West Fork of Oak Creek

Cappie’s Scoop: Water and sand, this was so much fun! I felt like I was at the beach. The trail is very sandy and we crossed the stream like 13 times so I got my paws wet a lot which cooled them off. At the end of the maintained trail is a narrow canyon that had a lot of water. Mom said if she had some water shoes and neoprene socks, we would’ve kept going another 2 miles through the canyon pool! I hope we can do that one day – what a fun adventure that would be! Don’t hesitate to add YOUR scoop in the comments below!

Tips: This canyon is a great spot to visit any time of the year! I’d recommend checking the weather before you go because the canyon can get hot even though there is a lot of shade on the trail. We hiked this spot at the start of fall and the canyon colors were really amazing – red, yellow, orange, and pink! There are some gorgeous red maple trees that were just so vibrant! If you go in the winter, there are icicles that hang from the red rocks.

Directions: The turn to the parking lot is off of 89A. If you’re coming from Sedona, it will be a left turn and if you’re coming from Flagstaff, it will be a right turn. The parking lot is very small so arrive early. If the lot is full, you will be waiting in line until someone leaves.