West Fork Trail in Sedona: Most Beautiful Trails in Arizona
Ahhh, the lure of Sedona and its beautiful red rocks. Sedona, Arizona sees over 300,000 visitors per year (source-visit sedona). What attracts people to Sedona? I’d say the famous “vortexes” where natural energy collides, the uniqueness of the desert southwest, and the weather. Sedona has a mild climate, with temperatures cooler than Phoenix but warmer than many other parts of the US. Most choose to hike when they come to Sedona, and the West Fork Trail is one of the most beautiful trails there.
How Do You Get to the West Fork Trail in Sedona?
West Fork Trail is located in Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona. I like to separate Sedona into regions, separated by the “Y” that the highways create, as seen in the map below. Sedona itself is about 2 hours north of Phoenix, AZ. Highway 179 leads you into the “Y” from the east side, and highway 89A leads you to the “Y” from the west side. I call these areas East Sedona and West Sedona, then they combine into highway 89A north up Oak Creek Canyon all the way to Flagstaff, AZ. I call this “North Sedona” or “Oak Creek Canyon.” West Fork Trail is in Oak Creek Canyon, so North of the “Downtown Sedona” area. The road up to West Fork is stunning, and only takes maybe 15 minutes from Downtown Sedona (it will be on your left side). Click the map for directions to West Fork Trail Sedona.
West Fork Trail Sedona Parking
West Fork Trail does have its own managed parking lot. You may or may not have heard of “Red Rock Passes” in Sedona. It is a parking pass that applies to many of the Sedona Trailheads, but NOT this trail. In general, having the $80 a year Annual National Parks Pass is best (works to cover Red Rock Pass and gets you 50% off Sedona National Forest campgrounds), but you may separately to hike West Fork Trail ($12 a car). The parking lot is open 7-dusk from April 1- October 31 and 8-dusk the res tof the year. They do have picnic tables and toilets. You can always view up to date details HERE.
Important: Gear to Bring for This Hike
This trail is very different than others in Sedona being that there are CREEK CROSSINGS. Good thing, is there are ways for every person of every age and experience to enjoy this hike in beautiful Oak Creek Canyon. The creek crossings start at 0.5 miles. It is a wide creek (more than just 1 jump), so if you don’t want to worry about getting your feet wet or you aren’t sturdy, then just go to the creek and come back. If you do plan on continuing on, I recommend A HIKING STICK for balance, STURDY SHOES (these for example- don’t bring normal gym sneakers), and A GARMIN IN REACH (it is pricey, but worth it, and there is limited phone service deep in the canyon). In my opinion, the best time to hike West Fork Trail is in summer or during peak fall colors.
What I’d Wear to Hike West Fork in the Summer
Summer in Sedona can get HOT. People do love flocking to any hike that has water for that reason, so this trail can get busy. I prefer not to be with all the loud crazies in the middle of the day, haha. So I would prefer hiking this trail at sunrise or around sunset to avoid the crowds and the peacefulness. Plus, the sun isn’t overhead so you get more shade from the canyon. Oak Creek Canyon weather may be 5-10 degrees cooler than the downtown area, which is nice. THIS LOCKER has the gear I’d wear for a summer hike. In summer, I’d prefer to do the creek crossing in sandals to enjoy the cool water.
What I’d Wear to Hike West Fork in the Fall and Winter
HERE is the “locker” of the exact gear I wore to hike West Fork in Fall (October 31). We hiked at sunrise and it was chilllyyyyy, but also magical. I wore sturdy waterproof boots, DARN TOUGH socks, a large fanny pack with snacks and a water bottle, my camera, my garmin, and a tshirt with a fleece.
