Baldwin Trail Trailhead — Attraction in Sedona

If you are unfamiliar with Arizona hiking, some words of caution are necessary and somewhat missing from reviews. The following points should be considered before embarking on this trail:

Signage. The first leg of this journey, right up to the signpost splitting the trail into the trailhead and the Turkey Creek route, is fairly straightforward, if lacking in consistent, obvious path markers. Following that sign, though, there is a distinct lack of any clear indicators of where the trail is headed. If you are unfamiliar in any way with Cathedral Rock and its surrounding paths, you will be thrown by sudden steep, rocky ascents and descents which did not occur before the junction.

Difficulty level. Some reviews suggest that this trail is easy. Again, if you are a beginner to Sedona-area mountain hikes, I must counter that it is not. As noted above, there is a sharp rise in difficulty that is not immediately obvious. Mobility and endurance are paramount to this trail, and it must not be confused with a flat, easy circuit with great views and little guesswork. This trail is moderate to difficult.

Heat. In typical Arizona fashion, you will encounter five types of weather along the way. This is not a shady trail, so you can't go wrong with durable hiking footwear, headwear and plenty of water.

Scenery. This trail is pretty in a classic, mountainous Sedona way, but I would suggest the Bell Rock park loop for the more stunning vistas, if that's what draws you. The Bell Rock loop is also less strenuous.

In summary: Be careful. Baldwin Trail can be suprisingly challenging, poorly marked, and not particularly breathtaking in its payoff. It will not present undue difficulty to veteran hikers, but should be treated with care and caution by beginners and even...

Baldwin Trailhead is on a dirt road after, traveling west on Verde Valley School Road where pavement stops about 1.1 miles from the trailhead parking lot. This is 7 miles south of Sedona in the Village of Oak Creek. So, when the road ends and turns into a dirt road, keep going about 1.1 miles. It's very visible. You need a pass or pay to park, and very limited parking on road. They will ticket you, so be aware of no parking areas. Baldwin Trail is a two mile loop and DOES NOT GO TO OAK CREEK!! You need to connect to (Crescent Ranch)Red Rock Crossing Trail, (down stream)that leads back to the left and goes to the end of the dirt road (WHERE THE CREEK IS). From there, you can walk about .2 miles on the dirt road back to the parking lot. Or when you see Templeton Trail, that goes to the right or left depending on which way you entered Baldwin trail. You can follow that instead. Templeton Trail follows the River to the northeast or upriver and leads, to Budda Beach. If you continue on Templeton, it leads away from the Creek to Cathedral Rock!! If you enjoy the Creek, then you will see more if you follow Templeton. Trail is sandy and rocky, so as always, use good hiking shoes. Flip flops or water shoes will not protect your feet, so if you are carefree and a risk taker, you might want to consider that option...your choice. This trail is dog and...

Let me first start by addressing parking. There are very limited spots and all of the areas within reasonable walking distance are posted as tow away Zones. If the parking lot is full then you have to wait line for a spot to open up. We were the second car and waited half an hour. It really just depends on how quickly hikers come back.

Now that that’s out of the way, my son and I loved this hike. We went in March so it wasn’t too hot. There is little to no shade so the constant breeze and 70 degree temps made it a very pleasant experience. The views of Cathedral Rock are simply breathtaking. It took my 9-year-old son and I about 2.5 hours to complete the approximately 3 mile hike around the trail. There is a lot to stop, look at, and since this area is sacred Native land, appreciate and pay respect to. I highly recommend this...