Miles: 6.9
Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Elevation gain: 4,583 feet
Max elevation: 6,461 feet
Year to date miles: 509.6
Map: Sedona Outdoor Recreation Map
Parking: Boynton Pass Road. Room for around 20 cars
Red Rocks parking pass required (there is a meter in the parking lot to purchase one).
Restrooms: In parking lot
Post Hike Dinner: Whole Foods
Bear Mountain Hike Directions:
Cross street from parking lot.
Climb through gate.
Follow trail for 2.5 miles.
There are a few cairns, white blazes on rocks.
There are multiple false summits!
At the summit there are herd paths that go around it.
Return to parking lot.
Doe Mountain Hike Directions:
Start on same side of the street as the parking lot.
Shortly after the start, there are 2 signs for the Doe Trail close together.
Stay on the Doe Trail all the way up to the summit.
There are herd paths along the summit.
Notes:
These are 2 separate hikes which start from the same parking area.
Bear Mountain is strenuous, Glen says vertigo very mild.
Doe Mountain is moderate, Glen says vertigo is mild (more than Bear Mountain).
There are fewer hikers on Bear Mountain, because it is more strenuous. We started early (the first ones up the mountain) so that we could take our time as we knew it would be difficult. We were the second ones down the mountain. Most people doing this mountain were more fit than us (we saw one guy practically jogging down!). I was the only one using poles. They aren't always useful due to all of the rock scrambling, but I used them as much as possible to save my knees. Bear Mountain is steep. We took our time so that we wouldn't get overly fatigued. Great views from the summit, and a great feeling of accomplishment. It took us around 5 hours. (We drove by this trailhead on a weekend, and the parking area was packed, with cars parked along the road as well - we had a much less busy hike on a weekday).
Doe Mountain was much easier, though still had some mild scrambling. The trail does go along the side of the mountain, with some drop offs, however there was always brush to the side. Doe Mountain attracted less fit hikers than Bear Mountain.
 |
| Both hikes are out and backs |
 |
| Sign for parking area |
 |
| The hike has multiple false summits.... |
 |
| One of the rock scrambles. The hike wasn't super hard technically - just tiring. |
 |
| Nope, not the summit |
 |
| I can see for miles |
 |
| Summit! |
 |
| There is snow up here! |
 |
| Looking down. Wow! |
 |
| I believe these are the San Francisco peaks in Flagstaff, which include Arizona's high point (12,633 feet). Too snowy to hike up this time of year. |
 |
| Finishing Bear Mountain...the flat part |
 |
| Starting Doe Mountain....across the street |
 |
| Trail across summit - there are also herd paths |
 |
| Summit |
No comments:
Post a Comment