The Hike House Leads the way to Sedona Adventure!

The Hike House’s first anniversary just passed. It’s hard to believe that I have never been over to check out the amazing cafe, well stocked gear shop, or take advantage of the hiking information available there.  Our hotel decided to work on putting a hiking package together for out guest,  so I gave Greg, the owner of The Hike House, a call. He told me about their free hiking clinic and invited me to tag along. You all know how I love hiking…how could I turn that down?

Every Tuesday morning The Hike House has a hiking clinic. This clinic provides free practical and basic tips for hiking in Sedona. You learn proper hiking techniques and confidence and stability on the trail. We met up in the Energy Café. This great little sweet spot offers cookies, scones and other home baked items prepared in the on-site bakery. I had a cranberry and white chocolate cookie that was delicious! They also have all types of energy foods and drinks, and a make your own trail mix station, which I thought was totally cool!

We had a group of about 15 people. Greg went over how the Sedona Trail Finder works. This is a high definition, interactive technology that will “marry your abilities and desires with one of over 100 trails in the Sedona hiking network.”  Its fun to see the different types of trails available to hike. Typically when we have guests at the hotel we recommend the same trails that we know are good. West Fork, Devil’s Bridge, Boynton Canyon, Cathedral Rock…but this gives you a chance to see what else is out there. The Hike House has created a rating system for over 100 trails that include a detailed description, trail data, video diary of the trail, and a trail specific hiking blog dedicated to each particular trail, map of trail and directions to the trail head. I can’t wait to take advantage of this…its totally free!

The Hike House offers private guided hiking adventures at different difficulty and lengths of time. What is great is that after the information on Trail Finder Greg took us out for a free guided hike with James, another guide. We drove up to the trail head at Schnebly Hill and hiked Marg’s Draw. This is an easy, but beautiful little hike. You have awesome views of uptown Sedona, Snoopy Rock and Cathedral Rock in the distance. There is little elevation gain and it took us about an hour and a half. There was snow on the peaks which was beautiful, and parts of the trail were a little damp from the snow fall the 2 days previous, but this was a perfect day for hiking. The weather was awesome, high 50’s, not hot, not cold, and perfect for moving in the outdoors.

I would definitely recommend this hike to those who haven’t done a lot of hiking and want to get their feet wet…but it’s also great for us who just want to get out and breath some of this great fall air. I would also recommend taking the hiking clinic or booking a private tour. Keep a look out for our new hiking package, coming soon!

Catch the Fall Color Before it’s Gone!

There is still time to take in the colors of Autumn. A friend and I went to West Fork this past week and the leaves were still gorgeous…although I do think we missed the prime color…J I have written about West Fork before, because it is my absolute favorite hike in the area. The temperature right now is perfect for hiking. Wear a sweatshirt because in the shade it can be chilly and this trail is surrounded by trees. We always bring hiking sticks because you have to cross the creek several times and this time of year getting your feet wet isn’t on the plan for the day. Although a friend of mine went out to Beaver Creek last week and he said he and his dog went swimming. Brrrrr!