West Fork Oak Creek Backpack

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/3/1/e/e/event_59232782.jpeg

This is a great backpack through a beautiful creek and amazing red rocks cliffs!

Most people just do the short hike along the lower end of the canyon, but we will leave the crowds behind and backpack on into the Secret Mountain/Red Rock Wilderness. Please note that this trip is an easy to moderate trip coming in from the east and is not the harder thru-hike version.

The first three miles are on a well-groomed, very popular trail following the creek. The scenery is spectacular and the walking easy and pleasant. For the next three miles, the scenery is just as amazing but the trail is much less used and more difficult. There are many places where we’ll boulder-hop and wade in the stream.

We'll drive up Friday night and car camp along forest road 535, near Hwy 89A just north of the canyon. On Saturday, we'll start hiking up the West Fork from the "Call of the Canyon" parking area. There is an $9.00 per vehicle charge to park here. We hike in 6+ miles and camp on a cool ledge above the creek. We’ll return the same way on Sunday.

Plan on boulder-hopping, very slippery slick rock, and pools to be waded through.

Use this link for more information:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/recreation/red_rock/westfork-tr.shtml