| | -
-
-
-
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
-
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 9.33 Miles |
1,997 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.33 Miles | 6 Hrs 31 Mns | | 1.72 mph |
| 1,997 ft AEG | 1 Hour 6 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | After a hot summer of not hiking the gang decided to head up to Sedona for an easy warm up hike. LOL. The plan was to hike a loop around Cathedral Rock going counter-clockwise. We started at Yavapai Vista following Slim Shady Trail north. Slim Shady is a pretty trail that winds north through the forest, and true to its name it was nice and shady. We turned left at the trail junction and followed the Templeton Trail toward the West. Once we got out of the forest we could see that the trail was taking us toward Cathedral Rock which got larger and larger as we approached.
When we reached the junction with the short Cathedral Rock trail we could see that there was a line of people heading up and down the rock. The sign said that it was only 0.3 miles up so we got into the line and started up. It starts with some stairs that have fences on both sides to help you stay on the trail. So far so good. Then you run out of stairs and start walking up the red rock which keeps getting steeper and steeper. For the most part it isn't too difficult but there are a couple of spots where I needed to use my hands to hold on. The steepest bits follow crevices in the rock that help give traction. There are markings painted on the rock to indicate the preferred path which help a lot. It's hard work climbing the steep rock and I had to stop and rest several times on the way up. Luckily there are plateaus periodically where one can rest out of the way of folks on the trail. The last stretch to the top has stairs so you don't have to worry about sliding down, but my legs were complaining anyway from the steep climb. But finally we got to the top which is a reasonably broad plateau just South of the Northernmost flat topped peak. Spectacular view from the top. Totally worth it. We stopped, rested, had snacks and took pictures. There's a popular picture spot on the side of that North peak that looks precarious with a several hundred foot vertical drop, but it's easy enough to get to.
I should mention that there was a high wind advisory for Coconino and about half way up the rock at the top of the steepest section we got out onto a plateau and the wind was really cranking. Not so hard that it was hard to stand, but hard enough to take hats off and generally be unpleasant. Luckily the trail had some sheltered areas after that. Anyway, after resting at the top where it wasn't windy at all, we followed the trail to the South which led to a short, steep climb to a small plateau between the spires. This spot was a wind tunnel and we only stayed long enough to catch our breath.
I was a little apprehensive about the climb down because I know that up is usually easier than down. But down wasn't so bad. I'm not ashamed to admit that I slid down on my butt on a couple of the really steep spots. But we got down in fairly short order. It was not as exhausting as going up, but my legs were really feeling it when we got to the bottom.
After a short rest we continued West on Templeton Trail. The trail wound around Cathedral Rock and then started going downhill to Oak Creek. There were lots of people along the creek since it was a warm and sunny day. We followed the creek for a short way and then got to a sign pointing us up the hill away from the Creek. When we got to the junction with the Baldwin Trail we went left to take the shorter segment of the loop towards the Hiline Trail which we followed back to the start.
Hiline Trail started out gently climbing which was ok. But then there were some seriously steep sections. At the top of the steepest rocky chute there were several mountain bikers working up the nerve to continue down the trail. We were heading up and didn't wait to see if anyone did that kamikaze run. I'm not a mountain biker, but it didn't look survivable to me. After that super steep section it leveled off for a bit, and then climbed some more. Not quite as steep but more than enough for my tired legs. Eventually we reached the ridge and the trail levelled out. This part of the trail is on the plateau on the South side of Cathedral Rock, and we were almost level with where we climbed on Cathedral Rock trail.
Hiline followed the ridge away from Cathedral Rock to the next mountain to the South, and then climbed some more. Ugh. At a plateau there is a junction with the Transept Trail, but we stayed on Hiline which traversed around the mountain at the high elevation we had reached. That explains the trail name. After what seemed forever we finally started going downhill and back to the Yavapai Vista.
It was a lot more distance and elevation than I had wanted for a first hike of the season, but there were amazing views all along the way. |
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 