Boynton Canyon - Mushroom

On 26 March 2011, sixteen Skyliners hiked to the mushroom formation in Boynton Canyon. From Cottonwood we drove north on Hwy 89A to Sedona and turned left onto Dry Creek

Road. From there we followed the signs, turning left on Boynton Pass Road and then right on Boynton Canyon Road, to the trailhead parking lot located on the right just before the road ends at the entrance to Enchantment resort.

The trail crosses a wash and leads up the canyon skirting the resort. About 1.7 miles from the trailhead we took an unmarked but fairly well defined trail to the right. An alligator juniper with two main trunks marks the turnoff, which is located just a few yards short of the tree.

Alligator juniper with two main trunks

The trail crosses a wash and leads, at first gently, up the slope of the canyon wall. Shortly, however, it starts to climb rather steeply. Before we reached our goal we had climbed around 800 feet from the bottom of the wash. Along the way, we encountered some really steep climbs (requiring the use of both hands and feet, sometimes knees) as we navigated our way up over three major ledges. The trail ascends to a ledge and then follows along it to reach an access point to climb to the next ledge. There were two of these climbs to higher ledges, each reached by a really steep climb, before we made our last steep climb to reach the ledge at which Mushroom is located. The Mushroom actually is separated from a larger ledge by a narrow crack that one can easily step across to stand on top of the formation.

On the way up we noted a unique formation that looks like a bear eating from a honey tree. Shown in the following photographs are shots of this “bear eating honey” formation, hikers emerging on top of the first of the three ledges, hikers ascending the second ledge and a view across Boynton Canyon from the second ledge.

Bear eating honey

Hikers ascending first of three ledges

Hikers ascending the second ledge

When we reached the top of the second ledge, we paused for a few minutes to catch our breath and enjoy the grand view out across Boynton Canyon.

Looking back across Boynton Canyon

But our goal was the mushroom formation, so we shortly pushed on, traveling about two-tenths of a mile along the ledge to the northeast before reaching a point from which we could climb to the top of the third ledge and the Mushroom.

As we approached the beginning of this third (and final) steep climb, we caught our first sight of Mushroom (below), framed by sky, trees and the cliff face. Encouraged by the sight of our goal, we wasted little time in starting the final push to the top.

Our first glimpse of Mushroom from the second ledge

The final climb to Mushroom

David Beach doing the victory dance on top of Mushroom. Note the bush 

growing out of a crack in the foreground. That crack separates Mushroom 

from the ledge from which this picture was taken.

On the way back down we noted a strange leaning rock formation that we had missed coming up. It seems almost to defy gravity and I wouldn’t want to be below it during an earthquake.

The gravity defying leaning rock

Left to right (standing): Lila Wright, Jim Manning, Name Withheld, 

Collene Maktenieks, Donna Goodman, Connie Woolard, Kwi Johnson, 

David Beach, Anita Jackson, Linda Tovar and John McInerney; 

Crouching: Betty Wolters, Daisy Williams - Photograph by the author

The round trip hike was about 6.4 miles. The elevation change was around 960 feet, 800 of that in the 1.3 mile climb from the wash to the top of Mushroom. Note that the total hike distance given here includes about 0.4 miles that I hiked along the ledge from Mushroom.

The GPS track for this hike is shown on the included map (below).

Rabbit Ears Loop with a Detour to Jacks Canyon Trailhead

The Skyliners hiked Rabbit Ears Loop on 19 March 2010. Rabbit Ears Loop is not a designated trail, but instead utilizes parts of Big Park Loop Trail and Courthouse Butte Loop Trail along with several social trails. As described, this hike starts at the Bell Rock Parking Area, and follows Bell Rock Path for about 0.4 miles, continues on Big Park Loop to Courthouse Butte Loop. Along the way, to the north, Courthouse Butte loomed starkly against a brilliant blue sky.

