Sedona in mid-April? need advice

[empireforest]

I am taking my wife to Sedona for her FIRST TRIP to Arizona in mid-April, and I am very excited! I want to make sure she loves it as much as I do.

I plan to take her hiking on the Dogie trail and/or Bear Mountain trail (I have hiked them both and know they are exquisite) and camp someplace in the backcountry.

I am, however, a bit concerned about the crowds. I was there in October and saw WAY more people than I would have liked. I know April is the high season, maybe even more crowded than October. If we want solitude, are we crazy to try this time of year? Will we be able to find a good place to camp?

I have also thought of taking her camping and hiking near Tucson instead.

Your thoughts? Any feedback is welcome. Thank you.

[Jim]

I have had mixed experiences with crowds in Sedona. Weekends are always worse than mid-week, and the more difficult the trail or the rougher the road to the trailhead, the fewer people you can expect to see. If you can, pick up a map that shows the areas you can't camp in (mine came with a yearly pass I bought at Safeway). Backcountry camping is allowed on Bear Mt, according to my map, and it seems that a lot of places are like this. You can definetly camp on the Rim as accessed by the AB Young trail. The Dogie are is also a good place to camp provide you have or bring water if the creek is dry.

The trails you mention will have folks on them, but they should be far less traveled than Boynton Canyon or the Oak Creek Overlooks that are north of town.

If you want to have the place to yourself, try June. Its not that bad, really. Last year when I went down from Flagstaff I took a lot of water, >3 liters. It will be hot (high 90s), but its dry and if you keep drinking you'll feel fine. Just seek shade or AC as needed. The best part I found was that the whole town was practically deserted (compared to April). Ultimately, that is the downside to a place like Sedona, its a tourist attraction and you just can't escape those nasty tourists ;) .

[empireforest]

Thanks, J. Yes, I love it when it's hot, and would have no trouble even in the middle of Summer (I once went hiking in Phoenix when it was 110 degrees - I was surprised that it was actually quite enjoyable). However, this particular weekend in April is the only time my wife and I are able to go...

When I went camping in Sedona in October, I pulled my car into a dry creek bed and hiked up a little way (I figured the dried, sandy creek bed was one place I could bed down without prickly stuff all over the ground - I was right, it was quite cozy). After that, I could hear several other cars drive up, then pull away. Presumably, they had the same idea I did, but kept going when they saw my car. I am concerned that my wife and I will be one of those cars that gets there a little too late this time... I guess a safe way to avoid this scenario is to backpack into someplace more remote, like along the Dogie trail. Still, doing day hikes is our preference, rather than carrying the extra weight of a pack.

You are right, Sedona is a tourist town! And with good reason - there is so much low-hanging fruit to be found, so many amazing sights visible even from the road. I guess the more off the beaten path, the better.

[Al_HikesAZ]

For hikes, look at the TrailDEX feature here on HAZ. You can identify your search parameters and TrailDEX will show you all hikes that meet your criteria.

If you are planning on camping in the Red Rock Wilderness, I hope you have already reserved a spot. In not, good luck and you better get online pronto and book it. There are some spots that are theoretically available for "walk-ins" but I wouldn't bank on it. If you can't get a spot in the Red Rock Wilderness, you will have to travel somewhere outside the wilderness. I know you can go west toward Honanki/Palatki and camp just west of that road. Or you can travel south to Cottonwood to the Dead Horse State Park. They usually have a campground available.