Here's a trail just a few minutes outside Flagstaff that offers good photo opportunities, interesting geology, great views, and access to a longer trail that stretches all the way across Arizona.

General Information: Here's a trail just a few minutes outside Flagstaff that offers good photo opportunities, interesting geology, great views, and access to a longer trail that stretches all the way across Arizona. Sandy's Canyon Trail starts out by skirting the rim of Walnut Canyon, a scenic rift in the same layers of rock that form the upper cliffs of the Grand Canyon. From the trailhead, you get a great view of the San Francisco Peaks with the cliffs of Walnut Canyon in the foreground - time to reach for the camera

The trail heads north from the trailhead following the Walnut Canyon Rim for a short distance before it drops down Sandy's Canyon into the main gorge. Sandy's Canyon Trail then continues along the Walnut Canyon floor on an old jeep track to an intersection with the Arizona Trail. Here you'll find more Grand Canyon style cliffs complete with the same bright colors of that World Heritage Site. The pronounced cross-bedding and deep red hue of these petrified Permian Age sand dunes will have you reaching for your camera again.

This trail is best suited for hiking or horseback riding. If you don't have your own steed, a nearby concessionaire provides guided rides into these scenic canyonlands. If you'd like to turn your Sandy's Canyon venture into a longer hike you can follow the Arizona Trail either north, down canyon to Fisher Point or east along Walnut toward Marshall Lake. (See the Arizona Trail Marshall Lake to Fisher Point section of this guide.)

Directions: From Flagstaff, Drive southeast out of Flagstaff 6 miles on Lake Mary Road (Forest Highway 3). Just past the second cattle guard turn north (left) to the trailhead.

Elevation: 6,950 feet

Ending Elevation: 7,095 feet

Elevation Gain: 100 feet

Distance: 1.0 miles

Usage: Moderate

Difficulty: Easy

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