John Guilford's Hikes

Date: 2008-06-26

Location: Jordan Trail, Sedona

People: (including myself): Pam

			Miles
Start:		10:45	0
Sinkhole:	11:30	1.5
Out:		12:15	3

According to our guide, the trail access was from the end of Jordan Road.  Unfortunately for us, this required us to cross the junction of Route 89A and Route 179.  Due to construction in Sedona, there was quite a backup and it took a while to get through.  We didn't realize we could have driven up Soldier Pass Road and get to the other end of the trail. 

We drove out Jordan Road and found the good sized parking area at the end.  We had to hike back down the road a bit before we found the trailhead we were looking for.  There are a number of different trails that use the same parking lot. 

As we started on Jordan Trail proper, we saw that the terrain was crisscrossed with a number of trails (possibly used for mountain bikes?).  For a while the trail somewhat follows some power lines, eventually moving away from them.  The terrain is pretty open and sunny. 

Along the trail we met a local hiker who gave us some useful info on the area and other hikes.  She suggested Fay Canyon after we mentioned how much we like Boynton Canyon.  She also told us about a large sink hole further along Jordan Trail.  We followed the trail to the sink hole, which is near an area used by some 4x4 jeep tours.  The rock near there was well worn from their tires. 

After spending a little time around the sink hole, we turned around and headed back. Half way along the trail there is a junction with the Cibola Pass trail.  This trail climbs over a low pass and ends up back at the same parking lot we started at.  We thought about trying it, but without a better map/guide we decided not to.  During the hike in, we were a bit concerned about the possibility of taking a wrong turn on our return due to the plethora of crossing trails, but that turned out not to be an issue.  We had no trouble discerning the main trail and soon found our way back to Jordan Road and the trail head parking lot. 

Sinkhole near Soldier Pass Road

Pam looking over the rock and trail.