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| Hike & Climb | 3.85 Miles |
2,158 AEG |
| | Hike & Climb | 3.85 Miles | 5 Hrs 22 Mns | | 1.16 mph |
| 2,158 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | My first time to Capitol Butte. My second favorite hike in Sedona now. The 360° views at the top are sick. They are almost as good as the views from the north Wilson Mountain overlook, but so much more can be seen from the summit here in every direction. Also, the views are very impressive throughout the entire ascent, with numerous overlooks, so there were multiple stops along the way to admire these. I was accompanied by 3 social media stars, so numerous videos were created throughout this adventure.
There's a pretty well-defined trail almost the entire way, but it's very easy to get off trail. There are a few spots (4 or 5) where the trail disappears completely, and it's necessary to scramble up to continue, but the trail is quite apparent at the top, and none of us had much difficulty with the scrambles. Anyone who is scared of heights might have difficulty with the exposure in some areas. We passed 6 groups who were on their way down who hadn't made it to the top. It ended up being 3.85 miles round trip including all the off-trail excursions. It's not physically difficult, but takes a lot more time than expected, including the scrambling and route finding. Overall it was fun, beautiful, and unique, so I will definitely return. |
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Route Editor
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Route 
. It was good to get out and hike with Todd again. It had been over a year since we last hiked or climbed together. I did remember the views and they are top notch. The other route in my opinion is way more fun with more scrambling and less trail. On the way back, I encountered a female bandit that mirrored my every move to avoid coming anywhere near me.
From the reports this is a trail where eagles fear to tread but we must have taken a different route. ;) We started up the Lizard trail and missed the first right but after some discussion and cheating by looking at the route we were back on trail at the cliff under the lizard. The trail is well defined but there are places where you can miss a turn so if it gets crazy turn back and find the trail again. The sandy soil in spots did make a few of the rocks a little slick but this is easy to watch for so no real trouble there. The final climb looks crazy at first glance but once you get going it's class 3 scrambling just as the hike description says. The 360 views on the summit are top notch so this should be on your short list if you're in the area. Reena was in med school shape so Brian, Duane Boone and I circled back to make sure she was on track a few times but no trouble. Since we were in the area a side trip to Devils Bridge was in order as well. Great hike and great company with an after hike beer and burger at Tlaquepaque. I'd do this one again. 
I had a couple hours to burn this late afternoon and I figured what better way to spend it than climbing up this butte and catching the sunset. I'd done this route last fall, so I was able to make short work of the hike up as I rushed to beat the sun as it slowly dropped towards the horizon. 
I made it in time and spend a good 10-15 minutes enjoying the sunset and it's amazing effect on the red & creamy Sedona sandstone as the full moon was slowly rising to the east. On the descent, I ended up using my headlamp for the last 30 minutes and someone thought I was a lost hiker stuck on the mountain and called the Police on me... 
So I accidently took the very first left and quickly turned back when it started paralleling the road and then I took the next left which shot me towards that drainage to the north of the SW ridge... So FYI ignore the first 2 lefts and take the 3rd one. 
So from that drainage I decided to bushwhack up that slope to that red rock wall below the SW ridge. And once I found the trail below that wall, it was relatively easy to the saddle and then of course the class 2/3 scramble up to the top. Such sweet views and I didn't have to hike 5-10 miles to see them either! 
