WELCOME TO GREAT SEDONA HIKES!
Hello hikers! Welcome to Great Sedona Hikes. Here you'll find free information on hiking in Sedona, Arizona. This website is also a way to post and share your photos of hikes around the Sedona area. Sedona is a very special place - the red rocks, the mountains and surrounding canyons are beautiful and we've tried to capture their beauty with these photos and descriptions. That's a photo of Devil's Bridge above.
I joined a small but active local hiking group and began hiking nearly 10 years ago. I've hiked most (but not all) of the Sedona hiking trails. The website was started in 2005 to share the hiking photos taken by members of our hiking group. Since then, the website has been expanded in scope so it now, in addition to the hike photos, provides Sedona visitors with broad information on the hikes and information on where to stay, shop and eat while in Sedona.
ITEMS TO ENHANCE YOUR SEDONA VISIT AND EXPERIENCE
You are going to have a wonderful time while visiting Sedona! And to make that experience even better, click here. You'll find information on our hiking books, our vortex books and GPS data files. Here's a brief summary:
We have now published two up-to-date hiking books. These books contain trail maps based on actual GPS "tracks" and specific directions to the trailheads. GPS points of interest and checkpoints are included for each hike. In addition to listing hikes by level of difficulty (easy, moderate, hard), how would you like to hike to an natural red rock arch? A vortex (see below as well)? To Indian ruins? How about a hike along water? And to help you decide on which trails to hike, we've included our top 12 hikes (we couldn't pick just 10!). The hiking books are organized so you can easily find the best and most beautiful hikes in Sedona. And these books are printed and bound in the USA.
If you are one of the many who have heard about Sedona's vortexes (and over one half of the visitors to Sedona have) and you are interested in finding and experiencing Sedona's vortexes, we have just published two practical, up-to-date books. Hiking the Vortexes will to help you find the four well known Sedona vortexes as well as 10 of Sedona's lesser known power spots. Hiking the Vortexes - Color Edition and the black and white version contain history and background on vortexes, how to prepare to feel the vortex energy, clear, easy-to-follow directions and detailed maps to the four main vortexes, plus directions to 10 other "power spots" where energy has been experienced. And these books also are printed and bound in the USA.
Click here for more information.
For those who are just interested in the four main vortexes, we have a Vortex Guide available. It includes detailed maps to the four main vortex sites so that you can enhance your vortex experience while in Sedona. The Guide is available for download by clicking here.
And finally, if you have a portable GPS, I have a GPS file containing over 80 Sedona hiking trails (including the vortex sites). Click here for more information.
For a limited time, if you book your stay at the Baby Quail Inn for a minimum of 2 consecutive nights in January or February 2012, receive your choice of either a signed copy of Great Sedona Hikes hiking book (a $16.95 value), or a signed copy of Hiking the Vortexes, a guide to 14 of Sedona's vortex/power spots (a $13.95 value) at no charge (sorry, new reservations only). Click here for more details.
GETTING READY TO HIKE
OK, enough of the sales pitch. Let's go for a hike! But before you go hiking, you should stop in to the Sedona-Oak Creek Canyon Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center or the Forest Service Visitor Center for more information on a particular hike and to obtain the latest information on road and trail conditions. The Sedona Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center is located in Uptown Sedona at the corner of Forest Road and State Route 89A (at GPS coordinates: 34° 52.119' N; 111° 45.702' W). The Forest Service Visitor Center is located on State Route 179, 6 miles north of I-17 or about 2 miles south of the Village of Oak Creek (at GPS coordinates 34° 45.452' N; 111° 45.855' W).
You'll need a Red Rock Pass or equivalent to park at many trailheads on the National Forest for your hike (more information on which trailheads require a Red Rock Pass or equivalent until February 2012 is located here). Please note that the fee structure is changing in February 2012. Click here for more information. And click here if you'd like to see where Recreation Passes (i.e. Red Rock Passes) are required effective in February 2012.
