Hiking Sedona, Arizona Boynton Canyon: What to Wear and Bring, Location and Photo Gallery

arizona, hiking

Sedona is one of the most beautiful places you can visit to hike and explore outdoors in the United States.

Sedona, Arizona Canyon Hike Dance

There’s a mix of Ponderosa Pine forest, red rock, desert and rivers!

Follow me in Instagram for more of my in-the-moment adventures! @maggmountains

What to Wear Hiking in Sedona, Arizona:

It depends on the time of year!

In the spring, summer and early fall, you will likely be fine in regular summer athletic clothing. I would recommend wearing clothes that are breathable. Even on warm summer days, you should always bring some sort of sweatshirt or coat, you never know if the temperature will drop of it something is going to happen.

You can also get shirts that block the sun and keep you cool in the process. Columbia makes some great ones!

In the winter months, you’ll want to dress accordingly. I always have various layer on so that I have options for if I’m hot or cold.

I went in march and I wore:

What to wear hiking in Sedona, Arizona

  • Hair up! I have long hair so I usually do braids or buns on my hikes. Keeps my thick hair off my neck.
Hiking Hair

What to Bring Hiking in Sedona, Arizona

  • Sunscreen. I use an organic sunscreen, a lot of sunscreen have toxins that are harmful for your skin. I finally found a brand that works well AND dries clear.
  • Lightweight backpack
  • A water bottle that keeps your ice frozen all day in the heat. I have a 40oz Hydroflask that works great.
  • Snacks. I always bring snacks on hikes. I either bring some fruit, vegetables, or a Cliff Bar.
  • Portable Solar Charger. I started bringing mine on all of my hikes as backup. It’s nice to have the security of a charged phone when you’re hiking alone. This brand works well and folds up small in your backpack!

Hiking Near Sedona, Arizona- Boynton Canyon

Boynton Canyon Hike, Arizona

There are so many awesome hikes around Sedona! SO many of them are high up on my bucket list. I was there during the heart of COVID-19, so I mainly isolated at my campsite and relaxed. I did manage to get one awesome hike in!

Follow me in Instagram for more of my in-the-moment adventures! @maggmountains

Boynton Canyon Hike was awesome! It was 3 miles to the top and 3 miles back. I would say in manageable for most skill levels!

There’s a decent sized parking lot, but it’s shared with multiple other trailheads. If you’re going on a weekend, you might want to get there early! There’s a parking meter. It’s in a the Coconino National Forest, so if you have National Park Service Pass, just put it in the dash of your car.

Sedona Arizona Hiking Trail Head

This hike has a lot of diversity: wildflowers, forest, desert, red rock, and the canyon at the top!

The view at the top puts you part way up the canyon, but you can see pretty far! It used to be set up to go up further, but the trail keeps eroding and it’s too dangerous. There was a sign there to stop people, and it looked sketchy so I can’t imagine many people even break the rules to try it!

Hop Rising Double IPA

I was there in March, the weather was perfect, You may want to go when it isn’t in the heart of summer, depending on the weather of course!

Boynton Canyon, Sedona

TI drank 40oz of water on this hike, so important to stay hydrated. I love Camelbacks (they hold a lot of water) and I use them on super long hikes, but on 1-8 mile hikes, I typically just bring my Hydroflask since I prefer ice water. I have a 40oz Hydroflask and it keeps my ice water cold all day, no matter how hot out it is! (they have smaller and larger ones as well).

Follow me in Instagram for more of my in-the-moment adventures! @maggmountains

Feel free to email me or message me on instagram with any questions! (no spam).

Stay safe and groovy!

Stunning Scenic Lake In Southern Colorado: Smith Reservoir!

