Finding the Hidden Arch in Fay Canyon Trail, Sedona

Sedona's Faye Canyon Trail is a nice and easy hike with a special added bonus for those looking for an adventure. This hike comes in at right around 2.6 miles with 383 feet of elevation gain. The hike started in a nice large parking lot that seemed like it had more than enough parking. From here you need to carefully cross the road to get to the trailhead. This is one of the only tricky parts of the hike. You're going to come to a sign that looks like it points off to the right, but you need to head left towards the metal sign that says Faye Canyon and the wooden gate. From here on out though, everything else is pretty straightforward. At one point, V seemed like she was almost overcome with the beauty of our surroundings and she was inspired to learn how to do the floss dance. It's a bit of a work in progress, but you know, we're getting there. The bonus adventure that I spoke about earlier comes at right around the half mile mark. When we were there, there was a rock ring that marked when you needed to fork off of the main trail. Hopefully it's still there. If you decide to take this little side adventure, just know that things are going to get a lot more steep, slippery, and strenuous. I would say that shoes with good traction are a definite requirement here. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for cactus and other pokey things as you make your way up towards the top. This steep hill is where this hike gets almost all of its 383 feet of elevation gain. On our way up, I thought we were just going to a blind arch, but once we reached it, we realized that there is a very narrow slit that separates it from the wall. After a nice quick break in the shade, we decided that we wanted to try to climb up to the top of the arch. I would say that this is even a little bit trickier than the climb up to the arch, so if you're not super sure-footed, I might skip this. The last section of the climb up to the top of the arch is super steep. Luckily, between our good hiking shoes and that grippy Sedona sandstone, it wasn't that hard of a climb. Once you reach the top, you'll be greeted by a very narrow trail that will take you all the way over to the arch. Be sure to check out that beautiful view of the canyon on your left along the way. Once you reach the arch, be sure to be a little bit careful. There was some loose sand around the edge and we would hate to see anybody fall in. Since we saw the arch, we didn't know if we should just head back to the car from here or continue on and finish the trail. We figured that we've already come this far, we might as well finish off the trail and see what it has to offer. As it is with most hikes, the way down seemed a little bit more slippery and sketchy for some reason. You are definitely going to want to take your time here. There are several different trails that wind their way up and down the hill and I think we took a different one on the way back because it seemed like there was a lot more cactus. We were doing pretty much everything we could to not slip and go flying into them. Once you reach the bottom of the hill, you'll find yourself back at that rock current. You can either make a left here to go back to the car or make a right to finish the trail. You are only about half a mile from the end of the trail and the view is really pretty so I think it's worth it to finish it. After all the climbing we did to get up to the arch, the small rocky stairs that are on the main trail were a piece of cake. Just like at Cathedral Rock, you'll know you reached the end of the trail when you come up to the sign that says the end of the trail. However when we got to the end, we noticed that just past the sign, there was yet another steep hill and there was a bunch of people up on the top of it relaxing, enjoying the view and eating lunch. They seemed like they were having a good time so we headed up to check it out as well. There was another trail at the top that continued on but I talked to another hiker and he said it didn't really take you anywhere. But as I turned back, I got to take in the view of the canyon which is a great reason to climb up here. The way back pretty much couldn't be much more simple. The trail is super easy to follow and it is almost on a slight downhill all the way back to the car. Once again be careful when you're crossing the road, it's on a long straight stretch and cars were coming through pretty fast. What is your favorite hike in Sedona? Let us know in the comments below. If you enjoy our adventures, be sure to subscribe and hit that bell icon so you get notified when we make new videos. Check us out on Instagram at thatadventurelife underscore official and for all the information about this hike and other awesome things to do in Sedona, head on over to thatadventurelife.com