Courthouse Butte – Photograph taken 2 January 2010

We followed Courthouse Butte Loop Trail a little less that 0.1 before turning to the right at a wash marked by a tree to follow an ancient, unofficial trail (shown on some old maps as Rabbit Ears Loop) This social trail leads east along the south side of Munds Mountain to the Rabbit Ears formation. The trail then turns south and climbs to the backbone of a ridge where it intersects with another old trail once named Dairy Springs. In one direction, this old trail leads south to Jacks Canyon Trailhead. In the other direction leads west along the backbone of the ridge to the junction of Big Park Loop and Courthouse Butte Trails. We took the south fork to Jacks Canyon Trailhead. Then, after only a brief pause there, returned by the same path to the top of the ridge and followed the old Dairy Springs Trail west, completing the Rabbit Ears Loop.

The photograph below shows the tree that marks the turnoff from Courthouse Butte Loop Trail at the wash.

Tree marking turnoff from Courthouse Loop at a wash

The following photograph, also taken during a previous hike, shows George Everman standing in the wash and pointing out the social trail, which leaves the wash about twenty yards upstream from Courthouse Butte Loop, and leads up the left bank. This trail will eventually take us to the Rabbit Ears formation.

George pointing to the social trail

The trail is easy to follow, showing a few footprints and a lot of bicycle tracks. Continuing on the trail after leaving the wash for almost 0.25 miles, we came out on a smooth rock ledge from where we could see Rabbit Ears clearly in the distance.

Rabbit Ears formation in the distance

As noted, the trail, except for the bare rock surface across the ledge, was easy to follow. It seems to be heavily used by bikers and we just looked for the tire tracks and the occasional hiker's footprint in the dirt. About half a mile from where from where the trail started across the rock ledge we found an especially interesting old snag.

Old snag alongside the trail on the way to Rabbit Ears.

At a distance of about 0.3 miles from the Rabbit Ears (right), the trail veers a bit to the right (southeast and then south) and climbs to the top of a small ridge.

Shortly after topping the ridge, the trail forks; one branch leads off to the left (south) and the other goes straight ahead (west). (Note: On the old Arizona Topographic map that I use on my GPS, both branches are part of the Dairy Springs Trail.) Our return path to rejoin Big Park Loop Trail at the junction with Courthouse Butte Loop Trail lay straight ahead.

However, we knew that the left fork of the trail would take us down to the start of Jacks Canyon Trail, so as already noted, several of the group decided to hike down and back up before completing the Rabbit Ears Loop. The trail led steadily downhill, eventually passing thru a fence at an equestrian gate, continued down to cross the wash in Jacks Canyon and then through two more equestrian gates on either side of Jacks Canyon Road before reaching Jacks Canyon Trailhead (left), a short distance from the road.

Jacks Canyon Trail itself is accessed by passing through an equestrian gate just to the right of the sign. To access Rabbit Ears Loop Trail (unofficial name) one just turns left at the sign, rather than pass through the gate, follows a well-trodden path running parallel to the fence down to and across Jacks Canyon road and continues on the old Dairy Springs Trail to the top of the ridge. In other words, just retrace the way we had come.

The hike by, the route we took, to the Rabbit Ears formation is about 2.3 miles from the Bell Rock Parking Area. By contrast it is about 2.0 miles if one chose to hike in from Jacks Canyon Trailhead.

We did not get an acceptable group photograph for this hike. However the hikers included: Jan PreFontaine, the author, Betty Wolters, Donna Goodman, Miriam Sterling, Daisy Williams, Jim Manning, David Nelson, George Everman, Marvin Alt, Fran Lind, Lila Wright, Nancy Hawkins, Dolly Yapp, Akemi Tomioka, Harold Hawkins, Collene Maktenieks and one unnamed hiker.

The total distance for the hike as described in this report is about 8.0 miles including the trip to Jacks Canyon Trailhead. The highest elevation is 4705 feet and the total ascent is 1423 feet.

The GPS track for the hike is shown on the included map (below). The red track shows the route we took to the Rabbit Ears formation and on to Jacks Canyon Trailhead; the blue track shows the east-west section of the old Dairy Springs Trail that completes the Rabbit Ears Loop.

