Treat this natural treasure with the care it deserves and you’ll have plenty of reason to come back and see it again and again.
Of course you know not to litter, but picking flowers and autumn leaves can cause just as unsightly a scar. When you do come, remember to take special care and leave this beautiful place better than you found it. Mornings and weekdays are best, better yet if they’re in the off-season. No matter how long a hike you take here, you’ll enjoy it best if you come at a time when the trail is least crowded. If you choose to travel all 14 miles from one end of the canyon to the other, plan to do a lot of wading and boulder hopping, and even some swimming. This makes for an extraordinary trek where towering canyon walls guide your way through lush foliage that lines the creek bed. Eventually the pathway ends and you will be forced to hike in the stream bed as you continue into the Secret Mountain/Red Rocks Wilderness. Stunning Heights and Shade What makes West Fork Oak Creek Trail in Sedona so special is the fact that hikers have the chance to follow the creek through a canyon that is cut 1,000-feet into the ground. The trail is marked for the first three miles however, many hikers continue beyond that. Usually, that involves negotiating a few strategically placed stepping stones or taking a couple of steps in shallow water. As a matter of fact, you’ll probably find a new reason to be here every time you visit.Īs for the trail itself, it’s an easy stroll, but you do have to cross the stream in a number of places. You can even add to that list if you come in the winter, when icicles hang from red rock overhangs and snatches of snow persist in cool shadows. You’ll know even more if you come in the spring,when migrating songbirds decorate the trees with flashes of brilliance, or in the fall when pastel leaves float in clear reflecting pools under a canopy of solid color. You’ll know some of them once you’ve strolled beside the pleasant little stream that ripples along the canyon floor and looked up, way up, at the dizzying cliffs that tower above it. But experiencing this winter wonderland in January with its quiet serene setting with only a few hikers, and the frozen creek reminiscent of dazzling pathways, made it that much more appealing.Īs for the rest of the 12 stream crossings….we opted to let the dogs have their freedom chasing their dreams of being sled dogs.There are a number of reasons why West Fork is the most popular trail on the Coconino National Forest.
Mostly recommended to visit in fall and spring when full bloom colors explode throughout the landscape, making it a high traffic and ever popular trail. The trail is rated as moderate, with the narrowing of steep canyon walls and a few short inclines. They create a canopy keeping the trail veiled in shade, thus preserving the dusting of snow, the icicles dangling from towering red walls of coconino sandstone and white kaibab limestone, and frozen patches of Oak Creek. The 6.4 mile out and back trail that is dotted with trees such as oak, maple, cottonwood and fir. Hailed as one of the Southwest’s most beautiful hikes we knew we had to experience it for ourselves. We were hiking the West Fork Trail of Oak Canyon, located off of 89A in Sedona, Arizona.
When she reached Adicous it was an instant clash of the titans moment as they rolled around in the snow covered trail full of never ending energy. After watching my smooth ride Matt unhooked her leash….clever. We made it to the other side safely and before I could tell my husband “I’m OK” I see my 75lb German Shepherd, Audelina, barreling towards me at the speed of a cheetah. And if you think 3 seconds is a short time frame I am here to tell you that in this situation it was the length of a lifetime. I didn’t want to fall, nobody WANTS to fall on a thin sheet of ice, so for the next 3 seconds I gripped that leash as if it was my last glass of a fantastic French Burgundy. In the first 1/10th of a second I was smart enough to realize that he had better traction over the icy surface and if I were to let go I would instantly fall. Adicous, my 90lb German Shepherd had suddenly decided he wanted to practice for the American Iditarod, unfortunately with me in tow. I immediately let out a shriek as my hiking boots started quickly gliding across the frozen stream crossing.