Mugsy, my sister and I had an incredible day trip to Sedona and a near by trail in 2016. This years goal is to take Banjo with us on a similar adventure.
He has some training to do before he is completely ready to walk through the city, and hike a potentially crowded trail, but we are getting closer and closer to him being confident and prepared for it.
Until then I’ll just tell you about our amazing West Fork Trail experience, and later on in the year I’ll post about the actual training we use to get there.
Our Pupventure Gear
- RuffWear Approach Pack
- Hydrapaks soft flasks
- Primitive Pets 8ft leash
- TuffMutt running leash (Not used)
- collapsible bowl
- trusted collar with up to date dog tags and county ID tag
- photo or copy of proof of vaccinations
- Homemade Treats
- one days worth of Kibble (Not used)
- Extra water human must carry
A quick about the gear
- Hydrapaks are light weight, reasonably durable collapsible water bottles that hold 500ml of water. These are great because they aren’t heavy and they don’t take up much room in both the human and dog backpack.
- Primitive Pets eight foot leash gives Mugsy room to explore. It also has two handles. The handle on the bottom makes it easy for me to gain control as I need to.
- Tuff Mutt Running leash is my spare leash. I like it for dog friendly patios and running because it comes with a belt that lets me clip Mugsy to my waist and free up both my hands.
- The collapsible bowl is cheap and it is lightweight and easy to carry.
- Having a collar with up to date tags and County ID is extremely important. I don’t like to think about Mugsy getting separated from me but if he did these could help get him back to me. This is especially important when we roam far from home.
- As a Rule of thumb you always want to have proof of Vaccination on you.
- One days work of kibble is just a days worth of kibble divided into 2 meals incase mugsy really gets hungry.
Extra Water is a must for any adventure.
Call Of the Canyon WestFork Trail
Call of the canyon West fork trail is a heavily trafficked six mile out and back trail located about half an hour out of Sedona, Arizona. For this reason we left early in the morning on a weekday and arrived at West Fork Trailhead about half an hour after sunrise. A parking permit is required to park at the trail head, but you can buy a fifteen dollar day pass for West Fork as you pull into the parking area. This pass will NOT act as a pass for all red rock trails around Sedona.
At the end of the summer when we were there, the entrance of the trail is unassuming. Grass stands tall, and wild flowers adorn the side, but this does not begin to explain the popularity of this gem. This hike is encompassed in forest that breathes new life every step you take. The trickle of oak creek running along the canyon is pleasant, but the real joy is joyously romping through the oak creek at one of the many river crossings. Especially if you happen to have the adventurous soul of a canine.
The trail is soft and well maintained so you can usually see any wildlife on the actual trail it’s self. That won’t stop an adventurous soul from sniffing at snakes just off to the side of the trail though. When this happens the best thing to do is calmly give the “Leave It” command. I was only able to calmly give the “Leave It” command because I didn’t see the snake until after Mugsy had left it. When I saw the snake I may or may not have screamed just a little bit.
West Fork is a popular trail head, but it is a good distance and does require minimal rock scrambling and a lot of river crossing so it is important to monitor your pups for any signs of soreness.
If you are in the area of Westfork definitely stop and check out Uptown Sedona, Both are dog friendly places. We stopped by Sedona for lunch at a dog friendly restaurant, a little bit more hiking and had a quick look around at Whiskers and Barkery.
