I still have many trails yet to hike in Sedona. The Chuckwagon Trail to Devils Bridge is a popular hike and I can see why. The trail is 4.2 miles one way to where it meets the trail to Devils Bridge. It is relatively flat with beautiful views in every direction. Paul and I hiked this trail the week before Christmas and the weather turned out to be perfect. Once we reached Devils Bridge trail, the trail climbed 320' in .5 miles, just enough to really get your heart pounding. The natural arch/bridge is spectacular and I walked across it enjoying more views of the red rocks in the distance. I included a link to a video of Devil's Bridge. You can also drive a 4 wheel drive vehicle to the Devils Bridge Trail if you would rather not hike the 4 miles to get to the trail head.
A very special part of this weekend was staying at the luxurious Enchantment Resort nestled in Boynton Canyon. We had our own casita with a beehive fireplace, a kitchenette and viewing deck of the beautiful red rocks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oE7iRZ0-iGE
The desert and mountains of Southern Arizona around Tucson are spectacular! To celebrate our one year anniversary since our first hike, Paul and I hiked Ventana Trail to Maiden Pools on December 30. The trail starts at The Ventana Canyon Resort which is at the base of the Catalina Mountains. This 2.4 mile one way hike winds through a residential area before entering the canyon. You can hear and see water through much of the trail and the canyon is designated as a Big Horn Sheep management area. We looked hard for Big Horn Sheep but could not find any. The last mile or so of the hike is fairly steep with a lot of climbing. When we reached the top after one hour and 15 mins, I thought we had passed the pools until we hiked another 15 minutes and then found them. This was a very enjoyable hike through a pnumbra of saguaro cactus.
