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| Hiking | 5.00 Miles |
2,100 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.00 Miles | | | |
| 2,100 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | We wanted to go back to Sedona for a day trip and hike a variety of trails. I looked at my Sedona completion list and set my sights on Bear Mountain. It looked like a fun hike and would only take a few hours at most. We’re planning additional hikes making for a full day of hiking. Bear is our start.
We left Scottsdale at 6:30am and headed for Sedona. We opted for driving through Cottonwood and entering Sedona from the west. This worked wonderfully and we hit the trailhead a little after 8:40am. There were only a handful of cars on a chilly and overcast morning. The weather will clear up later in the day.
The hike starts out easy as you make a moderate climb heading northwest. About ten minutes in we see a group of backpackers heading down. We said hi as we passed and I could smell campfire on them. We continued on took a short break roughly a mile in where we briefly talked to another couple also hiking up. Soon after the trail leveled off and I could smell a campfire. We walked around a bend and I could see a campfire ring that was covered with rocks and was smoldering. The backpacking group left their fire in a completely unacceptable manner! More to come on this later…
The rest of the hike to the summit was a solid climb that took some effort. The views on the hike up were just magnificent and sun rays beamed through openings in the clouds. Once up top we took a break and ate a snack. It was still chilly so we didn’t stay too long. We started down and about fifteen minutes later we encountered a volunteer. He stopped us and asked if we knew who was responsible for the smoldering fire ring because fires were illegal on this hike. We gave him a description of the backpackers and had a conversation with him. We estimated that he just missed the group at the trailhead. Their timing had to be close. The volunteer dismantled the fire ring and spread the ashes. Unfortunately the damage was done and those responsible will probably never be located.
From there we headed down and made good time. There were more people on their way up but I wouldn’t say the trail we crowded. We could see the trailhead and most of the parking spaces were full. I expected Sedona to be a zoo on a busy Saturday but it was fine. We arrived back to the jeep and took a break to hydrate and change clothes. By this time the sun was out and the temps warmed up significantly. Next up was Doe Mountain and we were about to begin.
The Bear Mountain trail is a great hike with amazing views! It’s a moderate hike with a very steady gain. Try to hike this on a cool or cloudy day. |
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