Enjoy green scenery and canyon walls on the Boynton Canyon Trail that’s fairly easy to hike. It is located in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness near Sedona, Arizona. The out and back trail has a length of 11.4 km, where the elevation gain is 351 m. It’s one of the most popular and scenic trails in Sedona. The trail is fairly flat and covered, and you can take your family with you, as well as dogs that must be kept on a leash; if you don’t, you will have to pay a fine. The hike is easily accessible and often remains crowded.
The main parking lot is on Boynton Canyon Road, you can also park the vehicle on Boynton pass road. The trailhead is in the main parking lot and you just have to follow the large trail sign to begin your hike. Because the trail is a bit hard to follow, it’s recommended to take a photo of the map.
The first part of the trail is pretty flat and easier to hike. There is a luxury resort development in the beginning that you would have to walk alongside. You will get to the first trail junction in no time, from where you have to stay to the left. At 0.2 miles you will reach a junction, from where you can take a quick detour to the Boynton Vista Trail. If you follow this trail, it would take you up onto the red rocks. You will get amazing views over the mountains as well as Boynton Canyon. Continuing on your trail, you will climb a bit and then go around the edge of the resort. You will get nice views from there. All you have to do was pay a small fee, to enjoy these spectacular views.
At around 1.5 miles, the trail rejoins the canyon. Soon enough, there will be nothing between you and your destination. If you didn’t like being close to the fancy houses, this is the part of the trail where you don’t have to worry about that, as you will be surrounded by amazing red rock canyons. The walls narrow when you continue on the trail and there are more trees in that part.
The trail turns west before 1.6 miles. The tree cover gets denser here, meaning more shade, which works well, as the trail begins gaining altitude. For this part, you have to move over tree roots and rocks. Pretty soon, you will get to the end of the canyon. At 1.8 miles, there is another trail that takes you to the Subway Cave. You won’t see a sign for the trail, so you’ll have to look for a unique tree; the trail begins from just across the tree. You can get an annual pass or pay a fee per vehicle or week.