gram
Member
We arrived in Phoenix to near record breaking temps for the last week in Sept. On the drive to Sedona, the car thermometer registered 108!
On our first full day we headed off to the Boynton Canyon trial. Why we picked this trail, when our hiking guide said it could be hot, I have no clue. Besides being 104 degrees at trail's end, the trail had 2 interesting features. The first was a mix of cactus, Ponderosa pines, and oak trees, all happily growing in the beach sand type soil. The second feature was the hiker warning sign - see pictures. 6 miles RT.
That evening we headed to Airport Road to see the sunset. There were about 200 people up there, plus a tour bus. They were charging $1 a person to see the sunset. I guess the word is out on Airport Road.
Day 2 - a drive up Rte 89A to Oak Creek Vista, and a stop at Slide Rock State Park where the water was posted at 60 degrees - no way. That afternoon we were off down a dirt road to see the Honanki Native American Ruins.
Day 3 - Broken Arrow Trail from Morgan Road to Chicken Point. 3 miles RT. Great views of red rocks from the very start. I LOVED this trail. Mercifully, the temperature had dropped to mid 80's (down from the 104 in Boynton Canyon). Drove down to see the Chapel off Rte 179
That night went to Red Rock Crossing - most photographed view in Sedona. $8 admission. I'd say the better time to go is during the spring floods. Also drove Red Rock Loop Road and took lots of pics - great sunset views.
Day 4 - West Fork Trail off Rte 89A. 6+ miles RT. Another great trail. Crossed the creek 13 times - water VERY low in Sept.
All in all, Sedona is a fun place. The hiking is easy, but the heat prevented us from doing more. I'm sure others might not have minded it as much as I did. I regret we never got to Montezuma's Well and Castle, but we ran out of time. If anyone is planning a trip out that way, PM me for some more info.
Thanks to everyone who posted a few weeks ago with Sedona info.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gram123456/SedonaAZEndOfSeptember2009#
On our first full day we headed off to the Boynton Canyon trial. Why we picked this trail, when our hiking guide said it could be hot, I have no clue. Besides being 104 degrees at trail's end, the trail had 2 interesting features. The first was a mix of cactus, Ponderosa pines, and oak trees, all happily growing in the beach sand type soil. The second feature was the hiker warning sign - see pictures. 6 miles RT.
That evening we headed to Airport Road to see the sunset. There were about 200 people up there, plus a tour bus. They were charging $1 a person to see the sunset. I guess the word is out on Airport Road.
Day 2 - a drive up Rte 89A to Oak Creek Vista, and a stop at Slide Rock State Park where the water was posted at 60 degrees - no way. That afternoon we were off down a dirt road to see the Honanki Native American Ruins.
Day 3 - Broken Arrow Trail from Morgan Road to Chicken Point. 3 miles RT. Great views of red rocks from the very start. I LOVED this trail. Mercifully, the temperature had dropped to mid 80's (down from the 104 in Boynton Canyon). Drove down to see the Chapel off Rte 179
That night went to Red Rock Crossing - most photographed view in Sedona. $8 admission. I'd say the better time to go is during the spring floods. Also drove Red Rock Loop Road and took lots of pics - great sunset views.
Day 4 - West Fork Trail off Rte 89A. 6+ miles RT. Another great trail. Crossed the creek 13 times - water VERY low in Sept.
All in all, Sedona is a fun place. The hiking is easy, but the heat prevented us from doing more. I'm sure others might not have minded it as much as I did. I regret we never got to Montezuma's Well and Castle, but we ran out of time. If anyone is planning a trip out that way, PM me for some more info.
Thanks to everyone who posted a few weeks ago with Sedona info.
http://picasaweb.google.com/gram123456/SedonaAZEndOfSeptember2009#
Last edited:
