Directions: The directions to Skywalker Trailhead from downtown Sedona.
Head west on N State Rte. 89A towards Upper Red Rock Loop Rd
At the traffic light, turn left.
Park in the hiking trail shuttle parking lot.
Cross the street to the Over Easy trail head directly behind the Courtyard Marriott Hotel.
About the Hike: It's my favorite time of the year when we make our annual visit to Sedona. We always head this way the first week of December. This year, we're staying at the Sedona Summit Resort on the western edge of town. We wanted to investigate the different hikes within walking distance of the resort.
On Saturday morning, we headed out of the resort to Cultural Park Pl road, crossing 89A and continuing a few yards past the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in search of the Skywalker Loop trail.
Four trails create the 3.80-mile Skywalker Trail loop. The first trail to find is the Over Easy trail. We quickly found the trailhead sign behind the hotel to the left of the sidewalk.
The trail goes left or right, but today, we took a right in search of the Skywalker trail post.
The Over Easy trail blends into the Skywalker Trail in a magical place. As you turn the corner, all of Sedona's famous vistas await to take your breath away. Standing predominately across the desert floor are Cathedral Rock, and the Courthouse.
A bench sits waiting for a hiker to stop and enjoy those beautiful views.
The path was smooth, making it perfect for mountain bikers. The trail was relatively quiet as it's not one of the famous trails tourists seek when visiting Sedona. However, we did pass two different sets of bikers along our hike. I'm always impressed by their endurance as they navigate up those hills.
The first part of the trail meanders along the hillside's outer edge, providing sweeping views of the mountain ranges, including Chimney Rock, in the distance.
Halfway through the hike is a sign marking the Old Post Trail. You'll want to hang a right to continue on the loop.
The Old Post trail turns rockier, so try keeping your eyes on the trail to make sure you don't trip on a rock. This can get tricky because the scenery continually pulls your eyes upward.
Along Old Post trail, we passed a cairn for Carroll Canyon trail. This is another 3.3-mile loop that is rated as moderate. This would have wait for another day.
We continued onward hiking across large slabs of red rock until we came to our fourth cairn leading us onto the Herkenham trail.
The Herkenham trail loops back towards the Skywalker trail. The path leads down towards a dried creek. During this part of the hike, the trail became obscured. Make a sharp turn up the hill to avoid losing the trail.
The remainder of the Herkenham trail is uphill, leaving all those beautiful vista views behind. It's worth pausing for a few moments to turn back around, soaking in the scenery a few more times.
The Herkenham trail either ends in a parking area or, as we did, continues back onto the Skywalker trail for another quarter mile.
Eventually, you return to the Over Easy trail to finish your loop and return to the back side of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel.
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