I had originally planned to do the David Miller Loop today. The David Miller Trail, completed in 1999, links the Secret Canyon Trail to the Bear Sign Trail, creating a 7.3 mile loop hike through some of the most scenic and wild backcountry in the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness area surrounding Sedona.

But before even putting boots to the ground, the biggest challenge is getting to Secret Canyon Trailhead. From Dry Creek Road you have to navigate 3.4 miles of Vultee Arch Road (FR 152). FR 152 has not been maintained for quite a few years and is now extremely rough and full of large rocks and boulders and stair steps very similar to Schnebly Hill Road. So high-clearance/4WD vehicles (preferable with skid plates) are required.

With 20 hikers signed up for the David Miller Loop, we didn’t have the required number of high-clearance vehicles to get all of us to the trailhead. In fact, we didn’t have any. So it’s time to execute Plan B (you always need a backup plan).

While deciding on an alternate hike, I searched through all of the past Sedona area trip reports in the Arizona Trailblazers’ vast archives, going all the way back to the early days of our predecessor, the Motorola Hiking Club. I was looking primarily for hikes that we haven’t done in quite a while. In doing so, I discovered that the Boynton Canyon Trail was last done by the Trailblazers on April 18, 2009. At least that was the last trip report filed for this hike. So after an eight-year hiatus, I decided that it was finally time to revisit what is widely considered one of the most scenic hikes in the entire Sedona area.

Trailblazers start hiking through heavier forest cover.
[photo by Tom]

From this point on the trail is relatively level and well-marked with rock cairns, as it bends in a generally westward direction along the cool and shady floor of Boynton Canyon. Upon entering this deeply shaded area, we notice an immediate drop in air temperature. As we traverse ever deeper into the canyon, the surrounding forest becomes even thicker and more dense. The high canyon walls on both sides also serve to create an even shadier environment, allowing the sun to penetrate and warm the canyon floor for only a few short hours a day.

A heavy, bone-chilling dampness hangs in the air and the temperature steadily drops as we move into deeper and deeper shade. At one point the temperature bottoms out at a chilly 44 degrees, according to Barry’s trusty backpack thermometer, before we will finally emerge on the other side of this forest primeval.

As we continue on, we begin to gain a little more elevation and the sandy canyon floor becomes littered with a colorful mosaic of fallen leaves, as the deciduous trees of the forest gradually give up their colorful fall foliage and prepare for the dormant winter months that lie ahead.

As we approach the three-mile point on this hike, the canyon walls begin to close in and the trail narrows down and becomes even steeper, as it slowly climbs out of the canyon and up and around huge boulders covered with colorful patches of moss and lichens. And the temperature gradually begins to warm up, as we slowly begin to emerge from the thick forest cover of the canyon floor and into a more open, sunny area near the end of the canyon.

The last hundred yards of the trail rises steeply through a patchwork of large boulders, and we soon find ourselves out in the open on a large expanse of slickrock in partial sunlight, with a clear view of the box end of Boynton Canyon as seen in this picture taken by Tammy.

As we find plenty of good places on this expansive shelf of slickrock to sit down and enjoy our lunch and snacks and a well-deserved rest break, we’re rewarded with spectacular views of sheer-walled, thousand-foot high cliffs of Coconino Sandstone and Kaibab Limestone that form a perfect natural amphitheater, marking the head of Boynton Canyon. It is one of many scenic box canyons nestled against the side of Secret Mountain.

Given enough time and determination, it’s possible to bushwhack your way to the very end of this box canyon. I’ve often wanted to attempt it, but the terrain is very rough and the going is very slow. And since my last hike, there are also posted signs warning hikers not to go off-trail or beyond the signs.

Boynton Canyon is one of at least four widely recognized vortex sites in the Sedona and Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness areas, where the concentration of electromagnetic energy from deep within the earth is believed to give off special healing powers. Whatever your beliefs about this phenomena, you cannot leave this breathtaking place behind without taking away some kind of special feelings or thoughts about the experience and the canyon itself.

After lunch several of our hikers, including Tom, Darrell, Debbie, Tammy, and Rebecca, decide to walk out to the far end of the slickrock expanse to check out the views. Although typically referred to as slickrock, this sandstone surface offers excellent footing on its relatively rough and dry surface. You just need to watch for loose sand and small pebbles. During and immediately after a heavy rain, however, it more than earns its moniker. After several hundred yards, the five hikers reach a point where they cannot safely or easily go any farther.

The walk is definitely worth it, however, as I can personally attest from several previous hikes, with stunning views looking down the spectacular and immense expanse of Boynton Canyon, with its towering reddish-orange and cream-colored walls of sandstone and limestone, soaring hundreds of feet into the brilliant blue Arizona skies and sheltering a rich mosaic of forest cover along the full length of the canyon floor. Unless you’re standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon, the best scenic views in Arizona just don’t get much better than this.

We return along the same route, and most of us make it back to the trailhead by 2:30 PM. Along the way, several of us can’t resist taking just a few more pictures, especially since the lighting is better in some areas with the late afternoon sun.

Dave had earlier suggested the Enchantment Resort patio for a late lunch, but was unable to make the necessary reservations. So, just as with the hike itself, we have to resort to Plan B, in this case our old reliable standby, the Plaza Bonita Family Mexican Restaurant in nearby Cottonwood. And, as usual, the service is fast and efficient, the staff is friendly, and the food is great and the portions huge, with enough left over for another meal for many of us.

After lunch, we say our goodbyes to one another and split up into our respective carpools for the long drive back to the valley.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather on our last hike of the year in Red Rock Country and Northern Arizona. For the next few months, with cooler weather finally arriving, it’s time to reacquaint ourselves once again with desert hiking.