Sedona Verde Valley Hikes

We concluded two things very quickly regarding hiking in this area: We could spend months here without getting bored, and …. get up very early if you want a parking spot at the trailhead because hiking and biking (most trails are shared) is very, very popular at least at this time of year.

There is a lot of info. on the internet for hikes in the area – certain hikes are best for sunrise and others for sunsets. Some can be easy, then moderate, then difficult and its good intel if you are not an avid hiker. Being our first time here and a short time, we picked some of the more popular ones to do. I downloaded a trail map for each before starting out because there are so many trails that interconnect it would be very easy to go down the wrong trail if you are not paying attention. As mentioned in the previous post, many of the peaks and mesa’s in Sedona are said to have a Vortex. We saw some hikers with Yoga mats or blankets as we hiked to 3 of the peaks said to have a strong Vortex.

6.1 Miles: Said to be one of the most scenic ‘box canyons’ and a spiritual energy vortex. This would have been a great hike had we not tried to tackle it while there was still so much snow on the ground. We had waited a fews days thinking it would have melted but in the canyon there was still quite a bit. The best part of the hike was a short side trail we did to a lookout. The trail is fairly easy (except in the snow) until the end where it climbs steeply to a small shelf where you can see the entire canyon. The trail begins in as a fairly open scrub trail then enters a more wooded area. This part had more snow and made for a hard slog – and a little nerve racking when we kept hearing ice breaking off the cliffs beside us. We made it to the steep part but were too tired at that point to climb (saved for another time). The walk back was very wet and muddy as the sun had melted more snow. The red rocks along the way have some interesting shapes and the snow did give the landscape a different look with the red on white.

Copper Canyon Loop Trail #504 – Camp Verde

Waiting for the warmer weather to melt the snow in Sedona and with less snow in the valley we decided to do a local hike a few miles from the RV Park.

A 3.9 mile (6.2km) loop. The road to the trailhead is bumpy but cars can do it if they go very slow. We passed what looked like an unofficial shooting range along the dirt road. At the trailhead is a nice picnic spot with sheltered tables and BBQ’s. As with most of the trails in the area, it connects with other trails so be sure to check the signs before starting out (we did start out on the wrong one but I had read the description so we didn’t go too far before figuring it out). If you do the trail counterclockwise it begins with a one mile section of easy switchbacks then levels out as it moves along the ridge line where there are some nice views. After going along the ridge the trail goes down a smaller section of switchbacks into a forested area. From this point the trail is mostly flat, but if you are hiking after a rain or snow melt, you may come across a stream. Go to the right and follow the stream to a waterfall where scrambling over a few boulders will take you to the base of it. Very pretty little spot. Back on the main trail you will hike along the base of another ridge back to the parking lot. There are some spots along the way that give evidence of past mining huts and equipment.

6.5 mile (10 km) loop: These 2 trails can be done on thier own, but when combined they are a great loop trail offering a variety of terrain through the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness area. We got up early in order to get a spot in the very small lot. We arrived at the gate 15 min. before it opened at 8 am and there were already a couple of vehicles waiting. Starting out on the Soldier trail you pass some very interesting rock formations: The Devil’s Sinkhole and Seven Sacred Pools near the beginning, then massive arches along the canyon wall during the climb up Soldier Pass. At the top of the pass, the trail connects to Brins Mesa where you have great views while walking along the top of the mesa before heading back down to the valley floor. If you look for it, you can see Steamboat Rock from an angle that makes it really look like a boat. The trail ends at the Brins Mesa trailhead parking lot where we then picked up the Jordan Trail back to the Soldier Pass lot. Jordan trail is a very popular mountain bike trail we found out – in hindsight we would hike Jordan first then do the Brins Mesa and Soldier trails the other direction to avoid all the bikes.