The Forest Service publishes a Recreation Guide which includes a map of many of the trails. That map is available by clicking here (note this map will be out of date in February 2012 for where a Recreation Pass is required - see above).
The Forest Service and our hiking group cannot stress enough that you be prepared before you begin hiking, even for a short day hike. The humidity is very low here and you need to take plenty of water to avoid dehydration, particularly in the summer. Sunscreen, a hat, compass, maps or a portable GPS, a charged cell phone (although many trails do not have cell phone coverage) and good hiking boots are among the recommended items you should have with you. And you need to let someone know where you are hiking and when they should expect you back. Finally, be sure you are off the trail by sunset because hiking back in the darkness will likely get you lost, perhaps injured and in need of rescue.
ORGANIZATION OF THE WEBSITE
I've tried to keep the website simple - to focus on the hiking information rather than have a lot of fancy graphics. The hikes are organized by level of difficulty (EASY, MODERATE, and HARD HIKES ), based on ratings determined by David Butler and myself in our hiking guide, "Great Sedona Hikes Revised Second Edition" and assessment by our hiking group. If you are unsure what level of hike you are capable of, start out with the EASY hikes until you are sure you are up for something more demanding.
An ALPHABETICAL LIST of all the hikes on the website is here.
EASY HIKES are here.
MODERATE HIKES are here.
HARD HIKES are here.
A list of our favorite hikes is here. (I show 10 hikes on the website, but have expanded the list to 12 in the hiking guides)
A list of hikes by distance/level of difficulty is here.
Vortex hikes are listed here.
Hikes near/along water are listed here.
Hikes to/near Indian Ruins are listed here.
GPS data files for the hikes are found here.
In addition to the photos from the hikes, we have some exceptional photos taken by our hikers. They are here.
Information on mountain biking and camping is included here.
SEND IN YOUR HIKE PHOTOS
Your photographic contributions to the site are always welcome (see the email address near the bottom of the page). Contributing photographers include: Helen Mueller, Darryl Thompson, David Butler, Lou Camp, Rich Jones , Jon Dorsey, Stephanie Vaughn, Eric Murphy, Sree Remella, Tom Solon, Tammy Tyndall, and Jessica Bohan.
The site also includes several pages of interesting and informative pictures of the Sedona area, courtesy of members of the hiking groups.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EATING, LODGING, ETC.
I receive many requests for information on where to eat, where to stay, what
to do, etc. while in Sedona. As a result, I
have added a page of links for information on the Sedona area; places to enjoy a bite to eat or some liquid refreshments,
and some very nice and affordable places to stay. We've tried these places
ourselves and we don't receive any compensation from them, FYI. So if you are
interested on where we refer our friends, be sure to check out
the
links
If you have questions about Sedona go to
Sedona FAQs for more detailed
information on the weather, location, what to do (besides hiking), etc. in
Sedona. HURRY BACK and MAYBE JOIN US FOR A HIKE
New
information is constantly being added and updated. So check back often. If
you have comments or suggestions, or photos you think might be candidates for
the website, please email me. So enjoy your visit to the website and enjoy Sedona!
William
Great Sedona Hikes;
Revised
December 29, 2011
Web Page by William Bohan (billbo@greatsedonahikes.com)
send an email
with your comments/suggestions/photos to Bill
Entire website ©
copyright 2009, 2010, 2011 by Bill Bohan
Disclaimer: This web site is intended to
show some of the beauty of the hiking trails around Sedona, and is not intended
to be used as an authoritative hiking guide. Road and trail conditions can and
do change, and you are strongly encouraged to get up-to-date hiking information
before you set out; the Sedona Chamber of Commerce Visitor's Center in uptown
Sedona and the Forest Service Ranger Station located on State Route 179 are
excellent sources of information. Hikers are responsible
for their own safety (see before you go). The contributors to "Great Sedona Hikes," and everyone
associated with it directly or indirectly, disclaim any liability for damages,
losses, or injuries that might occur to those using this website.
