All the trees provide a lot of shade, so while it made it chilly for our visit, it makes it an ideal hike in the warmer months.
Along with the red rocks of the canyon walls, there is also a lot of limestone and the white of it makes a really great contrast with the red. The creek bed is primarily lined with pebbles of white limestone, red sandstone and grey basalt and a lot of red sand. There are also many huge boulders. Over the years the creek has cut some fabulous formations into the red sandstone surrounding it. All together it was totally glorious.
We walked to the end of the trail and then a bit further. We had wanted to see if we could walk all the way to the very back of the canyon. But the going gets quite a bit tougher after the trail end marker and we knew that we still had to walk back to the Jeep.
The Wilson Canyon Trail heads north from Midgley Bridge, but there are also trails to the south of the bridge. On your way back, there are places from the trail where you get different views of the bridge. They are all pretty spectacular. I'm sure there are more impressive bridges to be found, but the combination of the red rocks and the rest of the nature surrounding it makes for a very often photographed delight.
If you ever have the opportunity to visit Sedona, Arizona, be sure to consider hiking the Wilson Canyon trail. I'm sure you will enjoy it.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)I love the pictures. Very informative, and if I get to visit Arizona, I'll definitely make a stop at Sedona!Hi Bailey.
Thanks so much!
Of course, most people come to Arizona for the Grand Canyon, but Oak Creek Canyon that the 89A runs along is pretty spectacular too. The drive along the 89A from Sedona to Flagstaff is really pretty.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hugs,
Dianne
I loved Sedona, AZ, but won't be doing any hiking (back injury), but do love walking. It was 1995, when I was there, along with seeing the Grand Canyon. Beautiful place.Hi Elle.
Downtown Sedona has changed a lot in the last few years, so it's probably changed a whole lot since you visited. It's been gentrified quite a bit. But the red rocks are still the same. :)
We like the Grand Canyon for the sheer wow factor, but we don't go there much. Sedona is closer and more intimate and easier to "grasp."
Thanks for reading!
Hugs,
Dianne
This looks so gorgous, Dianne. I absolutely love rock, it's so timeless and - what? dependable in a majestic sort of way. Dependable isn't the right word, I can't think of the one I want. Rock makes me feel safe in life somehow. Embraced. Don't know why!
We have lots of sandstone here, which is beautiful, but that red is out of this world. I'd love to visit Arizona one day.Hi Jennifer.
Enduring might be the word you are looking for. But majestic is good too. I can't keep off of rocks. I have to climb all over them, touch them, sit on them, bring the small ones home. :)
In the last photo in the article, I am standing on a dry part of the creek bed. It looks like pavement, but is really eroded sandstone. Sedona improved the road that leads from the I-17 freeway to Sedona and they made a lot of sidewalks along the last couple of miles into town. They used ground up red rock that they had to excavate and mixed it into the concrete so that the sidewalks are also that phenomenal red color. It's totally delightful.
Rock makes me feel good too. I love the way it smells both dry and wet ... and different rocks smell differently. I have collected rocks all over the house inside and out. I love basalt because it is lava from the middle of the earth. And granite just really gets me going.
We have a place called the granite dells fairly close to home. The formations there are pretty neat too. Maybe I should head out there soon with a camera and do an article about them!
Hugs,
Dianne
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