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Weekend Warriors Arizona Hiking Guide
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If you're looking for a more secluded and relaxed hike near Sedona and hiking to good views of a unique rock formation appeals to you, this is your hike. This hike is located near Sedona, AZ. From the Sedona area, take HWY 89 about 3 miles after the junction of HWY 179 and HWY 89 in Sedona. Turn right on Dry Creek Road and go 3 miles to the junction of Dry Creek Road and 152D. Turn left and watch your odometer. After 0.6 miles, there's a pulloff on the left side of the road with a break in the fence. This is the start of the Dawa Trailhead. Be Aware of: Pay to park. Multiple trails. 30 yr old Recommendation: This hike is flat with good views of the Cockscomb, Chimney Rock, Capitol Butte, and other well known Sedona landmarks. This is an easy hike. Elevation change: Not much at all Distance: 5.2 miles for the loop described here. Time: It took us two hours. Time of year: all year Solitude: This is a good choice for secluded hiking in the Sedona area. Not many people take this hike. We were here on Memorial Day weekend and only saw one other hiker. There were a few mountain bikers, so be careful. Sedona has recently instituted a "Red Rock Pass", which is a fancy way of saying you need to pay to play. As of May, 2002, the fee is $5 per day per vehicle. There are plenty of places in and around Sedona to pay this fee and get the receipt, which you need to put on your vehicle dash to keep from being towed. On this hike, there is a location after 2.1 miles on Dry Creek Road, next to the turn off for Vultee Arch. The hike starts on the Dawa trail. The mountain you are heading toward is called Doe mountain, which is another hike detailed on this web site. Hike 0.9 miles to the junction of the Dawa Trail and the Cockscomb trail. Take a left on to the Cockscomb trail. Follow the Cockscomb trail where it turns into the Rupp trail. After about 2 miles, keep left at the intersection between the Rupp trail and the Girdner Trail. The Cockscomb rises on your right. Good views of it and the surrounding Sedona area abound on this leg of the hike. After 0.4 miles, turn left onto the AZ Cypress Trail. Take the AZ Cypress trail 0.8 miles to the Dawa trail and follow that about 0.9 miles back to the intersection of Dawa and Cockscomb trails. Turn right back onto the Dawa trail and make your way back to your parking area. Bring a map, as the multiple trails make things confusing! A map is provided by following this link. The trail junctions are well marked, which helps navigation. The flat grade of this hike makes it popular for mountain bikers, so you might want to bring your bike out here sometime as well. There isn't much shade, so bring your sunscreen and lots of water. There are lots of other loop hikes and one way hikes you can make with the abundant number of trails in this area, so feel free to explore. You're supposed to be able to climb to the top of the Cockscomb. If you do, it's about a 600 ft climb. Perhaps we'll try it next time...
[View of the Cockscomb formation]
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