When most Arizona hikers hear the words "Sycamore Canyon," a certain red rock canyon near Sedona usually comes to mind. But there is another Sycamore Canyon, this one in the Pajarita Wilderness on the border with Mexico, which is just as spectacular and has a few unique attractions all its own.
From the trailhead, follow the trail (an old jeep road) across a small field and a wash. Very quickly, you will come to a FS interpretive sign telling you about the Hank and Yank Ruins. On this site was the ranch of John (Yank) Bartlett and Henry (Hank) Hewitt, two trappers and army scouts. In 1886 the ranch was attacked by Indians, who killed a neighbor and injured Hank. Yank's son Johnny made a daring escape and brought help from nearby Oro Blanco. All that remains is a
crumbling adobe wall.
Continue on the trail past the ruins. It quickly drops into the
canyon. The trail through the first part of the canyon is overgrown and somewhat tough to follow. It is not an actual designated and maintained trail, but rather a use trail that has developed. The trail disappears whenever the canyon slots up and fades in and out otherwise. However, route finding is no hassle. Just stick to the canyon and you should be fine.
After about 1/2 mile, Sycamore Canyon begins to reveal its wonders. You will come into a large basin type area. A small waterfall trickles down into a pool filled with dozens of minnows. The
craggy canyon walls reveal many
pinnacles and
hoodoos. The trail scrambles on top of a small outcrop with a small campsite and a
nice view. Just past this outcrop comes the first slot of the canyon. A
fallen tree welcomes you in. To get past this part, you must be willing to do a small bit of climbing/scrambling on the right
canyon wall. This canyon does place a premium on agility. However, hikers who are not so sure footed can avoid all this by simply wading in the
knee-deep creek. The canyon stays rather narrow for awhile past this point, so rock-hopping is necessary, but the
scenery more than makes up for it. After a few more twists and turns, the canyon opens up again and the walking becomes easy along gravel stream beds. You will encounter your first of this canyon's
white-barked namesake. This part of the canyon is not only protected by wilderness status, but has also been designated as the Gooding Natural Research Area. Sycamore Canyon is apparently the habitat for rare and unusual plants and fish too numerous to list. So, please, tread lightly!
At 2.7 miles, the canyon enters another
narrow bottleneck. This one is easier to navigate than the first. After scrambling through rocks, the canyon opens up yet again. This is a decent turnaround point, or, if you want, you can continue down the canyon to the Mexican border. The creek is flowing through small foothills at the border, and a barbed wire fence impedes further progress. Turn around and go back the way you came.
