Sara, Cathy, and I had originally planned to hike the Boynton Canyon Trail instead of Dead Man's Pass, but it probably turned out to be the better trail in the end as it's a short trail and we had other activities planned in Sedona as well as a stop at Montezuma's Well and Castle on the way home.
Before heading to the trailhead, we stopped at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The Chapel was completed in April of 1956 and is a popular place to visit. It was built on a twin pinnacled spur about 250 feet high and juts out of a red rock wall that is 1,000 feet high. It's a very tranquil place, has a lovely flower garden just outside the entrance, and one can enjoy a breathtaking view of Sedona from inside the chapel.
We stopped at Bashas' to get some water and snacks for on the trail, and it was here that we saw something a bit odd but interesting. Outside the store, they were selling hot dogs and hamburgers and the grill on which they were cooking them was actually made using parts from the Alaskan Pipeline. I thought that was kind of interesting.
Dead Man's Pass Trail is a very easy and relatively short hike. We enjoyed some incredible views, though. As we headed out, off to our left we saw a number of large rock formations. Off to our right, we saw a large forest of trees on the sides of the cliffs. After we had turned around and were on our way back, I came across a creature on the trail that startled me, to say the least. (Sorry about that Cathy and Sara!) It appeared to be some sort of a horned toad. We also saw a creature that blended in so well with its surroundings that it was tough to see even while looking right at it, and a fairly large spider relaxing in its web. When we got to the end of the Dead Man's Pass trail, we went on the Boynton Canyon Trail for a bit, where we saw a lizard named Zachery Zdinak that is so popular on the trail that someone has drawn a photo of him and posted it on the beginning of the trail. (Yes, inside joke!!)
After we were done hiking, we headed down to the shopping district for lunch. We ended up at the Cowboy Club, which was established in 1946 and was Sedona's most popular hangout for cowboys, movie actors, celebrities, and locals for almost 50 years. At the time we were there, they were really busy, but the food was good! We stopped in some of the shops after lunch and I made my regular stop at the candle and bath shop where I purchased a few autumn-themed votive candle holders.
We stopped at Montezuma's Well on the way home. Montezuma's Well is actually a sinkhole, a collapsed underground cavern filled with water. While its counterpart, Montezuma's Castle, is a popular tourist attraction, far fewer people visit Montezuma's Well, which is unfortunate as it's an incredibly beautiful and interesting place. The Well is 368 feet across, 55 feet deep, and sits at an elevation of 3,618 feet. Researchers have been unable to locate the source of the Well's water, although tests using gas and dye have been performed. In May of 1948, scuba equipment was used for the first time to explore the Well.
The first stop in exploring the Well is actually one looking down into the Well from the top of a hill. From here one can also see some of the cave dwellings along the side of the Well. We then took a short hike down to the surface of the water, where we saw the remains of a dwelling where people lived long ago. Archeologists suspect that the Hohokam were the first permanent settlers in the valley. It is believed that the Sinagua also lived in the area, and the last native people to inhabit the Montezuma Well area were the Western Apache.
There is also another area of the Well that is accessible by hiking a short way down. It is here that we saw an Indian-built aqueduct that begins at its base outside the Well, and provided water for fields near the bank of the creek. It's a very interesting trail of sorts at the end of which is a huge tree. We then ventured over to Montezuma's Castle but decided to visit it another time.
On the way home, we made a short stop at Sunset Lookout, which is basically a place where one can stop to take in some incredible views of the mountains. We eventually made it home after getting stuck in a traffic jam for 3 1/2 hours. It was a full day and I was wiped out by the time I got home, but I had a great time! (I went to Montezuma's Well with my Dad once when he was visiting and have a lot more pictures of this amazing place. I'll post them sometime when I get a chance.)
The beginning of the trail.
This is the little guy that seemed to come out of nowhere to startle me.
Beautiful Sedona
This really is a beautiful hike.
This is where we had lunch after the hike.
Hohokam dwelling
This is a shot of the well. It's huge!
A Hohokam dwelling down by the creek.
This fallen tree is also down by the creek.
The area down by the creek is so beautiful. It's a shame more people don't know about it and visit it.
This is a shot taken from Sunset Lookout where one can see a breathtaking view of the mountains.
More photos can be viewed here.