This is an awesome little road trip stop if you find yourself in southern Colorado! This reservoir is small but it’s so beautiful! I drove from Austin, Texas, cut over into New Mexico just before Amarillo and winded through some back highways until I got into souther CO! My grandpa taught me to always take…

Flaming Gorge Reservoir: Road Trip Stop On The Utah/ Wyoming Border

I’m always looking for new and beautiful places to explore around the United States! A lot of the time I will just zoom in on my apple maps on a green area or a body of water, and then research whatever names are posted in that area! That’s how I found the Flaming Gorge. I…

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado: Rocky Mountain Sand Dunes

Colorado is such a beautiful state! I’m so glad I took this route on my way up to Washington State! I weirdly had never been to Colorado, one of the only states I hadn’t been to yet (aside from the airport)! 🤯 seems like the first place I’d go lol. I also stopped at the…

The Mojave Desert: A South West Road Trip Essential Stop!

This was a quick stop for me on my drive from Las Vegas to Los Angeles! I always try to see any many places as possible when I’m on road trips, even if I only have time to stop for a few hours. This place was nothing like I had never seen before! Growing up…

Ocean Jet Skiing in Destin, Florida: Destin Beach Trip Mini Guide

Destin and the entire Florid Panhandle have a ton of very underrated beaches! If you’re looking for white sand, and bright blue water, this is the spot! And it’s a pretty affordable vacation spot! I’ve been to the Panhandle a handful of time and it’s been a blast for all of them! Pro tip: it’s…

Tennessee Waterfall Hike: Burgress Falls State Park

I wasn’t sure how I was going to like living in Tennessee, after growing up in the beautiful Pacific North West, but I was pleasantly surprised! Tennessee is extremely lush and has hills and mountains. There a lot of waterfalls to visit! (Here’s another one of my favorite Tennessee Waterfalls). This hike is right off…

Middle Tennessee’s Best Hike, Waterfall, and Swimming Hole: Cummins Falls

I lived in Nashville, Tennessee for a couple years and this waterfall and swimming hole is by far my favorite place in the State.  Also… side note! If you’re going to Cummins Falls you should definitely spend some time in Nashville! I will be writing up a post on the best spots to go in…

Hiking Red Rock Canyon: Best Las Vegas Hikes- Calico Hills

I spent a couple months in the greater Las Vegas area! Between the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Red Rock Canyon National Park! All of which are beautiful in their own way! One of my favorite hikes and hot springs is close by as well! It goes along the emerald colored Colorado river. If you…

Loading…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Sedona, Arizona: Camping, BLM Land and Hiking Guide

arizona, camping, hiking

Arizona is an incredibly beautiful state. I appreciate it more and more each time I visit! This previous time… I stayed for 2 months. Ooops! I was there during the chaos of Covid-19, so it felt better for me to stay put for a while!

Sedona is one of the most beautiful places you can visit to hike and explore outdoors in the United States.

There’s a mix of Ponderosa Pine forest, red rock, desert and rivers!

Ponderosa Pine in Arizona

Follow me in Instagram for more of my in-the-moment adventures! @maggmountains

I found more than one stunning BLM (free land to camp) spots, tons of hiking trails, and lots of resources in the surrounding towns: Sedona, Cottonwood, and Prescott are the ones I frequented.

I also went on an amazing hike! A lot of trails were closed for COVID when I was there (they are open now), but I did find an awesome trail that was still open, I added it to the bottom here! You can use the AllTrails app to find some other others. I’ve heard Devil’s Bridge and Bear Mountain Trail are both lovely too.

Follow me in Instagram for more of my in-the-moment adventures! @maggmountains

Loy Butte/ Boynton Canyon Rd BLM: Free scenic camping near Sedona!

This was an UNREAL location to post up for a couple weeks. I was there in March so the weather was ideal. The mornings and evenings were cool, and the days were warm.

This BLM is located of highway 89A, which is one of my all time favorite highways to drive. If you are driving between Sedona and Cottonwood on 89A, you turn off on to Loy Butte road (there should only be one way to turn… turn right if you are coming from Sedona, and turn left off the highway if you are coming from Cottonwood.

Probably better than most men at chopping wood.

It’s a gravel road that connects all the way to the highway on the other side. There are spots all throughout this area you can stay for free! The further in you go, the more scenic it gets!

The road was fairly rough but it’s manageable. There were a good mix of big RV’s, tents and vans! Just be careful.

