The West Fork Trail - The Most Dangerous Hike in Sedona?
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2023
- You might be thinking the West Fork Trail in Oak Creek Canyon is not dangerous at all. I would agree, if by West Fork you mean, the 3+ miles of maintained trail from the parking lot to the water, then you are correct. It's not dangerous. It's a family friendly hike. Of course, if you have backpacked the additional 3 or 4 miles of canyon needed to find one of the very few spots suitable to pitch a tent, then you know it can be a much more challenging adventure. Still not very dangerous, if you ask me.
However....most people don't know that the West Fork trail continues through a overgrown canyon covering 14 miles from end to end. Having backpacked into the canyon around 7 miles many times, I have always wondered what the other 7 miles of canyon looked liked. This weekend, I found out. It's one of the of the most difficult (and dangerous) "hiking" trails I've done so far. I realize that conditions can vary, but in these conditions... its one and done for me.
Guitar by @KfirOchaion - Krátké a kreslené filmy
Came for the view and stayed for the playlist! Great music.
This is my happy place...best canyon ever. Just went hiking there last week.
God bless you for saving those dogs, especially the schnauzer!!!!
Enjoyed this my friend thanks Sedona is so awesome
See you again be safe and healthy always 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you for this adventure. I have always wanted to see the other side of the trail and it looks like a rough go but well worth the effort. Happy Trails till CT!
You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed it! CT here I come…
First, love the channel! I did this hike last year with a group of friends and my two oldest boys (9 and 10). Much more difficult than we envisioned and much slower. The overgrowth felt impassible at times but we pushed it through. And the boys were amazing! One and done for me too. Loved reliving the VIVID memories through your lens. Safe travels to Colorado and I can’t wait to see those videos!
Thank you! Glad you got to relive the sufferfest, and I’m surprised your boys didn’t emancipate after that! Lol
Have fun on the CT! Thanks for yet another great video.
I’m a little nervous about the snow, with this winter, I expect to encounter a ton of it. You’re due for your next long one, maybe the CT?
Great video! Thank you for taking us with you. A few years back my hubby and I checked out the beginning of that route and our conclusion was the same as Tina's. Love your positive attitude and stick to it ness. That log jam was NUTS! don't know how you made it through it unscathed. Now you have to do Clover to the confluence with WCC near the Maxwell Trail, it's a bit of a jungle too LOL .Good luck in Colorado.
Thank you! That log jam was worse than it looked. When I was getting ready to try and cross, I touched a log and the entire jam shifted, creaking loudly and sank into the water about 2 feet! Scared me to death! I flung my trash bag pack into the water, and tried to think light thoughts as I ran across the floating debris! TBH, it was a bit more of a gamble then I’m comfortable with. From my tent, mile 232.5 on the Colorado Trail!
That was one of my first backpacking trips in college. Ended up taking us an entire extra day because of all the bushwhacking. The upper canyon is a real suffer-fest. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy the CT!
Oh man, you said it. I expected it to be rough, it was worse than that! (But still a good time, in that type 2 way)
Nice one, Breven. Subscribed!
Wow what a difficult hike. But the viewers loved it Im sure. I loved the guitar music that accompanied the video too. New subscriber here. 👍
Thanks for the sub! Yeah man, that was a bit of a nightmare. The log plug was actually even more dangerous than it looked. Dodged a bullet on that one!
I’ll admit, dropping you off for this hike definitely made me worry!!!! But as usual, you are amazing!
I wasn’t worried at all… all that log rolling I practiced at summer camp finally paid off!
Another great video! I do the easy part of this trail a few times a year with my dog, but i have yet to push farther up toward the camp sites.
Good luck in Colorado!
Thanks Matt! Next time, I’d recommend going about 2 miles into the water, scenery is totally worth it (knee, thigh deep at most).
@@MoonJuiceHikes thanks, I'll give it a go!
awesome video that looked like an amazing place
It was! Glad you enjoyed it.
Nice video.
Biggest surprise: I would never have guessed you were a Wham fan.
What can I say? Guilty feet have got no rhythm.
Hmm Wet socks, blisters from said wet socks cold water and constant put camera down walk ahead stop go back and get camera, rinse and repeat. Nope for me. But thank go there are people like you that do this so i can sit back in my chair and watch and still enjoy!! Thanks!!
Ha ha! I read you loud and clear OldMan. I actually try to shoot the trail so you get a sense of what its like to be out there, so you don't have to actually do it. Thanks for watching!
It's crazy that you don't run into more animals and stuff out there, especially when you're in the thick of all that wildness with the water and overgrowth!
I did see a couple of small snakes (not rattlers) but they scurried out of the way before I could get them on video. Also saw a few large piles of bear poop, but I didn't see any large animals. Honestly, this canyon gets really steep, cliffs on both sides. I imagine larger animals access water and food in areas that are easier to access. I expect the Colorado Trail to be like a visit to the zoo compared to the AZ desert!
the animals are hiding from the people too many people go to sedona unfortunately. Grizzly bears and wolf use to live in west fork before the arrival of Europeans
Hi MoonJuice! You should’ve brought a machete to cut down the thick vegetation! You’re much more fearless than me to attempt this adventure. Great video!
