FYI: If you're planning to go during the government shutdown, you can't drive all the way to the…read moreparking lot -- it's about an 8-mile hike (a lot of it on gravel). But honestly, it's worth every step! Just when you think you've reached the falls... you haven't. Keep going! The road in is pure washboard -- about 13 miles of bump city -- so make sure you have a 4-wheel drive and that nothing inside your car is loose. Fossil Creek is absolutely stunning, and bonus -- no permit needed after October 1st. The other thing says this trail is easy. No, it's not to be careful if you're taking somebody elderly over that doesn't have good mobility because there's some rocks you had a climb and what not also make sure you take plenty of water to drink and a little snack everything you pack in your pack. I would also suggest leaving the house by three 330. No later you don't wanna be hiking in the pitch dark.

I didn't know anything about this place beforehand. If my boss had never been here and my cousin…read morehad never told me about the Permit, I would've made a wasted trip. I wish I knew more before going. I need to know more information about how things work at Fossil Creek. Even after going, though we enjoyed ourselves, I still don't know how it works. There were no signs telling you where you can access trails to get to the creek. You just had to guess. I found a trail at our Homestead parking lot, but it was very steep and a little dangerous. We found a spot okay in the shade but was very small for our party of 6. We worked so hard getting down there that we just made it work. After leaving we went up the road a little way in our vehicle to see what the other spots looked like, but I saw no bridge or easy access from The Bridge parking lot either, and the road was just way too bumpy. I hope my wife's suspension is okay on her Mazda CX-5. The information before going should've told us about the road and what to expect, basically how to plan. It's all a guessing game. I could've asked the Ranger lady more questions, but I didn't know what to ask. My boss made things sound different. Apparently you can't drive people to the waterfall trailhead anymore. You have to walk over 2 miles on a dusty dirt road in over 100 degrees with vehicles driving by kicking up dust. That makes no sense whatsoever. We enjoyed our time at the water. Everything else leading up to it and after it we could've done without. I don't see us coming back unless we have someone with better suspension and/or better knowledge of the area. Thank you.

Sycamore canyon is located near Cottonwood/Clarkdale, accessible via 11 miles of dirt road,…read moresignificantly less people compared other trails, great place to come to enjoy wildlife and water holes. I would recommend SUV or truck to drive this 11 miles dirt road but I did see one Sedan parked at the trailhead. No entrance fees to this area. Hike to the first water hole/ swimming hole is only 1.1 miles one way, except the initial 200 feet elevation drop off, trail is relatively flat. Trail is marked with carin, since trail is less traveled, look for carin to stay on the trail. First water hole is deep enough for cliff jump. If you arrive early in the morning, water and lights are perfect to take reflecting images. Water stays cold even in the summer. No restrooms or drinking water available, bring plenty of water and food when visiting this trail

Absolutely beautiful hike and a nice watering hold at the end. Would recommend a off road vehicle…read moreas the road gets a lil gnarly.

Short and sandy. Nice and shady during our walk June of 2024. Morning temps were in the high…read moreseventies. Take water for sure. Enjoy the shade of the trees and graffiti under the bridge. We extended our hike to 2.5 miles by looping out to River Walk by the ball fields and community gardens. Boots recommended for the soft sand but not necessary.

This is a fun popular hike in Cottonwood that is good for hiking, walking, and trail running. It is…read morepretty easy and is accessible from historic old town Cottonwood near the old jail parking lot. It is 1.6 miles through a dense riparian forest where you can spot many species of birds. This trail is great for birdwatchers. The trail itself connects Old Town Cottonwood with Riverfront Park and the Verde River. I have walked the Jail Trail a couple times when visiting Cottonwood and have always enjoyed the peacefulness it offers.

Recommend: Hiking boots, sun screen, backpack for water bottle, and long pants…read more Park and ride shuttle parking lot filled up before 10AM. Go early if you are a morning person. This will help to finish the hike before noon. If you are not a morning person, download the Sedona shuttle app, follow the shuttle into the lot for a parking spot. The trail up to the cathedral rock can be narrow and steep at some sections. Going up is more difficult than coming down based on our experience. The view at the top - spectacular!

I've climbed some impressive trails in my day... but Cathedral Rock clearly woke up that morning…read moreand chose violence. Sharon and I decided we were obviously elite athletes, so naturally we set out to hike it. About a quarter mile in, our lungs filed a formal complaint. Now to be fair, the trail doesn't exactly ease you into things. It basically looks at you and says, "Oh... you thought this was a walk?" From there it's steep rock, scrambling, and a steady reminder that gravity is very real. We stopped. We rested. We evaluated several recent life choices. And then we kept going. At some point along the climb it hits you: this might be the only hike where the staircase goes straight up the side of a postcard. I made it as high as I reasonably could before deciding that discretion is sometimes the better part of valor... and oxygen. So we turned back. And honestly, that's when the best part of the experience happened. As we paused on the way down, we chatted with hikers from all over North America heading up and down the trail. Every single person asked the same thing: "How far did you make it?" Not a single raised eyebrow when we said we didn't summit. Meanwhile I had been judging myself like I'd just been cut from the varsity team. From where we rested, the view over Sedona was absolutely gorgeous. Calm. Expansive. Peaceful. One of those views that makes you stop talking for a minute and just take it in. Also, small public service announcement: I originally thought this hike led to the famous chapel built into the red rocks. That would be Chapel of the Holy Cross... which is a very different destination and a much easier visit. Definitely double-check your notes before committing to this particular adventure. The trail is challenging, the scenery is spectacular, and the experience has a little bit of magic to it. Five stars for a hike that reminds you the goal isn't always the summit... sometimes it's just appreciating the view from exactly where you are.

