4x4tographer 1,921 Posted April 18, 2021 Thanks again to everyone that came out for this day trip to Sedona! Weather was AWESOME, though I sort of wish we could have caught some of that rain to spice things up. @Trail Toy, @JL Goat, @SonoranWanderer, @CAVU2, @Yodamom Here's a link back to the original trip plan. We tackled the somewhat exclusive Soldier's Pass, which is limited to 12 total vehicles per day. This trail, while short, takes you to see some pretty awesome sites including the 7 Sacred Pools and the Devil's Kitchen. We then ran Oak Creek Homestead, which is also known as "Cliffhanger" where we got to checkout the cliffhanger "obstacle" (if you can call it that), an old stone cabin, and the flowing Oak Creek - which was really pushing water. Soldier's Pass was fun! Although a super short trail (just over 1 mile) we spent about 2-2.5 hours hanging out and enjoying the site. Frankly, it was crawling with people, but it was fun being the only "mechanized hikers" on the trail. As we came up on Devil's Kitchen, @SonoranWanderer got word that a mountain biker had fallen and had taken an agave spine right through her Achilles tendon and was reportedly in pretty bad shape. He stepped up to offer to help drive her back from the middle of the trail to the parking lot. Unfortunately, he never got the chance! Her husband lost her and she made it back to the lot by her self. Figures But I'm extremely thankful that ORP is filled with kind people who are willing to step up and lend a hand when someone is in trouble. Here are some photos from around the Seven Sacred Pools and Devil's Kitchen. We then headed over to Oak Creek Homestead / Cliffhanger. Frankly, I expected more from this trail. It was a nice ride, but not particularly scenic. Sort of "meh", in my opinion. The "Cliffhanger" obstacle is an off-camber narrow shelf road that really wasn't as intimidating as advertised. Everyone on the group spanked it with no drama going either down or up the hill. Since the scenery was sort of bland, I didn't grab as many photos as I normally would have, so I snagged some captures of everyones rigs at the end. What a good-looking bunch! 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CAVU2 209 Posted April 18, 2021 (edited) Trail and signs Edited April 18, 2021 by CAVU2 5 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CAVU2 209 Posted April 18, 2021 Devils Kitchen 6 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CAVU2 209 Posted April 18, 2021 (edited) The Tree at 7 Pools Edited April 18, 2021 by CAVU2 6 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dzJeepChic 1,755 Posted April 18, 2021 Great trip report @4x4tographer, and also great photos everybody! I haven't been out Soldier's Pass for a long time, but it would be pretty cool to be 1 of only a few motorized vehicles allowed per day. When I've been there in the past it was too crowded. Probably could've gone all day without hearing: "agave spine right through her Achilles tendon", thank you for that visual. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 1,921 Posted April 18, 2021 15 minutes ago, dzJeepChic said: Great trip report @4x4tographer, and also great photos everybody! I haven't been out Soldier's Pass for a long time, but it would be pretty cool to be 1 of only a few motorized vehicles allowed per day. When I've been there in the past it was too crowded. Probably could've gone all day without hearing: "agave spine right through her Achilles tendon", thank you for that visual. Jeep-wise it wasn’t too bad. We were the only permit-holders on the trail. We did have 2 run ins with one of the tour companies but it wasn’t that bad. It was def tourist central, though. Probably a dozen and a half mountain bikers at Soldier Pass, and a ton of 20-somethings doing yoga poses for Instagram. Sedona is definitely getting more and more popular! Of course it was a Saturday and gorgeous out. 2 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trail Toy 1,039 Posted April 18, 2021 Here's a link to pics and vids Sarah put together, enjoy! LINK 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trail Toy 1,039 Posted April 19, 2021 HOLY ! The video in the link is finally working! Something was up with Google yesterday, the last video Sarah made wasn't working yesterday, but today, a different story! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 1,921 Posted April 19, 2021 Nice shooting Sarah! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
