Mike in the Wild

Arizona is known as the Grand Canyon State.  That spectacular and iconic National Park, a symbol of the American Southwest, deserves endless attention.  But Arizona has an equally spectacular attraction much closer to Phoenix, Arizona's capital city and population center.  It's Sedona, a crowded town known for its arts and retirees, but also a natural preserve renowned for its stunning red sandstone canyons and buttes. I like to look past the town and its crowded tourist shops, and focus on the greater beauty of the red rock country that surrounds the development.   It straddles the borders of both Yavapai and Coconino counties, mostly protected by state parks, national forest and wilderness areas.   While early settlement has allowed roads to access many of the formations, hiking trails allow more sublime ways to appreciate the surrounding majesty.  In addition Oak Creek flows through the heart of the country, creating a natural waterway through the dram...

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 coo...