Length: 7.9 miles
Duration:3 hours 59 minutes
Vertical Up:2221 feet
Click here for my trail log
Arizona is like the dried-out sponge in the bottom of your sink. Today’s hike in Sedona was Long Canyon Trail. This was my second hike with the Anthem Hiking Club and it was a beauty. There were about 15 of us on the hike. Hiking with a big group is a lot of fun.
The hike starts off flat for the first mile or so. It meanders along a golf course through the light forest. I was happy this time as I stayed up with the front group hiking at a pretty good pace. As we approached the famous red rocks of Sedona, the hike started a steady uphill climb.
This is where I started dropping off the pace and groups started passing me. I was all too happy to hike at my pace (about 3 mph) and take photos along the way. For the rest of the hike up we kept crossing the same river as it switch-backed down the canyon. This is where the dry sponge analogy applies. It snowed and rained pretty good just one week earlier, but the stream was as dry as an old, crusty sponge. I was very disappointed in that. The hike has about 10 stream crossings so I imagine it is completely different with water.
We continued up the canyon for another 3 miles until the canyon started to close up. The last 1/3 of a mile of the hike was pretty much straight up. This was fun and totally worth the climb.
It ends on a rock about 150 foot of the canyon floor. The view from here is amazing! Pictures do not show the beauty!
After a ½ hour break we all started down as a team. It was a nice hike back (mostly) downhill and a nice even place. It was nice to hike with all the different people and find out about them. Of course, I walked in with the last group, way tired but overjoyed to have taken such a great hike.
Funny anecdote … I brought flip flops to change into after the hike. The geek in me came out here as I had grabbed two right footed ones. One of my fellow hikers wasn’t going to say anything until I mentioned it. Even hiking … I’m still a geek!