West Fork Hike Guide/ Trail Review
OKAY, let’s get into the details of the hike itself. The purpose of my hike reviews are to give you tips from someone who has completed these trails, along with showing you the most iconic or scenic or photogenic spots on the hikes, and how to stay safe!
west fork trail hike details:
length: 6.5-7 mi
elevation gain: 564 ft (if you’re new to hiking, this is not bad at all for the length, as opposed to hikes that are 1,000 ft gain in a mild- those are hard).
how long does it take to hike west fork trail sedona?: 2-3 hours if you’re enjoying the creek and not rushing
difficulty: easy to moderate
dog-friendly: yes, on a leash
west fork trail sedona map: below
First Half Mile of the Trail
Once you find the West Fork Oak Creek Trailhead and start your hike, you’ll soon be under tree cover and cross an adorable bridge. That spits you out into a beautiful field of foliage with canyons on both sides- this is a beautiful spot to take photos in all seasons. Go on further and you’ll make it to a trail fork where you stay RIGHT. You’ll see some cool old historic structures. Then at 1/2 mile you’ll hit the first creek crossing. Right beyond that is one of the coolest photo spots- you just find any little side trail to your right and take a photo where the creek is nestled up against the rock walls. If you’re looking for a short family-friendly hike in Sedona, this would be a great spot to stop and turn around.
Creek Crossings
I don’t remember how many creek crossings there were in total, but I’d say about 7 if you do the whole trail. The creek depth varies based on time of year and water flow of course, but generally it’s not more than ankle deep. Usually you can find rocks to cross. My dog did really well too- but if your dog is tiny they will need to be lifted up.
How to Stay on Trail
I highly recommend using ALLTRAILS to map out your hike. It will help you stay on trail, AND has a feature where you can “LIVE SHARE” your location on the trail with someone you know. I love this feature. When you’re trying to see Oak Creek Trail Sedona in the fall and want to time peak fall colors on West Fork Trail, AllTrails also helps by allowing you to see most recent posted photos by other users.
Fall Colors on West Fork Trail
Looking for West Fork Trail Sedona fall colors? As you can see in the photos, fall is STUNNING in Sedona. The peak color is typically towards the end of October and beginning of November (late compared to the rest of the country!). So so worth it to visit during this time. All the yelow and orange and red maples are stunning. The west fork hike Sedona is the best spot to see fall colors by far.
My Favorite Photo Spot on West Fork Trail
The most beautiful spot on this trail in my opinion (dare I say one of the most instagrammable spots in Sedona), weas at 2.2 miles. You come out of the trail on top of this giant rock ledge overlooking the creek. It’s such a beautiful vantage point. If I went again, I’d probably turn around here. It is all beautiful, but after going to the “end,” I feel like this is a great turn around point.
End of Trail
The photo below represents the “end of the trail.” The canyon continues to get more and more narrow and the creek gets deeper. It was a good spot to sit and enjoy a snack. In the summer, people do like to continue on in this trail ande hike into the Red Rock- Secret Mountain Wilderness. Some liken it to the “Narrows” of Sedona, like the “Narrows” in Zion. I would like to try this some day, but I hiked when it was cold, haha.
You can go backpacking in Oak Creek Canyon. ONLY PAST the “end of the trail” mentioned. You will see a sign saying “camping is permitted.” I have not done this, so I will refer to another blogger’s post HERE if you want to know more.
SUMMARY of WEST FORK TRAIL
Frequently Asked Questions:
How Difficult is the West Fork Trail Sedona?
The trail itself is easy to moderate I would say, the difficulty is just in the technical aspect in the creek crossings.
How Difficult is the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon?
Count on about 7 miles, but you can make it longer by going into the Red Rock Wilderness OR you can make it shorter. It is all beautiful.
Which is Better- Sedona or The Grand Canyon?
This question is most likely coming from someone visiting Arizona from out of state. That is a hard question to answer. The Grand Canyon is one of the seven wonders of the world (read my posts about it HERE), but I would pick SEDONA if i had to pick one.
What is the Best Time of Year to Visit Sedona Arizona?
My favorite times to visit Sedona are November-April. It can get cold here (which is a nice change for people like me that live in Phoenix all year), but gosh it is beautiful, and so much less busy than summer. Summer in Sedona in the middle of the day is HOT and CHAOTIC, in my opinion.
