HIKE OF THE MONTH

hike of the month Meandering the Long Canyon Trail Takes You to a Wild Place a World Apart

Escaping an early spring heat wave, I'm in Long Canyon, a sanctuary of melting snow and silver-green cypress trees, one of the wildest places near Sedona. As the raven flies, this is only four miles from Uptown Sedona's souvenir shops and tour buses, yet I am a world away from the heat and bustle. Here it is easy to imagine a mountain lion blending into the buff-colored cliffs above, or a black bear nosing a mossy fallen pine. I've passed only a few hikers as the three-mile trail meanders up and down gentle knolls and across shallow washes tinkling with snowmelt. I usually hike Long Canyon in summer, when oak and maple leaves play peekaboo with the views. Today bare branches reveal towering Maroon Mountain and the reddish sandstone spires clustered below.

The recent snowfall left broken branches along the trail, and the sharp perfume of crushed pine needles rises from the forest floor to mingle with the musty scent of decaying leaves. Early-blooming drabas and lupines dot the undergrowth with yellow and lavender, and running or dripping water sounds a different note at almost every turn.

As the trail climbs, and I enter the heart of the box canyon, the vegetation changes from A raucous whistle draws my attention to a flash of brightblue feathers a Steller's jay lands in a tall fir. A second note pierces the forest, and the jay fies off as a pair of hikers approaches. The couple passes below me, discussing a new movie they had seen, while I think about the canyon's stories. Did the Sinagua create myths about shapes in the rocks? I look up and see faces of stone, figures with arms uplifted, saw-toothed crevices that cut through the cliffs. Nearby other stories are in the making: the fallen pinecone with the seeds chewed out, a stone arch eroding one drip at a time.

From waist-high chaparral to dense forest. At about two miles, I leave the trail to rest on top of a large boulder and scan the cliffs for signs of the Sinagua people, who sheltered in alcoves here centuries ago.

Poison ivy often discourages me from exploring farther here, but today I continue through snow, not an itchy weed in sight. I follow the trail to the three-mile point, where it ends at a steep bluff of sandstone. Scrambling up and looking back, I see only a narrow band of blue sky beyond the soaring cliffs. As they begin to turn gold, I realize how late it is.

Reluctantly I leave the canyon to its wild things and spirits. Twilight guides me through the manzanita and chaparral, a transition zone between the world of the canyon and the trailhead parking lot. Thankful to be safely on my way, I wonder what it would be like to remain in the darkened canyon, listening for the soft footfalls of a mountain lion or the whispered stories of the ancient ones.

WHEN YOU GO

The Long Canyon trailhead is six miles northwest of Sedona. Take U.S. 89A to Dry Creek Road. Turn right, drive 2.5 miles to a T intersection. Turn right onto Long Canyon Road (FR 152D) and drive a half mile to a parking area on the left, where a sign indicates Trail 122. The first mile and a half is exposed and hot in summer. Long Canyon is part of the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness. Leave artifacts where they lie. For information on Wilderness regulations, contact the Sedona Ranger District, (520) 527-3670.