IPA’s are my favorite adult drink!

Hangout Out at the BLM/ Free Land to Camp On

** you can find other BLM spots to camp for free on the BLM (bureau of land management) website**

We were able to have fires at the time; I would double check before having one depending on the time of year! We cooked some feasts using a combination of cooking over the fire, which I usually use to cook my meats, and I use my Jet Boil for a lot of cooking!

In the mornings I would get up and start my day with hot coffee. It’s so nice to have hot coffee when you’re out in nature, I make it in under two minutes just by using my jet boil and instant coffee , I always get the organic kind. Coffee is one of those sneaky things that has a lot of chemicals.. I just clip my Jet boil cup to the burner; add water, light it and I have boiling water in about a minute. Not sure how I got by without it before!

There’s also a lot of attachments for the jet boil that make it easy to use in a variety of ways. I’ll never go back to using anything else. It’s so lightweight and easy to use. I even bring it on my super long hikes to make pick-me-up meals so that I have energy for the long trek back to the car.

Jet Boil French Press attachment, so handy!:

Jet Boil French Press Coffee/Tea

Click Here For this Amazing Hiking Near Sedona (in video below).

Follow me in Instagram for more of my in-the-moment adventures! @maggmountains

I drank 40oz of water on this hike, so important to stay hydrated. I love Camelbacks (they hold a lot of water) and I use them on super long hikes, but on 1-8 mile hikes, I typically just bring my Hydroflask since I prefer ice water. I have a 40oz Hydroflask and it keeps my ice water cold all day, no matter how hot out it is! (they have smaller and larger ones as well).

Boynton Canyon Hike, Arizona

Follow me in Instagram for more of my in-the-moment adventures! @maggmountains

Feel free to email me or message me on instagram with any questions! (no spam).

Stay safe and groovy!

Big Tree State Park, Northern California Road Trip

I was making the trip from Yosemite to Lake Tahoe, and of course decided to take the back roads! (Which also lead to another cool discovery and long dead end). I didn’t have a big plan, I was car camping and was stopping and going as I pleased! Luckily I saw the signs for Big…

Yosemite Valley, California Road Trip Stops

If you haven’t been to The Yosemite yet, add it to the bucket list! I give this place an 11/10 for beauty. It truly is one of the most breathtaking places you’ll go to! I drove in from Los Angeles Overnight. I want to say it was about a 4 ish hour drive! My cat,…

Southern California Road Trip Stop: The Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is the largest lake in the state of California! This lake is very close to where they host Coachella! I made a pit stop here on my South West road trip, traveling from Arizona to Southern California. There isn’t a ton to do in the area, but it’s a super unique place…

Mount Rainier National Park: Driving to the Top, Photo Gallery

Mt. Rainier is one of Washington States most iconic peaks. You can see the mountain clearly from Seattle. I was fortunate to grow up in Washington. My brother and I decided to take a longer drive to our cousins wedding, and we drove through Mt. Rainier National Park. You can drive almost all the way…

North Cascades National Park, Washington State: Guide and Photo Gallery

North Cascades National Park is heaven on earth. It hugs the Canadian boarder, you’ll even get some “Welcome to Canada” texts if you happen to have service any point! It encompasses serene alpine lakes, endless mountain peaks and dense forest! Everywhere you drive or go is another breathtaking view! It never ends. For Forests floors are…

Grand Canyon National Park: That Time an Elk Hiked With Me

This was my first time ever going to The Grand Canyon, so you could say I was pretty stoked!  I got up early where I was staying, in Flagstaff, which is just a little over an hour from the park! I threw on my spandex and USA hat and hit the road! I knew I…

Oregon Water Fall Hike: Ramona Falls in Mt Hood National Forest

Ramona Falls in Oregon is a Hidden little gem found in Mt. Hood National Forrest! My friend from Texas found it on the AllTrails app and we went for it! This hike made you feel like you are walking through a tropical rainforest, it was insanely green and lush!  The Trail Head It’s not too…

Loading…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.