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About this Hike: Yesterday's hikes were a bust. AZ Cypress trail in the Dry Creek Basin of Sedona was redeeming value to this Sedona trip.
The trailhead is down a short dirt road (more like a driveway) just off Dry Creek road prior to the 'Y' in the road that leads toward Fay and Boyton Canyons. Enroute I passed many suckers parking their cars on precarious (and possibly illegal?) angles in an effort to get out to Devil's Bridge (I remember the good ol' days when this wasn't a Instagram hot spot).
Anyway, AZ Cypress was much quieter. The driveway leads to a large open dirt area that would be abundant parking. However, the silence was quickly broken by target shooters firing into a soft berm. I opted to park the truck just off the road the trailhead lest they pump lead into it. There's room for two vehicles here. Otherwise, it's a short walk from the open dirt area.
The sound of gunfire aside, this was a very peaceful hike. The AZ Cypress trail starts off in soft sand as it leads toward a dry creekbed. I'm guessing that creek overflows when water is present, hence the sand and soft, erroded berms. Oh and the cypress trees. These have to be some of the biggest Arizona Cypresses I've ever seen—bigger than examples on the Mogollon Rim. Surely these are abundantly watered trees, further evidence that the dry creek can sometimes be a raging torrent.
The well-mapped and signed network of trails in this area lends to some beautiful views of Sedona and west toward Mingus Mountain, Jerome, and even Prescott.
There were some sycamores near the creekbed that I tried to think of as fall color, even if they just turn brownish-orange.
A full and satisfying afternoon of exploration was capped off by a hike back to the truck along AZ Cypress. It was quiet at the trailhead. A shot rang out. I startled and hurt my neck. Time to head back to town for a beer at Sedona Beer Company.
About this Hike: Yesterday's hikes were a bust. AZ Cypress trail in the Dry Creek Basin of Sedona was redeeming value to this Sedona trip.
The trailhead is down a short dirt road (more like a driveway) just off Dry Creek road prior to the 'Y' in the road that leads toward Fay and Boyton Canyons. Enroute I passed many suckers parking their cars on precarious (and possibly illegal?) angles in an effort to get out to Devil's Bridge (I remember the good ol' days when this wasn't a Instagram hot spot).
Anyway, AZ Cypress was much quieter. The driveway leads to a large open dirt area that would be abundant parking. However, the silence was quickly broken by target shooters firing into a soft berm. I opted to park the truck just off the road the trailhead lest they pump lead into it. There's room for two vehicles here. Otherwise, it's a short walk from the open dirt area.
The sound of gunfire aside, this was a very peaceful hike. The AZ Cypress trail starts off in soft sand as it leads toward a dry creekbed. I'm guessing that creek overflows when water is present, hence the sand and soft, erroded berms. Oh and the cypress trees. These have to be some of the biggest Arizona Cypresses I've ever seen—bigger than examples on the Mogollon Rim. Surely these are abundantly watered trees, further evidence that the dry creek can sometimes be a raging torrent.
The well-mapped and signed network of trails in this area lends to some beautiful views of Sedona and west toward Mingus Mountain, Jerome, and even Prescott.
There were some sycamores near the creekbed that I tried to think of as fall color, even if they just turn brownish-orange.
A full and satisfying afternoon of exploration was capped off by a hike back to the truck along AZ Cypress. It was quiet at the trailhead. A shot rang out. I startled and hurt my neck. Time to head back to town for a beer at Sedona Beer Company.
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