Arizona Trailblazers - Trip Report

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Bell Rock to
Morgan Road
Day Hike
Sedona
April 7, 2007
by Ted Tenny

GPS Route
northern half

GPS Route
southern half

Round tones, as if you could ring Bell Rock.

The trail from Bell Rock Trailhead jogs east and then turns north toward the bell. Fourteen Trailblazers notice the fence on both sides of the trail. “It won’t last,” Ted assures us. We’re getting off to a late start, but at 4100' Sedona is a good 20° cooler than Phoenix.

Courthouse Butte dominates the skyline to the east. But Bell Rock is the main attraction for the first part of our hike. Some climbers have made it partway up, though the red sides of the bell get mighty steep. Beyond Bell Rock there are several trails heading north. We take a highly scenic route by a smaller red rock formation of the same material, dropping off its northwest side to join the main trail parallel to the highway.

We’ve found the northwest passage. Time for our lunch break.

    There are hikers among us in a wide range of age and walking speeds. But we can’t lose anybody. So we have to stop several times to consolidate the group.

    There’s a turn coming up that we don’t want to miss, a shortcut from the Bell Rock Trail to the Little Horse Trail, which takes eastward away from the highway.

    We make the cut, soon arriving at a shaded streambed with rocks to serve as park benches, the ideal lunch break.

From here it’s uphill to a saddle on the base of the towering red cliffs. The Chapel of the Holy Cross is our landmark. Near the saddle there’s a side trail going west to the chapel. We continue east.

The Little Horse Trail is popular. Several times we pass bicyclists careening down the trail. Then a dozen hikers go by. They are from the Arizona Outdoor Travel Club, completing their round trip to Submarine Rock.

Two monumental red rock spires mark our route. A bird and its shadow glide along the towering walls. The trail climbs closer and closer to this formation before going over the pass and dipping down into a southwest-flowing streambed.

Through the trees we’ve been enjoying glimpses of Munds Mountain to the east. Now we get a clear view of its red and white slickrock slopes. There are trails on the top of the mountain, but no getting to them from here – you have to climb up from the north end or the south end.

All I see is spires. Who said there was a vortex?

Hikers celebrate their arrival at Chicken Point.

    Above us to the north is a mushroom-shaped rock with people standing on it. “Chicken Point,” Ted advises. “That’s where we’re going.”

    From below it looks like a steep climb, but the trail takes us upstream and then around to Chicken Point from the northeast. There are lots of people, and some Jeeps parked back away from the cliff. Apparently no one wants to play chicken with the cliff today. That’s just as well – the cliff always wins.

    The view is glorious! In the distance we can see Bell Rock, where we started this morning. Both sides are graced with finely sculpted red rock cliffs.

Some of the rocks have a row of cavities, evenly spaced, where pockets of a softer mineral have dissolved, leaving the surrounding rocks untouched. Huge red monoliths rise above us on the west, with the colorful slopes of Munds Mountain on the east. Everyone stops to catch their breath and take pictures.

The Broken Arrow Trail leaving Chicken Point isn’t at all obvious. Some of us are tempted to start down the Jeep road, but no, there’s a cairn to mark the hiking trail to the north.

Cavities? Now I’m not a dentist, mind you, but ...

We head out on an uneven route that goes in and out of washes and provides a fine view of Submarine Rock, the northern valley of Oak Creek, and Wilson Mountain.

O.K., that settles it. Cameras at ten paces.

    We continue north, uphill and then mostly downhill on the Broken Arrow Trail. In several places we cross a formation of slickrock that is turning black from all the tire tracks. There are numerous side trails, mostly unmarked, but the main trail heads west and mostly downhill.

    The Devil’s Dining Room is a valley with green vegetation and rugged redrock sides. There’s a fence, and evidence of frequent visitation.

    We walk on down the trail. A pink Jeep crosses the dirt road in front of us as we arrive at Morgan Road Trailhead.

Today’s hike was a blast — lovely weather, stimulating companionship, and the best of Sedona’s red rocks. But now we have an important decision to make: who is going to Hogs in Heat on their way home?

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updated April 10, 2007