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PINE VALLEY RIDGE TRAIL
Village of Oak Creek
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| Pine Valley Ridge Trail |
2021 UPDATE: THIS TRAIL HAS BEEN REROUTED AND RENAMED the Rabbit Ears and Little Rock Loop. See April 2023 blog entry for update. Sometimes there are just not enough
parking spaces. This is conspicuously expressed at the Bell Rock
Pathway trailhead in the Village of Oak Creek. Even though there's
room for dozens of vehicles, the lot fills up quickly especially on
weekends and during winter visitor season. That's because it provides
access to the Big Park system of trails that includes some of Red
Rock Country's most scenic, easy paths around iconic Bell Rock (a
famous vortex site) and Courthouse Butte. If you encounter a packed
lot, don't give up on your hiking ambitions----there's another way
in. The system can also be accessed via the Pine Valley Ridge Trail
that begins at the Jacks Canyon/Hot Loop Trailhead to the southeast.
This relatively new route climbs 440 feet on a rocky backbone
skirting subdivisions and the border of Munds Mountain Wilderness.
Although the trail is obvious, it's not marked with signs. The
toughest navigation involves finding where the route begins. From the
trailhead gate where there's a sign for Jacks Canyon #55, hike about
20 feet down the road you came in on (do not pass thru the gate) and
look for a red dirt single track on the right. Follow this trail 0.1
mile to the gate at Jacks Canyon Road, carefully cross the street,
pass through a second gate and begin hiking uphill. At a third gate,
turn right and from here, the path is clear although sketchy in some
places. Just pay attention and you'll be fine.
At roughly 1.5 miles, beautiful views
of the mesas of Jacks Canyon and Sedona's celebrated sandstone
formations begin rolling out on all sides. From the high point, the
profiles of Cathedral Rock, Capitol Butte and Cockscomb stand out
from seldom seen perspectives. The trail then heads downhill to the junction with the Big Park and Courthouse Butte Loop Trails
at the 2.4 -mile point. A map sign shows options for joining the
wide-eyed masses orbiting Bell Rock, or you can skip the crowds by simply
retracing your steps for a mellow 4.8-mile out-and-back hike.
LENGTH: 2.4 miles one-way
to Big Park
RATING: moderate
ELEVATION: 4,270' - 4,710'
GETTING THERE:
From Interstate 17, take the State Route 179
Sedona exit 298, turn left and go 6.5 miles on SR179 to Jacks
Canyon Road. Turn right and continue 1.9 miles to the trailhead
turnoff (Forest Road 179G) on the right directly across from Canyon
Ridge Trail.
INFO: Coconino National
Forest
MORE PHOTOS:
