West Fork Oak Creek Trail
~ Sedona, AZ ~
Facts To Remember
Moderate
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 7.1 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 350 feet
Starting Elevation: 5,385 feet
When To Hike: Year Round
Permits: $11 Day Use Fee per Car (check website)
Pets Allowed: Yes on leashes
Starting Location: Just off State Route 89A at Call of the Canyon in Oak Creek Canyon
Time of Year: July, 2020
Arriving at West Fork Parking
The trailhead for West Fork Oak Creek Trail is about 9 miles north of downtown Sedona at Call of the Canyon just off State Route 89A. This is a pay parking area!
Beginning the Hike
The trail starts across a bridge and through a large field of ferns.
Reaching the Mayhew Lodge
This area is only a quarter mile from the parking lot. Mayhew Lodge has an interesting history. It started as a cabin and eventually turned into a lodge. Author Zane Grey was inspired and wrote the book “Call of the Canyon” which eventually became a movie. Many famous guests have stayed at the lodge but in 1980 the lodge burned down and only walls, foundation and a chicken coop survived.
There are also many fruit trees in the area. Time your hike right and you can get some tasty apples, apricots, plums and maybe more.
Entering Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness
The sign reads 3.3 miles one way and we’ve already walked a little over 1/4 mile. The hike officially now begins.
The entire hike is beautiful. Hiking along the creek, the colors, reflections, everything was just perfect.
Several Areas to Cross (or Soak)
You won’t miss this area. There is a large tree that you walk around or over and there are lots of flat areas to sit with your feet in the water. This would make for a great picnic spot for the day without going further.
Rocks, Trees and more River Crossings
Massive rocks and trees surrounded by amazing views!
Final River and Amazing Views
We’ve reached the end of our day. It appears you can continue past this area another 2 3/4 miles if you’d like to camp. Another day maybe! This area is extremely nice with the high rock walls, the quiet river, reflections in the water and water carved walls.
We arrived here with only 2 hours left of daylight. So we went in and enjoyed what we could before turning around. We’d love to start this hike earlier and spend more time exploring or perhaps going further to camp.
West Fork Reflections in the Creek
A few more photos of the crazy nice scenery. I bet this hike in the fall would be even better!
360 Photos
This is a single photo but rotated into two different views.
This is also a single photo rotated into two different views.
Our Thoughts
The West Fork Oak Creek Trail is really a hike you shouldn’t miss. At 7 miles it can be a little long but you can turn around at any point and still see plenty of the canyon. We were told it gets really busy and parking can be impossible to find if you don’t arrive early, but we had no problems the day we visited.
Since hiking this trail, we’ve seen many photos taken in the fall and the changing colors of the leaves will make us visit again.
Bring a bathing suit in the summer, camera, walking stick and just enjoy your day!
Are you Considering This Hike?
Hike Recommendations
More Useful Information
Sedona.org – West Fork Oak Creek Trail
