Aravaipa Canyon Trail

Absolutely unreal and unique experience. Somewhat of a mix between Sabino Canyon of Tucson and West Fork Creek of Sedona, AZ. Outstanding backpacking opportunity. Mostly shaded and perennial stream that you walk through maybe half the time ensure its bearable even in June. Speaking of bears, yes, I did see one large reddish-colored bear. Ranger had warned me that bear activity reports were twice last year due to drought conditions in the area. Also saw lots of coatis, deer, birds, and a skunk. Outstanding campsites every mile or so.

Just beautiful!! Wear the right shoes, you will thank yourself later!

Definitely a unique hike. Pretty empty, we had the trail to ourselves and the canyons were beautiful. Water was cold, wool socks and hiking boots since you are in the creek 80% of the time. Reminded me of a lower key hike similar to the Narrows in Zion NP. Some people left their wooden hiking sticks at trailhead which was helpful.

beautiful place. If you can live with a few scratches on your bare ankles, my advice is to wear water shoes with decent grip.

Give yourself a full day if you can. I hiked non-stop for 8 hours out-and-back and wished I had 10.

Also, I wouldn't worry too much at any given point about the best way to move forward. Just keep moving. Right through the creek is often the path of least resistance.

Such beautiful scenery! Great hike, make sure to have proper foot attire. Your in the creek with lots of little rocks for the majority of the time. Creek is kept so clean! Trail wardens are very friendly and informative.

One of my favorite hikes in Arizona! Incredible!

Amazing! Loved hearing the frogs at night. A really special place in the desert

Permit required. We only saw 4 people in the 3.5 hours we were there. The weather was perfect, the water was refreshing. Amazing Views.

Definitely spend the night and give yourself time to relax in the cool refreshing water.

A permit is required for access to the canyon, and you will be entering the creek multiple times, so wear appropriate shoes. It gets colder in the canyon than the forecast for local towns, so plan accordingly. The canyon gets increasingly beautiful the further you hike, so I would recommend a 3-day backpacking trip. On day 1, hike in about 7 miles and set up camp. On day 2, leave your camp up and grab some snacks and a water filter for a day hike to the end of the canyon and back (8 miles). On the day 3, break down camp and head back out.

I'm torn - do I be honest and leave a positive review, or do I lie and save this gem for myself? Okay, I'll stick with honesty: This spot is awesome. You'll be walking through the river several times, so bring appropriate shoes.

We only went in about 2.39 miles. We saw lots of animal tracks, blue heron and a huge white tail hawk. Super rocky, muddy water but what views! Like to explore again. Hot this time in August, so the water was cooling.

Great place to see lots of wildlife up close.

One of my favorite hikes

Beautiful area tucked away from everything! We were there on one of those lucky days when it was raining so the canyon was full and the waterfalls were all flowing. Great place fairly close to Phoenix, super backpacking and camping, we will be going back. The sign says they don't allow dogs kind of a bummer.

Wonderful adventure! Do it! Bighorn sheep, natural pools, great canyon scenery.

Wonderful trail trough wilderness area. Encountered large herd of bighorn sheep, watching them climb an impossible cliff with ease? Out of the way location for te real adventurer.