Weather: 85º, sunny
About this Hike: It's too hot for October! So a hike to a swimming hole seemed like a good idea.
After a week in Sedona, driving south on 179 back to I-17, the landscape quickly changes from beautiful Red Rock Country to high-desert wasteland–a reminder I'm heading back to Phoenix. Today's the first day of my vacation in Sedona, and going down 179 S is a dismal reminder that my vacation will end in a few days. However, the Bell Trail lies just southeast of I-17. It's decent paved Forest Service Road the whole way there. Needless to say I wasn't expecting much from this area. Was I ever wrong. This hike on relatively flat, graded trail runs parallel to the lush riparian environment around Wet Beaver Creek. Even though we've been in a post-monsoon dry/hot spell, the waters of this creek were flowing strong.
It was my goal to reach the Wet Beaver Crack Swimming Hole (awful name, I know). After over an hour hike and some side-trail detours down to the creek, we came to a junction. Go left to stay on Bell Trail. Go right to take the Weir Trail. There's a map posted at the junction, and it looked to me like Weir crossed the creek. We reached a shaded oasis area with red rock cliffs and even a small waterfall. There's a USGS monitoring station there, and the small dam creates a bit of a luge. I sat on the smooth red sandstone and dipped my hot feet in the icy water. I thought that maybe this was the Beaver Crack Swimming Hole, but my instincts told me it was not.
Upon returning to the junction, I studied the map more carefully. It did in fact appear Bell Trail crossed the creek up ahead. Another hiker came by and I confirmed with him that Beaver Crack was still ahead. At this point the trail does require a semi-steep climb high above the creek. It eventually drops down to the swimming hole. The red rock cliffs and black edges of the Mogollon Rim grew more and more stunning.
Once at the swimming hole I realized why 'crack' is in the name. There is a fissure in the red sandstone-encompassed pool that is almost Lake Powell-esque. There were other hikers sunbathing and enjoying the swimming hole. I regretted not having a swimsuit on.
An even deeper regret? I slightly underestimated the mileage and time on this hike. With all the side detours, this took approximately 2.5 hours to hike in. Water was running low for both myself and my hiking mate. As a seasoned hiker this failure of planning hurt my pride, but I asked some generous hikers if they could spare a bottle of water. They kindly obliged. I was humbled.
The hike back out to the trailhead parking lot took just over an hour. Next time, I'm planning to bring a lot more water. And my swimsuit so I can get in the water.
About this Hike: It's too hot for October! So a hike to a swimming hole seemed like a good idea.
After a week in Sedona, driving south on 179 back to I-17, the landscape quickly changes from beautiful Red Rock Country to high-desert wasteland–a reminder I'm heading back to Phoenix. Today's the first day of my vacation in Sedona, and going down 179 S is a dismal reminder that my vacation will end in a few days. However, the Bell Trail lies just southeast of I-17. It's decent paved Forest Service Road the whole way there. Needless to say I wasn't expecting much from this area. Was I ever wrong. This hike on relatively flat, graded trail runs parallel to the lush riparian environment around Wet Beaver Creek. Even though we've been in a post-monsoon dry/hot spell, the waters of this creek were flowing strong.
It was my goal to reach the Wet Beaver Crack Swimming Hole (awful name, I know). After over an hour hike and some side-trail detours down to the creek, we came to a junction. Go left to stay on Bell Trail. Go right to take the Weir Trail. There's a map posted at the junction, and it looked to me like Weir crossed the creek. We reached a shaded oasis area with red rock cliffs and even a small waterfall. There's a USGS monitoring station there, and the small dam creates a bit of a luge. I sat on the smooth red sandstone and dipped my hot feet in the icy water. I thought that maybe this was the Beaver Crack Swimming Hole, but my instincts told me it was not.
Upon returning to the junction, I studied the map more carefully. It did in fact appear Bell Trail crossed the creek up ahead. Another hiker came by and I confirmed with him that Beaver Crack was still ahead. At this point the trail does require a semi-steep climb high above the creek. It eventually drops down to the swimming hole. The red rock cliffs and black edges of the Mogollon Rim grew more and more stunning.
Once at the swimming hole I realized why 'crack' is in the name. There is a fissure in the red sandstone-encompassed pool that is almost Lake Powell-esque. There were other hikers sunbathing and enjoying the swimming hole. I regretted not having a swimsuit on.
An even deeper regret? I slightly underestimated the mileage and time on this hike. With all the side detours, this took approximately 2.5 hours to hike in. Water was running low for both myself and my hiking mate. As a seasoned hiker this failure of planning hurt my pride, but I asked some generous hikers if they could spare a bottle of water. They kindly obliged. I was humbled.
The hike back out to the trailhead parking lot took just over an hour. Next time, I'm planning to bring a lot more water. And my swimsuit so I can get in the water.
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| Beaver Crack |
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| Quiet oasis near the USGS site on Weir Trail |
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| Like Fossil Creek.... |
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