Taylor Cabin

After I first heard of Taylor Cabin I was pretty excited to get down there and check it out...

The cabin itself is located in the upper-middle section of Sycamore Creek in the Red Rock Wilderness of Sedona. Sycamore Creek is the largest creek in the area and is fed from water from Northern Arizona during the "wet seasons". The Creek stretches all the way from Western Sedona to areas near Flagstaff.
Its a big place.

Taylor Cabin is a historic old rancher's shack that was hand built back in the 1930's. It was used as a resting medium from the long haul between Sedona and Northern Arizona for cattle ranchers and cowboys. The cabin is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the area is loaded with sites of historical importance including local dwellings.

Just getting to this trail is an adventure.
There are several ways to get to Taylor Cabin. One option is using the 22+ mile mule packing trail that leaves from Sedona. This option is a long one way trip but it is relatively easy travel. You start low and you dont climb a ton in elevation.

Or you can take the Taylor Cabin Trail which is a much shorter but steeper option from Woody Mountain Road in Flagstaff. We had read that this trail was only 3 miles long in one direction and that the elevation change was not out of the ordinary for the topography of the area. The review also mentioned that it was a "grueling trail" but we blew it off. We thought it would still be a better option since we were trying to do the entire trip in one day moving as quickly as possible.

To get to the trail head we started the 24 mile drive out to the end of Woody Mt. Rd. After getting a flat and finding our way around the spider web of forest service roads we made it to the point where we couldn't drive any further. The review said that a high clearance vehicle is required for the last mile or so and they were right. The road got pretty bad and we decided not to push it any further. Soo... We decided to warm up the legs by running to the trail head which was about 1 mile down a rough dirt road.

I was psyched to finally see the trail head sign... now we could finally start the run!
The top of the trail was in such a rad location and oh man was it beautiful!

Top of
Taylor Creek TR.

After some early trail finding issues we were on our way down the canyon. It was steep from the get go and I was almost instantly thinking about the energy needed to get out of the dang thing! The trail is self was decently well kept in the first .5 miles but after that we started to see a significant amount of downed trees and covered trail. We were never too far off from the trail but there were plenty of moments were we had to find our way around some tougher sections.


The upper section of the trail was amazing. Green everywhere! After we passed through the steepest section is was time to find our way down the narrow canyons below. This section opened up to a new challenge. We were not following a specific trail the entire time but we were being guided by some placed cairn markers. This section only added to the beauty! The dark narrow sandstone walls kept us cool and it felt like being in a maze you knew you would get out of.

Chris walking by one of
the many walls

Psyched in one of the
narrows

After a pretty quick decent through the steepest section of the trail it was time to face the next section of the trail. We knew that the cabin was still going to be a bit of a hike from our exit into Sycamore Creek.
This is when it got even more challenging.
We did find a trail marker that mentioned the cabin but once we started on the trail we were just practically bush wacking our way through some hot and pokey conditions (anyone who has hiked in the desert quickly learns its a mean place!). The temperature seemed to sky rocket and we were no longer in the shade of the canyon. We were trying to move as fast as possible but with Chaco practically melting under his black coat we had to slow down and rest a bit.

No shade!

I was starting to get a little anxious to get to the cabin. It was getting really hot, I was starting to worry that Chaco was too hot, I was feeling some blisters coming on, and we still had no rest from the hot sun. Luckily about a hour in we finally reached a huge wall with some clear cool water below for us to rest at! It was like a perfect little oasis and it got me psyched again to make the final push to the cabin where we knew there was water and rest!

A needed break.

After another hour or so of hot river rock hoppin' we made it!

The cabin was amazing! Built right into one of the red wall of the wash. It was a lot more than I expected. There was a tin roof, a wood burning stove, a fireplace, table, chairs, and supplies left from other travelers! There was information on the area and really amazing notes left behind from the years of recreational use. There was also plenty of propane and survival materials stored in the cabin to be able and stay there a few nights. It would be an amazing base camp to use for several nights of exploring in the area.

Chris and Chaco psyched
to be at the cabin

After a short visit in the cabin we decided to check out some of the other cool things near by and finally find some cold water to swim in. First we headed to a cave near by that use to be home to a dwelling. It was a pretty big cave to my surprise! It no longer had any remains of the people living there but instead was home to a new owner...
Bats!!!
They were flying all over the place, in and out of the darkest areas of the cave. I was really enjoying watching them "blindly" fly around and Chaco seemed to be interested also!

Great shot of a
diving bat!

After some cool down time in the cool dark cave it was time to find some swimming. Swimming in the desert is a favorite of mine! When its hot the swimming holes are always a unbelievable and refreshing way to cool down. This one was no different.

Crystal clear, cold, and refreshing!

Chaco and I getting
the first dip.

Chaco being
noble.

After swimming, eating lunch, and filtering some water from one of the clearest pools it was time to make our way out...
I was not looking forward to it.
The sun was still beating down and I already know how steep and grueling it was going to be!
We decided to skip all the bush and cactus by walking the creek back to the canyon trail. The sun was relentless and I was really starting to hate boulder hopping more than I already did. We took plenty of rests to adjust our blistering feet and to take advantage of the shade and cool pools to soak our shirts.

Chaco also wondering
what could be up there

This tree was just perched there...
not touching the rock.

Then came the final crux...
The trail was very steep. It seemed to just keep coming at you. Every time there was some "level" ground there was a steep section around the corner. My legs were pretty wrecked and my ankles were sore from all the boulder hopping. Luckily the sun was now hidden by the tall narrow walls and the temperatures cooled down. We stopped several times to switch out our wet socks and to explore some of the really amazing amphitheaters of rock.
But it was mostly business... we were still trying to push it.

Again... what an amazing section of trail!

A full and hard day we finally made it back to the vehicle. We estimated we hiked close to 14 miles and took on some major elevation change. I was feeling pretty worked and my feet were killing me. We spent some time stretching out and

finally...
we got to drink that beer we earned!


Few shots from the trip:

Earned.