West Fork Trail in Oak Creek Canyon

While the giant red rock formations of Sedona are a singularly beautiful sight, just a few miles north of the famous site, along Oak Creek in Oak Creek Canyon, a short hike offers its own spectacular scenery.

West Fork Trail crisscrosses a flowing stream that feeds the larger Oak Creek from a high western plateau, making an easy one-way 3.4 mile hike. It only gains a couple hundred feet in elevation at its terminus, when the canyon walls close in and the creek itself becomes the trail if you want to explore deeper into this protected wilderness area. But before that, the thirteen bridge-less stream crossings can pose some challenges, especially when winter snow melt or storms can flood the area.

But on this late August excursion, hopping from rock to rock resulted in safe and dry traverses, all accompanied with the pleasant soundtrack of a babbling brook. The canopy of deciduous and coniferous trees, nestled between the canyon's steep sandstone walls, provided cooling shade on a hot summer day.

At 5,280 feet, it's not surprising to see some ponderosa pines, but there also a number of fir trees, in whose dizzying heights noisy Steller's jays flocked. Oak, cottonwood, and sycamore trees abound, along with groves of maple trees, all patiently awaiting their famously brilliant explosion of autumn colors. Meanwhile the forest floors were filled with dense clusters of ferns, a rare sight for this longtime Arizona resident. Bends in the creek and several clearings provided stunning views of the high canyon walls in their mosaic of eroded textures and colors.

Adding to the mystique of the adventure, the very first part of the trail, right out of the parking lot, takes you through the remnants of more than 100 years of pioneer settlement. Little remains of the farms and lodges, except some fruit trees, whose crisp, refreshing apples were a welcome snack after a more than six mile hike.