Oak Creek Canyon

I feel like having a cone of rocky road ice cream after this trail. Pretty wide desolate and equally beautiful hike. Very heavy on the ankle bending micro boulders basically throughout. Not until towards the base of the mountain until your feet get a break from this rocky nonsense. Once you get there, there is a smooth winding horse trail that takes you into the canyon.
This is the trail system between First Creek and the small trail closest to the end of the scenic route exit. It looks almost abandoned walking past the barbwire entrance at the parking besides the State Route 159. The trailhead marker is either as badly sun damaged as Bin Laden’s hair, or possibly it was graffiti painted.
You can see the BLM doesn’t give much craps about this trail system. Nonetheless it is easily traversible. The thing about it is that the true beauty lies just a bit further. That can be said all along this trail. It really gets better and better the further you go. Just don’t forget the rocky road on the way back. So where’s the closest Thrifty Ice Cream? Unilocal to the rescue!

The desert being desolate is a myth. Hiking on the Oak Creek Canyon Trail shatters the myth. The Oak Creek Canyon Trail is the intersection of a desert and green landscape. It is a landscape that I spent hours hiking on a couple weeks previous.
The Oak Creek Canyon Trail is in reality a trail system southwest of State Route 159 and the 13 Mile Scenic Drive exit in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. There are two trailheads into the canyon. Trailhead 1 is the Oak Creek Canyon Cutoff Trail off State Route 159 just south of the 13 Mile Scenic Drive exit and at Mile Marker 8. Trailhead 2 is inside the Fee area at the point where the 13 Mile Scenic Drive is approaching the end. The last turnoff will be a short dirt road to the Oak Creek Canyon Trail parking lot. The landmarks for both parking areas are Mount Wilson and Rainbow Mountain.
To me choosing the one of the two trailheads to hike was not up for question. Instead of paying $ 7 to enter the Fee area then drive 13 miles, it was easier on me and my wallet to park the car at the State Route 159 pullout.
The trailhead was nothing spectacular. It was just a gate to pass through the fence that keeps burros off State Route 159. Standing in the distance ahead was something spectacular. It was Mount Wilson to the distant left and Rainbow Mountain to the distant right. Between the two mountains is Oak Creek Canyon. The trail travels west toward the canyon. On the trail proper, it is a desert carper of blackbrush, Mojave yucca (look like baby palm trees), and sparse Joshua Trees. If you hiked on the First Creek Trail and Potato Knolls, which are two hikes off State Route 159 between Spring Mountain Ranch and Red Rock Canyon Fee Area; the hike is similar. It starts off in a desert that leads to greenery near the mountains ahead. The trail surface changes from rocky to sandy. The topography of the desert segment is gentle. This is burro country. If only I saw any, I could of shared the pictures on Unilocal.With each step on the trail, Mount Wilson is getting closer on the left and Rainbow Mountain is getting bigger ahead.
Approximately 1&½ miles into the hike, there is a junction with the Scenic Drive bound trail. This is a signed intersection. I would do this moderate hike on the way back. This is the intersection where the desert carpet changes to a green carpet. On the left is what looks like a beehive with trees towering over a lush wash. As the trail gains elevation it also serves as an overlook to the green wash below in the shadow of
Mount Wilson. This lays to rest the myth that the desert is desolate. And this is where the trail proper is headed. If Unilocal had a sound feature, I’d incorporate a soundtrack of a gentle wind blowing against trees that echos in a wash. My ears also led me to the wash. With a commanding vista of Oak Creek Canyon ahead, the trail travels downhill on a curve bringing it to the left toward the wash. This is where the hiker could continue into the canyon. With the trail proper decreasing in elevation, it makes another sharp turn into a forest of desert willow, pinyon pine, and scrub live oak. A serious hazard is ducking under the branches. The forest will open up into a wash. This is the end of the trail proper.
To me hiking is an activity that is also spiritual. Stopping, listening, and corraborating seated on a shaded boulder with a gentle wind blowing against me (in the summer), I relished being in a nature painting looking at Mount Wilson. For me this is a special spot because Mount Wilson is the landmark of the Potato Knolls Hike, the first UYE I attended.
I would spend some time at the mouth of Oak Creek Canyon. This is a moderate to strenuous hike where it is judgement in place of a trail that leads the hiker turned scrambler. From my experience here, I was scrambling on boulders. From what I saw, this would be a hike/​scramble I would be up to in the cooler months.
Walking back, I deviated from the direct route to do a loop toward the 13 Mile Scenic Drive trailhead. I recommend this if you have time and preferably hiking boots.
It is not a myth that hydration is essential to survive hiking in the summer. Without water, I would of had a 1* experience. Before the hike I froze five bottles of water overnight. On the hike I wore them in my knapsack. Two hours into the hike it was ice cold water ready to drink. Meanwhile I had drank a Gatorade and water that I purchased from a convenience store. Instead of dehydrating on a baking summer day, I was enjoying ice cold water. If this doesn’t work for you, I strongly suggest a camelback.
Walking back to the car, I realized that Unilocal is more than sharing reviews. It could also be about ending myths through exploring places.
The Daniel. S 2013 Unilocal 100 Challenge Review 91