Scorpion Pyramid Loop Hike

November 19, 2016

In 2015, the Scorpion and Pyramid trails were opened in West Sedona and as a local hiker I tried them out immediately. Subsequently, I hosted an event for another hiking club on this route before it was the subject of feature articles in both Arizona Highways and the Sedona Monthly magazine. Despite all of this new publicity, the Skyliners had few right-of-way interruptions during the trek.

Left to right: Jim Manning, Connie Woolard, Frank Lombardo, Roger Fenske, Chris Jensen, Joyce Arregui, Bill Woolard, Joanne, Hennings, Karl Sink, Daisy Williams, Jim Gibson, Betty Wolters, Dave Beach, Gary Jacobson - photo by Mark Purcell

As most of the Cottonwood hikers arrived to meet Mark Purcell (leader for this hike) at the trailhead, we almost immediately had a friendly visit from USFS law enforcement who may have been attracted by Dave Beach's large white van that has some resemblance to a commercial transport where a permit would be required. Yes, it may have been a humorous practical joke to "confess" to the officer that Dave "gave us a generous group rate", but for our purposes, the resultant complications would have been neither funny nor practical. In any case, we assured her that no commerce was involved and proceeded on the hike.

After a short walk to the Old Post Trailhead Parking area, we commenced a steady upward ascent on Old Post bypassing the Herkenham Trail. After approximately a mile and a half, we turned left onto Skywalker (above), another new trail that twists and turns behind properties that parallel 89A in West Sedona, including the recently opened Marriott. During this first half of the jaunt, views were stunning but only occasional.

Looking across Sedona to Capitol Butte (AKA Thunder Mountain)

At the halfway point near the high school, we stopped for a snack at the Scheurman Mountain trailhead and then proceeded onto Scorpion (left). Because this trail follows a relatively open path skirting a mountain, sight lines to Cathedral Rock (shown below) and Courthouse were consistently available. After another 1.5 mile segment, we veered onto the Pyramid trail, which evolves into a markedly different landscape. From the saddle, one can observe the Verde Valley and, after a steep descent, close encounters with sheer red rock facings predominate.

View of Cathedral Rock from Scorpion Trail

The only minor disappointment from my previous visits was the absence of large numbers of nesting ravens that would entertain with their aerobatics.

After an early completion at 12:30 p.m., we headed home. If you have capable visitors in town who are looking for a shorter version while still capturing most of the splendor, there is a section of Scorpion that we did not use that joins with Pyramid to form a three-mile loop.

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

This hike was organized by Jim Manning and led by Mark Purcell who also wrote the report. The report was edited and posted by Ellis Price with help from Lila Wright.