John Guilford's Hikes

Date: 2008-06-23

Location: Boynton Canyon, Sedona

People: (including myself): Pam

				Miles
Start:			11:30	0
Vista:			12:15
Lunch/Turn Around:	1:45	2.4		
Out:			3:30	4.8

To get to the trailhead, from 89A in west Sedona, take Dry Creek Road north.  At the end (a T), take a left on Boynton Canyon Rd.  When this T's into Boynton Pass Rd, take a right.  The trail head is a short distance on the right. 

Near the beginning of the trail there is a short side trail leading up to a viewpoint vista.  The main trail follows along the east side of the Enchantment Resort for a surprisingly (to us) long way.  Eventually you pass the northern end of the resort.  The trail continues north before left turn into Boynton Canyon proper. 

A short way after the start of the trail, a side trail splits off and climbs up a little saddle viewpoint vista.  We decided to go there on the way in when we were fresher.  It is a relatively short side trip well worth the effort.  We met a pair of hikers coming the other way who told us that the vista was supposed to be one of the vortexes that Sedona is famous for. 

After returning from the vista, we continued up the main trail.  It wanders along the side of the resort for a while.  Eventually we left the resort behind. The trail here is pretty open, and hence it is sunny and warm.  It was along here that we realized how fast we were going through our water and came to the conclussion that we wouldn't likely be able to get to the end of the canyon.  Still, we wanted to reach the more wooded canyon beyond the bend.  Even if we couldn't go all the way, the views of the red rock still made the hike worthwhile. 

We continued on while watching our water consumption.  Eventually the vegetation got higher and we started getting more shade.  Soon we were among real trees.  The hiking is more pleasant here.  After meeting some more hikers coming the other way, we decided that trying to push all the way to the canyon head wasn't a good idea.  It wasn't worth the risk of overheating due to lack of water on the hike out.

We found a nice, shady spot for lunch.  Somewhat refreshed, we turned around and headed back out. The lighting had changed with the passing time, and facing the other way we saw a different aspect of the surrounding red rock. 

The hike out didn't seem as long as it did on the way in, but that's a common perception.  Soon we got to the more exposed (sunny) part of the trail, then we hit the edge of the resort, and finally we were at the trailhead. 

It was a gorgeous trail which we highly recommend.  We just wish we had brought more water so that we could have explored more and gone to the end of the canyon.  We were tempted to come back again (with more water), but with so many other trails to places we hadn't been, we knew we wouldn't be back this trip. 

John sitting at the Vista overlook. 

Vista overlook as seen from the main trail. 

Canyon rim from inside Boynton Canyon. 

John, after lunch. 

Looking into Boynton Canyon from near the resort.  The route leads straight back into the center of the photo and then turns left into the more wooded canyon. 

Red rock near the start of the trail, showing some of the resort buildings.