After Spring Training with friends in Phoenix, we started a road trip through the Southwest. We drove to Sedona for the day and did several day hikes. Our first stop was at the Oak Creek Vista where we got a look at the canyon formed by Oak Creek.
After a couple of miles of switchbacks we reached the floor of the canyon and followed the creek downstream. We stopped to hike the Midgley Bridge Trail.
Here’s Midgley Bridge spanning a tributary that joins Oak Creek.
Our next stop was the Sugar Loaf trail which took us on a loop with a side trek up Sugar Loaf hill, pictured here.
Some views from the trail.
Our last stop was at the Cathedral Rock Trailhead. We hiked the Cathedral Rock Trail for a short distance and then took the Templeton Trail for a couple of kilometers.
Here’s a look up at the Cathedral Rock formation.
We returned to the Cathedral Rock trail and I took it to the top. It’s a somewhat technical trail where you have to get on all fours to get up and over some of the sections. I suppose you’d call it some minor rock climbing. Leena opted out because going down something like that would be very difficult with her knee (old soccer injury to the meniscus).
As I made my way up, the sun moved behind the rocks. The picture reminds me of the total eclipse we got to see last summer in Oregon.
Here’s another angle.
At the end of the trail it just drops off. There’s a sign just in case you don’t notice.
The view in the opposite direction.
The impressively tall Cathedral Rock.
This is the same view as the Templeton Trail, but from the elevated position of the Cathedral Rock trail.
A look back at the Cathedral Rock formation on the way down as the sun moved further behind the rocks.
