Boynton Canyon, Sedona

This was my most recent hike (two weeks ago), so seems like a good place to start off the blog.  Boynton Canyon is located just outside Sedona.  Its a super-popular hike, being put at the top of most "Best Hikes in Sedona" lists.  Its very easy, scenic, and a supposed vortex location.  This translates into major crowds.  I did the hike on a Friday to minimize the crowds, and would recommend this.  There were still many people, at least a dozen different groups, but not so much that it detracted from the experience.  I imagine this would be different on the weekends.

After getting past the Enchantment Resort, which the first mile of the trail skirts, the trail drops into the canyon.  Here it is easy to see why the hike is so popular.  Large ponderosas crowd the canyon floor, offering shade and tranquility.  The trail is great cruising trail, being almost perfectly flat.  Its the hiking equivalent of candy.

The only substantial climb comes at the end. Boynton Canyon boxes up, and the trail ascends briefly to end at a Supai sandstone bench, with ok views back over the canyon.  There are some nice canyon walls here that remind me of the walls around the Emerald Pools in Zion, though less stunning.  Still, its a nice enough reward for the hike in, and the hike out again is pure pleasure.