Herkenham-Skywalker-Old Post Loop

HERKENHAM-SKYWALKER-OLD POST LOOP

Ocotillo frame views on the Herkenham Trail

In the exalted realm of Sedona hiking trails, Herkenham barely registers a blip. Maybe because it’s been around for so long, it has become invisible. Or perhaps its nexus is misunderstood.
 There’s no cave, no natural bridge and no babbling creek. While lacking in traditional hiker catnip, the trail’s list of don’t-haves includes one attribute that some hikers must have.

Courthouse Butte (L) and Bell Rock (C) from Skywalker Trail

There are no crowds.  And to the aforementioned some, swapping a look-at-me Instagram moment for solitude is a fair tradeoff.

The Herkenham Trail sits in the corrugated hills above Oak Creek on the west side of Sedona. It’s part of a network of looped trails that trace airy ledges and scoured gullies. 

Pyramid formation from Old Post Trail

The system that spins around the twisted course of Carroll Canyon has easy access points and lighter traffic than many other Red Rock Country hike destinations. But that doesn’t mean the trails lack appeal.  The singletrack paths trudge through gorgeous high desert ecozones with enough elevation change to guarantee good workouts and continually changing vistas. 

A rare shady spot on Herkenham Trail

The beauty of the Carroll Canyon area in Coconino National Forest is way trail expansion has evolved around a few stalwart heritage routes. Besides Herkenham, the Old Post and Carroll Canyon trails have been around for years, while the newer Skywalker, Scorpion and Pyramid trails add miles with respect for the original core routes. 

Tabletop Mesa (C) from Skywalker Trail

One way to sample old and new is to make a loop hike using the Old Post, Herkenham and Skywalker trails. The moderate-rated hike may be accessed from the Old Post Trailhead along Chavez Ranch Road by hiking 0.7-mile north on the Old Post Trail to the Herkenham junction.

The loop is well signed

The first leg is an easy-going stroll through cactus-dotted grassland. 

Skywalker Trail ducks around a gully

Sparce shade is courtesy of sporadic stands of pinion pines and junipers that pop up in groups large enough to block the sun for a water break but never dense enough the eclipse mountain vistas.  Most of the hike’s elevation gain happens on the 1.1-mile Herkenham Trail leg. While the loop’s overall high-to-low elevation difference is less than 600 feet, the route is deceptively more challenging. A constant string of rises, dips and turns keep things interesting and pleasantly paced.  Herkenham tops out at a small parking area across from the old Red Rock High School.

View of Oak Creek from Skywalker Trail

This site may be used as an alternative trailhead, but it fills up fast, especially on weekends.  At the parking area, the Skywalker Trail begins with a rocky descent outside the bounds of a residential area. 

Capitol Butte (center horizon) from Skywalker Trail

Beyond the homes, the trail begins its 1.5-mile southeast trek.  The first half of the trail rides high on a ridgeline with the best views of the loop.  

A little rain brings out the ocotillo on Skywalker

The green band of the Oak Creek corridor glows in the valley below with outstanding peeks at Courthouse Butte, Bell Rock,  and Capitol Butte.  Views to the northeast are more elusive, but quick looks at the Cockscomb formation and Bear Mountain are available to those who pay attention. 

Carroll Canyon trails are easy to loop up

After several dozen flowing bends, the “sky walking” portion of the trail ends where the long profile of Tabletop Mesa and the colorfully layered peaks of Munds Mountain Wilderness stand out on the horizon.  The trail then makes a steady descent back down to the Old Post trail for the 1.5-mile return segment where the call of scrub jays mingles with the rumble of cars headed toward Red Rock Crossing--the closest ooh-and-ahh catnip.

LENGTH: 5.1-mile loop

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION:  3,979 – 4,569 feet (1,037 feet of elevation change)

GETTING THERE:

Old Post Trailhead:

From the State Route 179/89A traffic circle in Sedona, go 4 miles west (toward Cottonwood) on SR 89A to Upper Red Rock Loop. Turn left and continue 1.8 miles to Chavez Ranch Road (Forest Road 216A), turn left and go 0.1 mile to the Old Post trailhead on the left. There are no fees or facilities at the trailhead.

INFO:

Coconino National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=72089&actid=50

OLD POST-CARROLL CANYON LOOP

OLD POST-CARROLL CANYON LOOP

View of Capitol Butte (Thunder Mountain) from Ridge Trail

Recent trail development in the southwest corner of Sedona has added miles of fresh dirt in the hilly terrain between Airport Mesa and Oak Creek.  Routes like Skywalker, Scorpion and Pyramid are terrific supplements that connect to a maze of old standards, providing additional access points and myriad opportunities to create loop treks. 

Wilson Mountain seen from Carroll Canyon Trail

Before exploring the new and shiny, take a walk on the original, well-worn Carroll Canyon Area Trails for an overview of the what makes this pocket of high desert and deeply scoured gullies so special.  Downloadable forest service maps and signs posted throughout make the system easy to navigate the core trails--Carrol Canyon, Ridge, Herkenham and Old Post.  Whichever way you lace this one up, be sure to include the 1.8-mile Carroll Canyon Trail because you won’t want to miss the best part—a dizzying traverse above a twisting limestone valley.

Here’s one circuit to try. 

Smoke Tree

From the Old Post trailhead, hike 1.1 mile uphill through patches of thorny Smoke Trees and yuccas with big views of Courthouse Butte, Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock on the southern horizon.  Turn right onto Carroll Canyon Trail and get ready for more stunning beauty. The route ascends along jagged sandstone and rough-cut steps to emerge at a scenic vista point. Here, glimpses of Capitol Butte (a.k.a. Thunder Mountain) and the flat-topped form of Wilson Mountain appear to the north.  

View of famous Sedona formations seen from Old Post Trail

The trail then ducks into juniper-cypress woodlands before rounding a bend where the contorted course of Carroll Canyon rolls out below.  A short passage hugs the lip of the steep-walled gorge that plunges 200 feet with views of Oak Creek and its surrounding floodplains peeking through the cracks.  It’s a queasy, edgy walk that ends with a descent into the first of several boulder-cluttered wash crossings.  Once through the wash, the route enters a savannah-like grassland, fringed with mesquite and the occasional cottonwood. 

One of several wash crossings on the route

At the next junction, pick up the Ridge Trail, hike 0.7-mile north and reconnect with the Old Post Trail for the final leg of the loop.  But the scenic wonders aren’t done yet. The back end of the circuit keeps delivering surprises.  

The limestone abyss of Carroll Canyon

Sunny plains sliced and diced into a jigsaw puzzle of flat fields, abrupt climbs and a web of water-whittled muddy ravines define the trail as it brushes past suburban homes before a powerline signals the final descent back to the trailhead.

A Shady passage of Carroll Canyon Trail

LENGTH: 5.5 miles

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION:  4090 to 4440 feet

GETTING THERE:

From the State Route 179/89A traffic circle in Sedona, go 4 miles west (toward Cottonwood) on 89A to Upper Red Rock Loop (Forest Road 216). Turn left and continue 1.8 miles to Chavez Ranch Road (Forest Road 216A), turn left and go 0.1 mile to the Old Post trailhead on the left.

INFO: Coconino National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=72089