Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club
West Fork Backpacking Trip
Sedona
June 18-21, 2026
clipbord   Trip Report : June 27-29, 2020
The trip:     Come prepared to have a great time. This will be a great hike through a spectacular part of Arizona. Most of this hike will be in a remote wilderness area and we should see few people. This will be a true backcountry experience with no designated camping sites. No restroom room facilities. We will be hiking along and sometime in a perennial stream. Creek water will be available at each remote campsite in the canyon. All water must be filtered. Bring water for car camping on the night of Day 1, and to start the hike on day 2.
    This is an A-rated hike in a remote wilderness area. Most of the route is off trail. Frequent water crossings will be encountered. Swimming will be required in some areas, so you must know how to swim. Anything you want to keep dry must be stored in dry bags inside your backpack. The weather will be warm and the water temperature cold. There are limited camping sites in the canyon. We will be Cowboy camping (no tents). Keep backpacks as light as possible. Bring all required backpacking gear, minus a tent. Recommend bringing a ground tarp (small and light) and pad for your sleeping bags. Bring enough food for the first evening at the canyon rim plus 3 days backpacking in the canyon.
    Hikers must have the required experience and ability to do this hike, and must be approved by the trip leader before signing up for the trip.
    Please see the trip description below.
    Day 1, Thursday June 18: Drive from Phoenix to a dispersed campsite on the rim of West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon. There are many spots suitable for tents. Meeting location and time TBD. Since this is a through-hike, we will organize a vehicle shuttle for the end of the backpack trip.
    Day 2, Friday June 19: By 8AM, start hiking down the canyon at the bridge—it’s all downhill from there. After about 6 miles, we will reach a small beach area suitable for camping. Although space is limited, the site is right next to the creek with a good water source. We will stop before 6 p.m. to cook dinner. It gets dark early in the canyon.
    Day 3, Saturday June 20: Continue hiking down the canyon. Hike another 4-6 miles and set up camp in a suitable area with a good source of water. There will be swimming required on this day.
    Day 4, Sunday June 21: Hike out of the canyon. The last 3-4 miles is on a good trail. No swimming required! The backpacking portion of the trip ends at the Call of the Canyon day-use area. Please note due to distance of car shuttle we will be at Call of the Canyon day-use area for about 2 hours. After using the vehicle shuttle to retrieve vehicles parked on the rim, hikers have a couple of options for returning home. Option 1: drive home on June 21; Option 2: drive to nearby hotel to clean-up and rest before driving home the next day; Option 3: camp at a near-by campground such as Manzanita, Cave Springs, Pine Flat, to cleanup and rest before driving home the next day. There is a pay-shower at the Cave Springs campground. Each hiker is responsible for making their own hotel or campground reservations.
    Everyone should have dry shoes, socks, clothes in the trucks. We will stop some place and change.
•  Required gear: Backpack, see backpack check list.
•  Dry bags for stuff.
•  Poles, with water you will fall otherwise.
•  2 liters of water per day.
•  Food and snacks for 4 days.
•  Good boots, with good tread.
distance 6 miles day 3; 6 miles day 3; 6 miles day 4
time About 6 hours each day.
EC +-1,000' elevation change total for the 3 days
type one way
starting at West Fork Trailhead, 5,300 Ft
on trail 100%, but the stream is the trail so very wet
rating "A"     Rate yourself as a hiker.
dogs allowed no
cost Sharing gas expenses with the driver.
The club also allows voluntary contributions of $5 per non-member.
weather Sedona But the water is colder
leader:   You must e-mail leader to confirm.
Meet: TBD. No cars may be left here.
drive
•  Email the leader to sign-up for trip. This trip will be limited to 4-6 hikers. As we approach the trip date, we will coordinate carpooling and a car shuttle. All water must be filtered. Bring a water filtration system. Recommend to bring water hiking shoes and hiking boots. Also suggest bringing a rat bag to keep varmints from stealing your food. Should you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, feel free to email me. The trip should end before the monsoon storms begins. However, due to danger of a flash flood in the narrow canyon, the trip will be cancelled if there is rain in the forecast.
updated November 29, 2025