[First Post] Is there a way onto the rim via Secret Canyon Trail?

[wickedhikes]

Hello all,

Long time lurker, first time poster.

First of all, I'd like to thank you all for being such a valuable resource in planning my hikes over the years.
Your triplogs and photosets have helped me explore and fall in love with many of the hidden gems of Arizona. Some of which seem to be quite unknown by the average Arizona hiker, reserved for just a small club of passionate and elite Arizona hikers--I'm talkin' HAZ users (and lurkers too ).

Now that's out of the way...

I want to link the best of the Sedona area into one epic multiday hike. The idea is to go from Munds Mountain Wilderness, all the way to Sycamore Canyon Wilderness.

In order to do this, I want to find a non-technical route up onto the rim via Secret Canyon #121, but the only time I was there, I needed to turn around before I could effectively scout the route.
Maybe I could just keep hiking by the creek all the way to Secret Mountain Saddle/Secret Mountain Trailhead?

If anyone has done this, or has any beta for me, I would appreciate it greatly.

Thank you,
Luke

[chumley]

I've gone up as far as 34.962039, -111.873379, which is less than half a mile from the non-technical exit for the canyoneering route [ Sunburst Canyon ] (which I have not done). This gets you to the top, but on the wrong side of the canyon to get over to Sycamore without some extra mileage. From all reports, that exit route is seriously slow-going. There are definitely pools in upper Secret, and bushwhacking above it sounds ... thick! Let us know if you have any luck doing it. The question has appeared here a few times, so you're not the only one curious about it.

[toddak]

In 2010 I hiked up Loy Canyon trail and then dropped into Secret Canyon and followed the creek downstream, exiting on the Secret Canyon trail [ triplog ] . Nothing technical, just scrambling, should be possible to reverse it.

[nonot]

The Sunburst/Voodoo Canyon exit is possible, but isn't something I'd really recommend to anyone that isn't doing it as the shortest way to loop back to the start of Sunburst/Voodoo. Especially as your target is Sycamore Canyon, you can/should continue to head west north west, rather than take the right turn to exit up that drainage to the east north east.

I would also think it physically easier to continue following Secret Canyon drainage itself up and out.

Upper Secret canyon has some deep pools, one of which is a swimmer, but the water tends to be fairly nasty. There are also muddy sections, some bushwhacking, and some scrambling, but nothing technical. But as with all AZ off trail travel, plan for slow going.

[wickedhikes]

Thanks for all the replies! Seems like upper secret canyon is the way to go for this route.

Glad it's passable, scrambling is not a problem, I'll just have to do some mental preparation for the swimmers