Long Canyon - Sedona, AZ

This was my third hike up to the cliff dwellings in Long Canyon. This time I went in the late afternoon to do photography. It's always a fun hike.

The Ice Cream Cone Cliff Dwellings

 

Pass Mountain Summit Loop - Tonto National Forest

I hiked the Pass Mountain Summit Loop Trail going clockwise. It was 5.5 miles and took me 4 hours and 20 minutes. From the trailhead at Usery Mountain Regional Park it was 3 miles to the summit, and it took me 1 hour and 53 minutes. Then I followed a faint trail south on the ridgeline for 1.8 miles. Then near the south summit I followed a trail down to Wind Cave and back to my car.

My 5.5 mile hike.

 

Twin Buttes Loop - Sedona, AZ

Starting from Little Horse Trailhead I hiked 6.8 miles counter clockwise around the Twin Buttes, with an attempt to climb the West Twin Butte. The exposure and vertical nature of the climb up West Twin Butte was too scary so I turned around. The hike took me 4 hours and 21 minutes. 

Long Canyon - Sedona, AZ

This was my second trip to what is known as the Ice Cream Cone Cliff Dwellings. My first trip was on December 21, 2021. Near the ruins there is a landmark rock formation that looks like an ice cream cone. The hike to the ruins has 600 feet of elevation gain from Long Canyon Trail. This time I did more exploring. 

The faint trail to the right is 1.9 miles from Long Canyon Road, and took me 38 minutes to get there. Then it takes about 20 minutes to reach Ice Cream Rock. From there it is about a 7 minute hike to the ruins. Total time to get there from my car was 1 hour and 9 minutes. After exploring the ruins and hidden canyon, I wandered east along the slickrock until I could go no further. Total distance hiking was 5.9 miles, and the time was 3.5 hours.

Ice Cream Rock on the left and the Three Sentinels on the right.

Easy 6 foot climb.

Pass between Ice Cream Rock and the Three Sentinels.

Enter the hidden canyon.