PS The high altitude in Colorado (> 13,000’) is gonna hurt when ascending a steep incline. Been there, done that.
Hey PW! I was totally thinking the same thing. A machete would have come in handy for sure. I carry a pretty heavy pack as is and try not to take anything I don’t absolutely need, but in this case, it would have helped a ton.
I’ve been training in the 100 degree heat almost daily (with a pack) trying to prepare for the CT elevation, but not much you can do except get there and acclimate. I do plan to hit a couple of 14’rs that are just off the trail. Can’t wait!
Thanks for the video. Just curious, do you have problems with ticks on hikes like that one? Here in KC we get them just going to the park.
Interesting question! As far as I know, there are no ticks out here. Mosquitoes aren’t even an issue for the most part. However, this place is crawling with spiders when the sun goes down.
Subscribed! Timmy C Arizona
Was the video quality poor on this video or is CZcams having problems? I'm getting over 50 Mbps, on my connection, so just wondering.
Cool video though!
I don’t know what that is, but I noticed it too. Terrible in my TV, not so bad on my phone. I did the same thing I always do. I may need to reload this.
On my phone it was great!
What time of the year were you hiking this? We’re going in late October and wondering how cold the water will be then!
This was early June, I suspect it will be chilly in October as well - but worth it!
Supreme soggy Sedona adventure👍
I had to do 5 cold swims to get through this mess. A friend just did this same route last weekend and there were only 2 swims. He was able to walk across this section, which was totally dry. I suppose the late fall is the best time to hit it. Just in case you wanna give it a shot sometime Troy!
@@MoonJuiceHikes You know I do😂
Gr8 music; how did u import it? I went to the artists pattern page but it was unclear how to download it and use.
Awesome right? I just record the CZcams video and detach the audio when editing. Dude has 2M subs, which makes sense… he’s really talented.
I just watched this video and I equal amounts love and hate it. As much as I love the outdoors, it scares me so much. I was so worried that I was watching the "found" footage of a lost hiker. All I see and hear about are people who end up dead or missing and I am very glad you are not one of them. My MS has it hard to walk at all, maybe walking for fun just seems like a pipe dream for me. Please be safe and I LOVED the music on this video.
Thank you Sara! I admit, this was more dangerous than I prefer, no doubt.
excellent soundtrack, my hippie wife noticed the music.
Hang on to that lady, she’s a keeper!
Hey was there a big sign that said "WARNING" trail is not maintained by...bla bla bla........looks like you needed a hatchet, Machete, Chain saw and a raft....LOL. Thanks for sharing brother. Jealous has hell.
Lol! I was surprised to see that sign too. The info was pretty spot on, but I know seeing is believing. Whenever your ready to get out there Greg give me a shout!
Man, looks just like west clear creek! (Kidding, it looks a lot easier.)
Seriously though, beautiful. And miserable. Looked almost like a technical canyon at spots. Lugging a full backpack through stuff like that is brutal.
Let it be known, you and Tina were invited! I think Tina’s wise response of “F&@$ No” was in fact the voice of reason. Lol!
My buddy and I did Clover Creek / Toms Creek last September and this video reminded me of that sufferfest. I had tossed around the idea of making this into a thru hike this summer; glad you saved me the effort of going thru that. That plug you encountered was a whole lot of nope! Btw- we met you last June in west fork. My buddy and I took the more leisurely route when we did it. We were camped at the campsite about a mile from the one you and your buddy stayed at.
@@dmn3773 yeah man, I was actually half expecting to run into you guys. I even told my wife it wouldn’t surprise me! Lol
That’s been on my to do list for years! Even though it looks and sounds brutal I think I’m still gonna have to do it
@@chasewheeler3961 dang it, I should have called Chase. Could have used some backup (physical not emotional) 😂
On the bottom end, how was the water depth? Heading out to the camping permitted area was there any swimming required, like along that shelf step, was it walkable? Heading out for a overnight next weekend.
The “narrows” does not require a swim. You can definitely hug the side and make it without getting wet. Done it a bunch. If you check out a couple of my other West Fork videos you can see what the camping spots look like from the “camping permitted” sign.
@@MoonJuiceHikes sweet, wasn’t sure if with this years water it was higher than normal. Yeah I’ve watched them… any feedback on the “secret campground”?
Also good luck on the CT and thanks for the intel!
@@JimGerHikes Lol. The “secret” spot is well before the “camping permitted” sign, and you have to climb up the canyon to get there (around the narrows). The hike is fun. Nothing more than thigh deep. You can do it!
@@MoonJuiceHikes ok I’m gonna look for it!
@@JimGerHikes I forgot to respond to the water level question, it’s no higher than normal.
Pretty balsy doing this in shorts.