We parked at the Tuzigoot River Access point after visiting the National Monument. This is a large…read moreparking lot, suitable for boat trailers. We went in January to walk along the river. It was very scenic, even though most of the leaves had fallen form the trees. There is a small beach at one location and small rapids for kayaking. Several dog walkers and a few mountain bikes were using the pathways. This would be a lovely place in the spring to fall when the trees are full.

This natural area is located next to Dead Horse Ranch State Park near Cottonwood. There is no…read morecamping or campfires in the riparian zone, but you can camp at Dead Horse Park. The river is stocked with bass, catfish, and bluegill. In the winter they stock it with trout. There is a lot of wildlife in this region to see. The Verde River is a great spot to canoe or kayak because of all the twists and turns in the river. You can load your boat at the ramp at the Tuzigoot River Access Point which has plenty of parking nearby. Swimming is at your own risk.

If you want to rock hunt and experience a remote mining area with classic high desert landscape,…read more the portion of Black Canyon Trail starting at the intersection of Antelope Creek Rd and Crown King Forest Rd 59 is a great trail. The parking area is easy to access from the I-17 by taking the Bloody Basin exit, driving 3 miles west on a good dirt road, then heading south for 2.7 miles on Antelope Creek Rd (179), take a left at the fork and drive 1.3 more miles and turn left at a stop sign and another immediate left to park at a round water tank and corral. The hike heads across FR 59 following a single track, signed trail to the south. Numerous mountain bike tracks were seen on the trail, though on a Friday we did not see any cyclists or other hikers. There are numerous outcrops of quartz and iron rich rocks that are fun to search through, and excellent views to the Bradshaws and the valleys to the east and south. Walk as far as you like on the easy trail. As you return to your vehicle, take a detour to the old Hidden Treasure Mine a short distance up a Jeep trail. There is a rusted tank, some pipes and an old Adobe structure to look at, though no rock hunting. Give the old talus piles a miss as they have clearly been used to target practice with a lot of scattered glass bottles and rusted tin cans. Before leaving the area walk around the corral to the south where there is a lovely pond with a few old sycamores and water reeds. We did not see a pump, so the water may be from a natural spring.

Doing another hike today! Going to see how far I can make it this time last time I did 1 mile and 1…read moremile back in so let's see if I can go one mile and a half to two miles okay thank you it will be a great Trail today I like it it's a bright sunny day the trails Mark there's no getting lost all you need is moderate shoes and socks to do this Trail.

GC was closed to overnights because a water main broke... This is a good alternate choice if you…read moreare mostly "self-contained"! Very close to GC and on the same road.

Drove through on the way to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It's HUGE and beautiful land!!!…read moreMakes for a peaceful drive. So nice to see this beautiful natural forest. It's 1.6M acres and borders N and S rims of the Grand Canyon and elevation ranges from 5.5k to 10k feet. It's one of the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forests in the US. Camping is available and they do have a visitor center.

I have a "life list" and Devils Bridge has been on it for a while. Well another checkmark on my…read morelist. The hike is fairly easy but there is an area with a small climb. The bridge itself might be a little intimidating if you have a fear of heights. The experience was as I imagined... spectacular. People line up for pictures and everyone is nice enough to take other people's pictures. Please come and create your own adventure.

Beautiful hike! You…read morewill need to start really early if you don't want to wait in line. When I say early I mean start hiking in the dark and watching the sunrise as you get there. This is what my friend and I did, and we were the third group to make it to Devil's Bridge. We were able to take our pictures without waiting more than 5 minutes. By the time we were done though, there was already a line forming. For the hike itself, it is pretty easy, especially for the first mile out. Be aware that if you do not have a car that can off-road this is a 4 mile hike, not 2. The first mile out is just walking on this dirt road. Closer to Devil's Bridge there is a small amount of scrambling, so you will need to be able to pull your weight upwards. Devil's Bridge is an iconic sight to see and is definitely worth it if you plan ahead!

This is a beautiful trail with a lot of vegetation and scenic variety. We did the trail from the…read moreStrawberry side hiking towards Pine. Park in the lot just east of Ralls Dr on the south side of AZ-87 in Strawberry. The first 1.5 miles wander gently up and down through pine, juniper and manzanita forests with some of the largest junipers and manzanitas that I have seen. The first 1/4 mile is close to the highway, but after that the highway noise dies out. Views of the Rim to the east and also the town of Pine open up after a mile. At about 1.5 miles the vegetation changes to juniper and low growing manzanita with little shade; however in another half mile you come to a pine shaded area and a junction to trails that lead down into the town of Pine. On a weekday in May we only saw one other hiker!

It's a beautiful walk through the Rim Country with lots of wildlife and occasional views.read more

This is a very popular trail. We started at 7:00 am and there was one other car in the parking…read morelot. By the time we left at 10:00, the parking lot was packed and a car was waiting for us to leave to take our spot. There are several cool things about this trail: it's 5 minutes from downtown Flagstaff, it's also a campground (you have to walk through the campground to get to the trail), it offers rock climbing and it connects with the Arizona Trail. Sandys Canyon Trail is a beautiful hike that offers great views of the San Francisco Peaks as well as canyon walls. The trail itself is pretty short and it ends when it connects with the Arizona Trail. We continued on the AZT for a few more miles. Easy hike, suitable for anyone.

Beautiful hike for all fitness levels. Parts of the trails can be steep but you can modify your…read moreexperience to accommodate your level. Well-maintained, spotless, no trash or graffiti (shocking for someone from LA, sadly). Free parking and no admission. Highly recommended.