Weather: 77ยบ, sunny
About this Hike: The Sedona icon Robber's Roost Hideout Cave has been on my shortlist to visit for a while. Now that I have the 4x4 truck this Red Rock Country landmark is readily accessible.
We've been in a fairly dry spell here in Arizona, and the dirt road out to Robber's Roost would have been passable in most any SUV or even a sedan. It did have a few small washes to cross, so probably not the best idea if wet weather is in the forecast.
I parked at the main parking lot for the cave. It's about another mile hike up the un-maintained dirt road to the trailhead. The trail is short and becomes difficult to follow, although there were cairns. Eventually it leads to the little red butte that houses Robber's Roost.
I'm honestly amazed at how many people have made it to this cave (if you want to call it that—it looks more like an indentation in the side of the butte). I'm even more amazed at the pictures I see of coolers, chairs, and party favors in the cave. You see, the trail eventually gives way to a narrow red-rock shelf. The shelf slopes downward. Downward is a sheer drop several hundred feet off a cliff. No hiking guides I read advised of this.
I have severe fear of heights. With no handholds, and a slope in the slippery red-rock trail, the odds were not in my favor. I tried to be brave and press on. I began to shake violently.
Part of hiking is knowing your limits and knowing when to turn back. I was completely disappointed, because from what I understand the cave was just around the corner from the treacherous point in the trail. My fear of heights has limited me before on past hikes, but living to hike another day is more important.
A flat rock made for a comfortable bench while someone else in my hiking party braved the steep ledge. His report back: The cave and the surrounding views are overrated.
The next part of the hike was a short walk along the road to Casner Mountain trail. This was described in a hiking guide as a set of switchbacks leading to the top of a mesa with elk meadows and possibly some pine forest. Sounded beautiful.
What I got was an extremely steep hike up with loud, buzzy high-voltage lines overhead. The trail ascends through dry desert grassland, and trees/scrub are sparse. The entire trail is exposed. It's actually an old maintenance road for the power lines.
Water and daylight were both running lower than I'd like. I made it to what ended up being a false summit on Casner and decided to turn back.
From near the top of Casner I looked down into a picturesque Sedona landscape with red-rock buttes and spires, and the yawning expanse of Sycamore Canyon. Turns out another mile down the dirt road would have taken me to a trailhead for Sycamore Canyon.
While both my hikes were a bust today, I may come back to explore more of Sycamore Canyon. Apparently there's a 19 mile loop through the canyon that also takes you up Casner Mountain on the backside. Like I've often said, all that hiking teaches me is there are more trails I want to explore.
About this Hike: The Sedona icon Robber's Roost Hideout Cave has been on my shortlist to visit for a while. Now that I have the 4x4 truck this Red Rock Country landmark is readily accessible.
We've been in a fairly dry spell here in Arizona, and the dirt road out to Robber's Roost would have been passable in most any SUV or even a sedan. It did have a few small washes to cross, so probably not the best idea if wet weather is in the forecast.
I parked at the main parking lot for the cave. It's about another mile hike up the un-maintained dirt road to the trailhead. The trail is short and becomes difficult to follow, although there were cairns. Eventually it leads to the little red butte that houses Robber's Roost.
I'm honestly amazed at how many people have made it to this cave (if you want to call it that—it looks more like an indentation in the side of the butte). I'm even more amazed at the pictures I see of coolers, chairs, and party favors in the cave. You see, the trail eventually gives way to a narrow red-rock shelf. The shelf slopes downward. Downward is a sheer drop several hundred feet off a cliff. No hiking guides I read advised of this.
I have severe fear of heights. With no handholds, and a slope in the slippery red-rock trail, the odds were not in my favor. I tried to be brave and press on. I began to shake violently.
Part of hiking is knowing your limits and knowing when to turn back. I was completely disappointed, because from what I understand the cave was just around the corner from the treacherous point in the trail. My fear of heights has limited me before on past hikes, but living to hike another day is more important.
A flat rock made for a comfortable bench while someone else in my hiking party braved the steep ledge. His report back: The cave and the surrounding views are overrated.
The next part of the hike was a short walk along the road to Casner Mountain trail. This was described in a hiking guide as a set of switchbacks leading to the top of a mesa with elk meadows and possibly some pine forest. Sounded beautiful.
What I got was an extremely steep hike up with loud, buzzy high-voltage lines overhead. The trail ascends through dry desert grassland, and trees/scrub are sparse. The entire trail is exposed. It's actually an old maintenance road for the power lines.
Water and daylight were both running lower than I'd like. I made it to what ended up being a false summit on Casner and decided to turn back.
From near the top of Casner I looked down into a picturesque Sedona landscape with red-rock buttes and spires, and the yawning expanse of Sycamore Canyon. Turns out another mile down the dirt road would have taken me to a trailhead for Sycamore Canyon.
While both my hikes were a bust today, I may come back to explore more of Sycamore Canyon. Apparently there's a 19 mile loop through the canyon that also takes you up Casner Mountain on the backside. Like I've often said, all that hiking teaches me is there are more trails I want to explore.
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