Boynton Canyon Trail

According to legend, Boynton Canyon is the birthplace of the Yavapai-Apache Nation. Follow the trail into its heart, and feel your spirit rise - as the view makes your jaw drop

There's a point a little more than three miles into your hike where Boynton Canyon Trail makes a brief but sharp ascent to a scene of remarkable beauty. Stretched out before you is the entire length of the canyon where, legend has it, the Yavapai-Apache tribe was born. To the echoing sound of soaring ravens, we watched the late-afternoon sun play on the rocks, a kaleidoscope of cotton-candy pinks and cherry reds. Believe what you will about Boynton Canyon's fabled vortex, but you do feel a life-affirming force here - and we don't mean the hairy tarantula that caught us by surprise!

Before you even get up here, the 6.5-mile round-trip hike is, well, enchanting, skirting Enchantment Resort for its first mile. From its start on Boynton Canyon Rd., the trail hugs towering red rock cliffs and offers an eyeful of "Kachina Woman," a red-rock spire rising high in the desert sky. Look for ancient ruins, inaccessible by foot, tucked into shallow cliff-side caves. The trail alternates between wide sandy paths and tight, rocky sections; it leads into the canyon, which slowly narrows, meaning less sunshine and cooler temperatures. Along the way, you'll see rock sculptures - built by creative hikers - standing like silent sentinels, manzanita bushes, prickly pear cactus, and intrepid lizards. Expect a few moderately steep stretches and, depending on the season, streams to cross or ice. Heed the warnings that protect fragile vegetation, and hike along the slick rock only as far as you feel comfortable. The views are beautiful, but the trail you hike up, you must also hike down.

DIRECTIONS: Take Hwy 89A south at the "Y," turn right onto Dry Creek Rd. Continue to Long Canyon Rd., bearing left at FR152C. Turn right on Boynton Canyon Rd. The parking area is on your right. A Red Rock Pass is required to park; passes can be purchased at a kiosk in the parking lot.

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