Summary: A pleasant hike in a ponderosa pine forest with interesting rocks and cliffs
Challenge Level: Easy
Hiking Distance: About 5 1/2 miles round trip
Trailhead Directions: From the "Y" (the intersection of State Route 89A and State Route 179) proceed north on SR 89A through Uptown Sedona and head in to Oak Creek Canyon. Drive for 17 1/2 miles and turn right on FR 237, a dirt road, at the north end of a guard rail, which is about 1 1/2 miles past the scenic overlook. Follow the dirt road for about 1 mile until you come to a yellow sign showing a left arrow. Make a right turn here on to an unmarked, rough faint road and drive downhill for about 500 feet to a flat area where you park. Go down the hill on your left in a northeasterly direction. You'll be in Pumphouse Wash at the bottom of the hill. Proceed straight across the wash up a dry streambed for about 500 feet and you'll come to the beginning of the trail.
Description: This hike takes you through a pine forest near Flagstaff off of SR 89A (Oak Creek Canyon). There are interesting rock formations as you travel along Kelly Canyon via Pumphouse Wash. After 1 mile, Kelly Canyon goes right (northeast) and is hard to follow. So we hike north on a well defined trail that follows Pumphouse Wash.
The ambient temperature you encounter for this hike is cool because of the elevation (about 6400 feet) and the shade provided by the trees. The trail intersects FR 237 after about 2 3/4 miles. We found snow on our hike late in April 2009. In July 2010 the temperature was a pleasant 63 degrees at 7:00 am, making this a wonderful summer hike. There were a number of wildflowers along the trail.
Photos:
Here are photos from our July 2010 summer hike
Guest Photos:
Here are photos taken in June 2008 by Lou Camp
For those of you who have a GPS unit, I have GPS data available for the hike which include "tracks," the route and waypoints.
For detailed information on this hike, consider purchasing a copy of Great Sedona Hikes by clicking HERE.
Great Sedona Hikes
Last Updated August 29, 2010
Web Page by Bill Bohan (billbo@greatsedonahikes.com)