This red-rock hike can be fun for all ages
Loosen the vise grip on your brain’s imagination center and the russet stone escarpments embracing Sedona’s Fay Canyon Trail transform into dragon scales, crouching gremlins and otherworldly beasts.
Of course, rousing this kind of magical point of view needs some help. A willingness to tap into your inner child or, better yet, hiking with an actual pack of vociferous kids should do the trick.
When approached without expectation or mind-muddling electronic devices, whimsical forms hiding among the trail’s sandstone cliffs seem to pounce from their precipitous perches.
Letting go of what we know to be true and logical frees the mind to train a playful lens on Sedona’s Secret Canyon Wilderness Area.
It’s the “wild” in wilderness areas that sets them apart from forests, parks and other public lands. The 1964 Wilderness Act set a global precedence for protecting unspoiled lands from development and destruction.
Undisturbed lands benefit wildlife habitat and watersheds and offer opportunities for responsible recreational use. You can’t drive a motorized vehicle, fly a drone, build a structure or even ride a bike in these special places.
Sedona’s Red Rock Secret Canyon Wilderness is one of the most attainable and imagination-stoking destinations among Arizona’s 90 protected areas. It’s a satisfying trip for expert backpackers and casual day-trippers alike.
Seldom-seen sections (Bear Sign and Secret Canyon trails) of the 43,950-acre wilderness are reached by hiking miles into remote backcountry, while milder excursions are just a few steps from paved roads and plush resorts.
Whether you enter this enchanted zone through a groomed front door or a rickety back gate, you’ll soon understand how the simple act of walking a primal path is as much a privilege as it is a wonder to behold.
A front-door favorite, the Fay Canyon trailhead on Boynton Pass Road is outfitted with a restroom and plenty of parking. Just yards from a heavily traveled byway, the effortless out-and-back trail immediately enters the wilderness, passing through sandy drainages and sunny fields dotted with yucca and twisted manzanita shrubs.
As the path narrows the cliffs close in, revealing an outdoor art gallery of nature-sculpted shapes. Weathered pinnacles resemble golf tees, hammers, dancers and birds. If you’re hiking with or near kids (a given on this familyfriendly trail), listen to the names they assign to the rocks. Sponge Bob, Bart Simpson, Pokemon.
A half-mile in, a faint path on the right leads to an emerging natural arch. Barely visible from the trail, the true scale of the overhang isn’t apparent until you’re standing beneath it. The optional, quarter-mile diversion requires scrambling on loose rock with some minor exposure but pays off with fly-over vistas and interesting nooks to explore.
Forests of oak, cypress and piñon pines thicken as the root- and vine-tangled route dives deeper into the canyon, culminating at a boulder-choked wash below a magnificent red rock formation.
The sculptural piece de resistance, which stands several stories high, has no name. But its imposing presence and place in the landscape bumps creative thinking into overdrive. Is it a shark fin? An anvil? An alien landing platform? Who can say?
The whole point of this excursion is to let your imagination roam wild. If you’re stuck for a name, just follow the kids.
Fay Canyon Trail
Length: 1.2 miles one way.
Rating: Easy.
Elevation: 4,500-4,800 feet. Getting there: From the State Route 179/89A traffic circle in Sedona, go 3.2 miles west on SR 89A to Dry Creek Road (Forest Road 152C). Turn right and go 4.5 miles north on Dry Creek Road to the Boynton Canyon Road intersection. Turn left and go 0.5 mile to the trailhead.