Paul and I hiked the Jim Thompson trail on a warm day in July, 2013. We started early in the morning in order to beat the heat after having our omelette at the Coffeepot restaurant. This was a surprisingly wonderful hike, clearly marked and easy to find, just follow the signs off of Jordan Road in Uptown Sedona. The trail is wider than most having been used as a wagon road in the 1880's by Jim Thompson. He built the road himself to connect his home in Oak Creek Canyon with his Sedona homestead. 
This is a popular trail for mountain bikers. The vegetation is mostly pine trees and manzanita. We passed a few drop off areas that I am sure turn into waterfalls after a good rain. Around the half way point you arrive at the base of the sheer walls of Steamboat Rock. The trail is 2.65 miles one way with an elevation gain of 235'. It took approx. 2 hrs 30 mins round trip. Around the 2 mile mark, we saw a sign for Wilson Canyon and Wilson Mountain. We hiked into the canyon until we came to a sign indicating the end of the trail.
This is a great trailhead with lots of parking & a Forest Service latrine. This also services trails to Brin's mesa.
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