Grand Falls

Weather:  71º, mix of sun, clouds, and rain

About this Hike:  Rainy weather has messed up my Sedona hiking plans for this week.  My originally scheduled hike up Secret Mountain via Loy Canyon has to be postponed to another time.  Even when there are breaks in the rain and the sun comes out, it is scorching at this elevation and the humidity is high.  The Loy Canyon hike needs to be for a cooler time of year. 

Regardless, today was a "when life gives you lemons..." scenario.  All the rain has led to high flow rates on the Little Colorado River which means Grand Falls are flowing strong.  I feel like I should have stayed in Flagstaff.  Three of the five days of this week in Sedona I've ended up going up to the Flagstaff area.  

Grand Falls is actually about a 40 mile drive east of Flagstaff on Navajo land.  There's about nine miles of dirt road after leaving the pavement to get out to the falls.  It's a very wide and good dirt road, but with extreme washboarding. 

Once you arrive, the parking area overlooks the falls.  There's picnic shelters and tables, interpretive signs, and a bathroom.  All of this comes with no fees or red tape, which is surprising.  

If you want to get down close to the falls, it's about a half-mile hike and it does have some scrambling near the end.  I downloaded the All Trails map.  While you wouldn't think this is necessary for such a short hike, following the trail is a bit tricky in spots, so it helps to have the map.  

The falls were roaring and showering their "chocolate" mist as we got up close.  Some of the falls are bigger than others, and some look like little ribbons.  The red rock canyon walls contrast with the black volcanic rock and soil that is so prevalent in this part of Arizona.  

A dark cloud formed over the canyon and outflow winds picked up—a sure sign of a thunderstorm.  Thankfully it blew past us and made for some interesting photo-ops when we hiked out of the canyon and back to the observation area.  The dark clouds had pushed along the Little Colorado and onto the distant plain. The lightning far off was dazzling to watch. 

We packed out and made the washboardy drive back to pavement.  There is a parking area at the junction with the paved highway that's good for adjusting tire pressure.  In this case I'd aired down below 25 PSI, in an effort to soften the constant vibration from the washboards.  

All in all, this was an important check off my Arizona bucket list.  I've wanted to see the Grand Falls for a while, and conditions were just such that it was a perfect day to do so. 

Caves of the Dry Creek Basin / Secret Mountain Wilderness

Weather:  79º, mix of sun, clouds, and rain

About this Hike:  This was really two hikes out to separate caves in the Sedona area.  The first cave is the Subway Cave and the second is the Birthing Cave.  I've seen many pictures of both, and wanted to see them up close for myself.  

The Subway Cave is a bone of contention with Sedona locals and preservationists alike. This once little-known area has become an overrun tourist trap, just like so much of Sedona.  On a rainy Tuesday morning the full parking lot at Boynton Canyon attested to this.  

After hiking a few miles up Boynton Canyon, there is a side trail to the Subway.  Someone put fallen tree limbs in front of it, indicating that this is not a trail.  Many a confused tourist continued straight on Boynton Canyon, so the tree limbs served their purpose of throwing off the inexperienced hikers just doing this for the Instagram photos.  

As you approach the Subway, a sign asks that people respect the cultural heritage and significance of this site.  In addition to the cave, there are native ruins and petroglyphs.  

The ruins and petroglyphs are easy to get up to and only require scrambling.  There is something of a mezzanine that wraps around the red rock face from the ruins and into the cave.  However, there are at least two sketchy ledges that one wrong move would lead to a fall of certain death.  The cave can also be accessed via a slick red rock chute at the mouth of the cave.  While older, less-in-shape folks than myself were getting up into the cave, I could not.  I deal with extreme fear of heights, and thought this was one I should sit out.  I climbed up the chute enough to at least see inside the cave.  It was crowded with tourists, and honestly, not that appealing. 

The aptly named Birthing Cave was a lot easier.  A relatively short hike leads to the crevice in the red rock cliffs, and only a scramble is required to get up into the cave.  

From Robbers Roost, to Keyhole, and now to Subway—myself and the Sedona caves have a checkered history.  In fact Birthing Cave is the only one I've been able to fully get inside of.  Loose rock shelves and narrow ledges have kept me from fully getting inside the other caves.  I calculate risk carefully, and these are risks I'm not willing to take. 

Kendrick Peak

Weather:  71º  dry, sunny

About this Hike:   AZ Wilderness Brewing Company spotlights hiking areas in our state via social media posts. They also brewed a beer called Kendrick Kolsch.  A few months ago AZ Wilderness posted about this beer and its namesake hiking area, and I was intrigued. 

I'm a sucker for any hike with a reward at the end, and Kendrick Peak does not disappoint.  The fun begins when you turn off Highway 180 just north of the Nordic Center and onto dirt forest roads.  I'd say these are good forest roads, and they are not shelf roads at all.  However, the first few miles really show the toll a rainy summer can take on dirt track.  The road is full of crater-size potholes.  Extreme caution is advised to navigate around these without destroying your vehicle's suspension.  

Eventually the road conditions do improve.  It's about seven miles over dirt to the well-maintained trailhead.  I was surprised to find a freshly painted latrine and even trash receptacles at the trailhead.  Luxurious, indeed by US Forest Service standards. 

A year ago I did the Bear Jaw Abineau Loop in the not-so-far-off Kachina Peaks Wilderness.  Kendrick lacks the beautiful old-growth forest that is so prevalent on Bear Jaw.  It's not that there isn't any forest—in fact there's plenty of ponderosa, aspen, and some firs—it's just smaller and less dense than other parts of Coconino Forest.

There is some fire damage, which is especially prevalent near the peak.  The hike of about 4.5 miles to the peak is over very well maintained trail.  The elevation gain of just under 3,000 feet is steady but gradual—nothing super steep.  

The first 'false summit' brings you to an area of intense fire damage.  In this area is a small cabin, although I'm certain it's a replica of an older structure.  The trees around it are far too scorched for a wood cabin to have survived in this area.

A little further up the trail and you'll arrive at the Kendrick Fire Lookout.  By fire lookout standards, this one is fairly modern, being composed of nearly all steel.  I couldn't find any road up Kendrick Peak, but there is a helipad next to the fire lookout.  Engravings on the helipad concrete indicate it was built in 1979.  Perhaps the lookout tower was built with supplies air lifted up Kendrick Peak? 

Standing on the helipad is also a good location for enjoying the scenery.  Today was a good air quality day, and the views stretched for miles.  To the north the Grand Canyon was visible.  Humphrey's Peak was also very visible as were rolling green hills and tiny ranches far in the valley below.