Woods Canyon Trail

Woods Canyon Trail (Trail #93) is a long, mostly low-angle out-and-back hike in the Munds Mountain Wilderness area south of Sedona, Arizona, managed as a standard/ground trail route in Coconino National Forest. The trail is mapped as path with ground surface and is open to hiking and horseback riding (no bicycles).

It starts at the signed trailhead near the Red Rock Visitor Center at the Red Rock Ranger District, beginning level and unshaded as it follows a jeep road into the wide canyon mouth for about 1.25 miles. After the road ends, the route starts climbing gradually toward the canyon drainage.

Around the 2-mile mark, the trail crosses a small, usually dry streambed with red rock pools. Near there you pass a cattle gate and reach a signed fork: Hot Loop Trail heads left toward Horse Mesa; Woods Canyon Trail continues by taking the right fork into the canyon.

From the fork the route enters Munds Mountain Wilderness and continues an easy climb, staying near Dry Beaver Creek. The canyon is lined with large gray boulders and red-rock outcrops, and the corridor can include occasional pine and sycamore shade as you progress.

At about 3.5 miles the trail comes out onto a redrock expanse at the edge of the normally dry creekbed studded with huge gray boulders. There’s a further climb/moderate grade out of the creekbed for roughly another 0.75 mile, which is a common turnaround point even though a path continues deeper into the canyon.

For planning, the established route length is about 5.2 miles round-trip with roughly 431 ft of elevation gain and a typical 4–5 hour roundtrip time window. Water is seasonal—during spring snowmelt Dry Beaver Creek may be running, and the two creek crossings are shallow and easier when wet.

Heat is the main practical constraint: this route can be very hot in summer, and the long unshaded lower jeep-road section makes timing important. In cold months, it’s still a good idea to expect exposed stretches and stick to the canyon corridors where the trail follows the drainage.

More information: Visitor information, Woods Canyon Trail #93, Sedona, Arizona - The American Southwest, Woods Canyon - The Wanderer's Guide