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| Black Canyon - Cottonwood, AZ | | -
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| | Black Canyon - Cottonwood, AZ | | | |
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Black Canyon - Cottonwood, AZ
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| Hiking | 9.27 Miles |
2,013 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.27 Miles | 5 Hrs 20 Mns | | 2.17 mph |
| 2,013 ft AEG | 1 Hour 4 Mns Break | | | |
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| Partners |
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none
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| no partners | | Had a great time here 2 years ago, so we came back for more. We started around 11am. Weather was high 60s and overcast. This time we were accompanied by a shih tzu named Popcorn who had hiked 3.5 miles the day before, so she was totally ready for this.
The trail begins with a short descent, then a steady, gradual ascent of about 1200 feet AEG over 3 miles. There are nice views of the surrounding hills, as well as the red rocks of Sedona and the snow-covered San Francisco Peaks in the distance. Popcorn walked about half of it, but then enjoyed the views and scents from her carrier.
At 3.25 miles we took the unmarked side trail down into the canyon. It begins as a mild descent but soon becomes steeper, with loose rocks and thorny branches hanging over the trail. The creek at the bottom was low, but after we crossed the creek and climbed over the ridge, the water was flowing great. The trail ends at a swimming hole with a 15-foot waterfall at the end. Just downstream is a 10-foot waterfall and a deeper swimming hole, which looks deep enough for cliff jumping if the water was warmer than 40°.
We took a long break for lunch and a polar plunge (not me), then headed upstream. There are use trails on each side of the creek, with a little scrambling required. There is another 10-foot waterfall, then a number of tiny (2-4 foot) falls and swimming holes along the way. At about 0.4 miles in, the canyon turns sharply to the right, with a nice 60-70 foot waterfall just past the turn. I was by myself at this point, so I took some pics and headed back. We climbed down to the bottom of the 10 foot waterfall and explored that area, then headed back. The return trip was pretty quick.
Overall, a great trip. The weather was perfect for hiking. The water was flowing much better than April 2022, and the falls were excellent. There were a number of people on the main trail, but we only saw one person after we took the side trail down into the canyon. Popcorn did great, and was fast asleep the entire ride home. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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