Monday, October 14, 2013

Cottonwood, AZ - West Fork

Ask anyone to recommend a hike in Sedona and somewhere near the top of every list will be the West Fork of Oak Creek. And, with good reason, it’s a fun hike which has 13 stream crossings, dense forest with huge pine trees, red rocks towering overhead, peeking through the leaves, and in the fall, marvelous color in those leaves. Usually, when you get to the parking lot, it’s swirling with cars looking for a parking spot. It’s a ‘take a number and wait your turn kind’ of hike. But the masses of people here don’t detract from the experience, rather the laughter and chatter of others enjoying being outdoors in nature together only add to ones own joy.

We had planned on being there at 8:30 to beat the crowds so Gary and I were on the road about 8:00 heading towards Sedona. About 1/2 way there we rounded a corner and saw this:
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beautiful sight but too close to the highway to be safe. Distracted, the driver ahead of us was startled and swerved quickly into the passing lane. We slowed down but were far enough away to see that it was off the highway, but we also moved into the passing lane.

For the first few days of the government shutdown, the actual parking lot at West Fort was closed and everyone was parking alongside the road, the narrow road with no shoulders to park on. Finally, as we heard, the sheriff told the Forest Service to open the parking lot because all the cars along the road were a hazard. So the lot was open but - they were not charging for parking and the bathrooms were not open.

We met Cathy and Tom, drove to the parking lot and had no problem finding a space. We readied for a hike, took pictures near the sign and took off - on the cement path which takes you from the parking lot to the official beginning of the trail, over the bridge and through the orchard planted years ago by one of the original homesteaders in the canyon. The first thing you see is the ruins of Mayhew Lodge, build in 1925 with the rock chimney one of the few reminders of its past glory. Here Zane Grey penned his novel Call of the Canyon, inspired by the beauty of the canyon surrounding him.

When they filmed his novel in the canyon, Carl Mayhew, a Flagstaff photographer, who worked on the film, bought the land and built a lodge to house visitors. It opened in 1926, one of the first businesses to cater to tourists to the Sedona area. The family operated the lodge until 1968, welcoming such guests as Jimmy Stewart, President Herbert Hoover, Walt Disney and Clark Gable who celebrated an anniversary here. It was practicality self-sufficient with its own chicken coop,
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orchard and vegetable gardens.

The Forest Service purchased the lodge in 1968, and the lodge was placed on the National List of Historic Places in 1975 but removed 5 years later when it was gutted by fire.
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The entry sign said that there were 13 stream crossings and we found the first one soon after we began the trail.
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The trees were in their autumn glory.
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But the sheer rock canyons towering above shared in the glory.
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But we couldn’t let the natural beauty surrounding us distract us from our footwork on the creek crossings. Strategically placed rocks helped us. Luckily, it was fall and the creek was not running as swiftly nor as high as in the spring, the season when we last visited this hike in 2009.
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The end of the hike for most of us was at this pool where the cliffs closed in and made wading the only way to access the rest of the trail which continues on for.
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We stopped here, found a convenient rock to sit on, took off our packs and relaxed over lunch.
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The walk back was as spectacular as the walk in. What a great hike and we can see why it is so popular with all who visit this area and who live year-round.

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