Hiking Boynton Canyon
May. 30th, 2022 08:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerSedona Travelog #7
Sedona, AZ - Sun, 29 May 2022, 10:30am
This morning we got up early to beat the heat and (hopefully) the crowds at popular trailheads in Sedona. By early I mean we set our alarms for 6am. The sun had already been out for at least 45 minutes. We roused, ate breakfast, packed our hiking bags, and were out the door by 7am. It's a good thing we took it easy last night!
Out at the Boynton Canyon trailhead things were already busy. Apparently lots of people visiting Sedona have the same idea to get up early and beat the heat and the crowds. We parked in the last open space near the trailhead, laced up our boots, applied sunscreen, and shrugged on our packs. We were afoot by 8am.
The trail into Boynton Canyon skirts the edge of a resort development at the bottom of the canyon. The constant signs (and smells, unfortunately) of habitation can largely be ignored by focusing on the mountains to either side.
The trail winds around past the resort, hugging the base of the mountains, for over a mile before dropping down into the bottom of the canyon. From there the trek is mostly under heavy tree cover. The canyon walls close in high above but it's hard to see them because of the leafy canopy.
Close to 3 miles in the trail starts to rise steeply. It's the back end of Boynton Canyon.
There's nowhere to go here but up.... And the Forest Service asks people not to go up. Unlike in Fay Canyon where "TRAIL ENDS" meant the fun begins, the area beyond the sign is sensitive habitat they're trying to restore.
That's just as well because, like I said, there's nowhere left to go but up. Almost straight up.
Bear Mountain (above) forms the southern edge of Boynton Canyon here. On the other side of those mountains is nestled... Fay Canyon! Yes, there's a trail up to the top. Yes, it's really intense. No, it doesn't come down this side.
We sat for a while on a sunny rock eating lunch and enjoying the views. While the front part of the trail was crowded, here at 3 miles in the crowds had thinned out substantially. While literal bus loads of people started the trail, during our lunch break here we saw a total of maybe 12.
Stay tuned... we take an amazing detour on the way out!
Update: keep reading in Seeking The Subway Cave
Sedona, AZ - Sun, 29 May 2022, 10:30am
This morning we got up early to beat the heat and (hopefully) the crowds at popular trailheads in Sedona. By early I mean we set our alarms for 6am. The sun had already been out for at least 45 minutes. We roused, ate breakfast, packed our hiking bags, and were out the door by 7am. It's a good thing we took it easy last night!
Out at the Boynton Canyon trailhead things were already busy. Apparently lots of people visiting Sedona have the same idea to get up early and beat the heat and the crowds. We parked in the last open space near the trailhead, laced up our boots, applied sunscreen, and shrugged on our packs. We were afoot by 8am.
The trail into Boynton Canyon skirts the edge of a resort development at the bottom of the canyon. The constant signs (and smells, unfortunately) of habitation can largely be ignored by focusing on the mountains to either side.
The trail winds around past the resort, hugging the base of the mountains, for over a mile before dropping down into the bottom of the canyon. From there the trek is mostly under heavy tree cover. The canyon walls close in high above but it's hard to see them because of the leafy canopy.
Close to 3 miles in the trail starts to rise steeply. It's the back end of Boynton Canyon.
There's nowhere to go here but up.... And the Forest Service asks people not to go up. Unlike in Fay Canyon where "TRAIL ENDS" meant the fun begins, the area beyond the sign is sensitive habitat they're trying to restore.
That's just as well because, like I said, there's nowhere left to go but up. Almost straight up.
Bear Mountain (above) forms the southern edge of Boynton Canyon here. On the other side of those mountains is nestled... Fay Canyon! Yes, there's a trail up to the top. Yes, it's really intense. No, it doesn't come down this side.
We sat for a while on a sunny rock eating lunch and enjoying the views. While the front part of the trail was crowded, here at 3 miles in the crowds had thinned out substantially. While literal bus loads of people started the trail, during our lunch break here we saw a total of maybe 12.
Stay tuned... we take an amazing detour on the way out!
Update: keep reading in Seeking The Subway Cave
