Hiking in Sedona is pure joy. Some trailheads can be reached in less than ten minutes from most hotels and resorts in the Uptown or West Sedona area, other trails require a short drive out of town, and a handful of select hikes need a 30 minute drive in a vehicle with moderately high clearance. I’ve included a nice variety of trail databases that will help you gather detailed information concerning any trail you might want to explore. It’s also sensible to bring a good Sedona trail map and book along, too, to add safety and security on your hikes. Take a few minutes to read the warnings and etiquette pages we’ve linked to at some of our favorite high-quality outdoor websites. Be careful and enjoy the wild wisely.
Our DISCLAIMER:
Hiking, camping, biking, swimming, cliff jumping and diving, running, horseback riding, powerchuting, hang gliding, skydiving and touring by airplane, helicopter, automobile, van, bus, trolley, SUV, truck, 4 wheel drive vehicle. motorcycle, ATV, or Jeep is a personal choice and requires personal responsibility and accountability. Hiking, camping , and associated trail activities are dangerous and can result in injury and/or death. Outdoor activities, whether individual or commercial, expose you to risks. Risks are NOT eliminated by training or skill or having a cell phone with you. The information found on this website is not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. SedonaInformation.com assumes no responsibility, including but not limited to injury or loss due to the use of information found on this site.
Whether you would like a vigorous
hike to experience Sedona's fascinating vortexes
and ancient ruins, or a mellow stroll along the
Red Rock Mountains, Sedona Adventure Outfitters
and Guides offers a variety of inspiring and scenic
hikes. You will be guided along the most beautiful
trails in Sedona. We can take you to Sedona's
fantastic rock formations with huge views or along
the magical trails that wind along the waters
of Oak Creek. Our hikes are approximately 3 hours
in length and include hiking poles, water and
snacks. For hiking fun and excitement let us be
your guide.
Please read Todd’s wonderful summary of the hazards inherent with desert hiking and exploring. Sedona’s popularity as a hiking destination has resulted in an average of 1-3 hiking-related deaths per year and numerous rescues of lost individuals and hikers trapped on rock formations from which they could not descend. It’s sad that people often go into this hot and rocky environment unprepared, often without water because they thought it was going to be “just a short hike”. What happens if they get lost or stuck and the short hike becomes a long wait or a difficult search for help? Todd covers hiking safety for any hike, be it short or long. Read it and remember.
Once again my main man Todd has summed it up in a perfect page of wisdom. After you’ve read about the dangers inherent in desert hiking, read about hiking etiquette, the how of being in nature in a peaceful and low-impact way.
This guide offers more hiking basics with a special section devoted to Flash Floods. If you hike narrow canyons or slots in the great Southwest you must learn about and be aware of the special characteristics of desert storm waters. Tom includes real-life stories of people who have “blown it”, suffered through painful learning experiences at the hand of Nature, and fortunately lived to tell their story. He also provides weblinks to flash flood stories where the participant was not so lucky. Words to the wise.
These sites host nice scientific explanations of cryptobiotic
soils. Endangered soil? Remember the scene “Broken
Arrow” (not the 1950 Western classic) where
Christian Slater is hiking with the National Park
Guide and all of a sudden she yells for him to look
out? She enlightens him and explains that he almost
stepped on crytogamic soil and that it is important
to avoid crushing it. He counters with something like,
“great...endangered soil”. Well, it’s
true and Sedona has a lot of it, a good sign since
it is one of the first signs that indicates the reclamation
of desert soils and reversal of desertification. Sedona’s
cryptobiotic soil is usually a thin black crust on
the surface of the red dirt or 1”- 3”
tall lichen-covered mounds, usually found in open
areas between evergreen shrubs and trees. Unfortunately
these areas are exactly the easiest pathways for hiking
cross-country and avoiding the tediousness of bushwhacking
or crawling under trees. Look for animal tracks in
crypto beds and you will see a narrow band of exposed
red sand where animals, most commonly deer, have crushed
away the crypto by traveling the same paths. The trail
will be bordered on both sides with black crusty areas
that are still intact because they have not been flattened
by animal footsteps or human wanderings. If you have
to go through an area with lots of cryptogamic soil,
find a way around it or tip-toe through these animal
paths without widening them. Think of it as a way
to be both scientific and spiritual as you respect
such a superb place as the Red Rocks of Sedona. In
the larger perspective, it really matters.