Long Canyon Indian Ruins

Sixteen Skyliners hiked to Indian ruins in Long Canyon on 5 March 2011. Meeting at the Safeway parking lot in Cottonwood we took Hwy 89A to Sedona and turned left onto Dry Creek Road. After about 1.5 miles on Dry Creek Road, we turned right onto Long Canyon Road (FR 152D) and traveled for around 0.6 miles to reach the trailhead. Parking at the trailhead, we followed Long Canyon Trail for about 2.1 miles before coming to a faint trail that leads off to the right, crosses a wash and then climbs steeply up the canyon wall to the Indian ruins. An almost buried rock (right) in the trail marks the turnoff.

From the turnoff it is a steep climb (600 feet in 0.7 miles) up the canyon wall to the ruins.

Climbing the canyon wall to the Indian ruins - Photograph by Jon Lloyd.

We struggled over two rather difficult ledges and up some steep slopes before reaching our goal, the path to which passed between an ice cream shaped rock formation to the left and three sentinel-like rock spires to the right. All the while, the scenery ahead was breathtaking, keeping us focused on our goal. The pictures below and on the following two page show our approach (between the Ice Cream Cone and the Three Sentinels), the ruins, paintings on the cliff wall and the surrounding scenery.

Ice cream cone to the left three sentinels in the right – picture by Jon Lloyd

The well-preserved ruins tucked under an overhang in the cliff wall were

well worth the climb

The below photograph shows just what a cozy place, tucked well under the cliff overhang, the occupants had chosen for their dwelling.

Photograph showing how well-protected from the elements the location was

Paintings on the cliff wall at the Indian Ruins – photo by Jon Lloyd

Looking back at the three sentinels from the ruins – photo by Jon Lloyd

All sixteen hikers (Donna Goodman, Jon Lloyd, Lila Wright, Marvin Alt, Jim Manning, Daisy Williams, David Beach, Linda Tovar, John McInerney, Miriam Sterling, Dolly Yapp, Jan PreFontaine, the author and three others) having made it up the steep slope, we rewarded ourselves with a good long break while we examined the ruins.

When we left the ruins it was nearing lunch time and we went in search of a nice spot to eat. Returning to Long Canyon Trail, we followed it on up the canyon for about another 0.7 miles before turning off to eat at a high, sunny spot that was also the approach to some caves that Jim had recently visited with another group.

The turnoff, located around 2.8 miles from the lower trailhead, is marked by what appears to be an old camping site. One turns off to the right, crosses the wash and climbs up the canyon wall along a side canyon.

After a moderately difficult climb we found ourselves high up on an open ledge between Long Canyon and the side canyon and stopped for lunch. As the others settled down on the ledge, I climbed to the top of the ridge behind it where I had a better view up and down Long Canyon could take a quick nap after eating.

After lunch the main party proceeded on up the side canyon, while David Beach, who had climbed up to awaken me, and I crossed down the other side of the ridge to join them. Jim led us to several caves that showed signs of human habitation…ranging from old cooking fires and barrel hoops left behind by moonshiners to currently stashed supplies in five-gallon buckets. We went first along the main side canyon to look at caves then retraced our steps and turned up a spur canyon that took us to a cave that, according to reports recently had semi-permanent residents that the Forest Service had to remove.

It was easy to see why this cave is so popular. Just outside lies a deep pool of fresh water and just across the stream below the pool is located a smaller cave that we decided was the guest cottage. Dolly and I thought of George and decided to take a picture of the smaller cave for his benefit.

Dolly posing in mouth of small cave

We returned to the main trail and headed back to our cars at the trailhead. This trip to visit the caves added about 2.4 miles to our hike.

The total hike, according to my GPS after I downloaded and cleaned up the file, was 7.7 miles, and the elevation change (low point to high point) was around 1000 feet.

A GPS track of this hike is shown on the included map (below).