trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles
Length: 2.5 miles one way
Rating: Strenuous
Season: All year
Hiking time: 4 1/2 hours round trip
Pass required to park at trailhead
After checking with the Rangers in the Sedona Visitor Centre, very quickly I settled on Bear Mountain as my first hike in the region.
LOVED it.
But the weather was unsettled. I feared lightning (check a trip report by Justin Wright – Hiking In A Lightning Storm) but, happily, I only got a few drops of rain.
In good weather I’d call it a challenging hike due to elevation, but certainly no scramble. On the other hand, some hikers have had to be rescued. And one medic was killed by a chopper blade during evacuation. Heat emergency is the greatest danger as there’s very little shade.
Happily, I had a cool day.
I left a Summit Stone in a tree. (PHOTO)
more photos from this day hike
besthike.com 
Are you following me Rick? I was just up there doing the West Fork Oak Creek hike a couple of weeks ago .. http://bit.ly/loLcvO. Sedona is a great place, except it has too many great hikes to choose from. And you’ve just given me one more to add to my list 😉
By the way .. your recent photos have all had a blue color cast on them. Is there a setting in your camera that needs to be changed?
I am stalking you, Stuart.
My photographer buddy Warren took a look at the manual online trying to figure out what’s causing the blue tinge. No luck correcting that, so far.
I may be FORCED to buy a new $400 camera. 🙂
Excellent post. Good memories. My first visit to Sedona was in 1981. Many of my photos of that time have a real estate sign tucked down in the corner. It was my intention to follow up and buy a bit of land in Sedona. I did not. Wish I had.
I am looking forward to receiving my summit stone. My plan is to carry it awhile and eventually place it in the memorial cairn I will build for a dearly departed friend or family member.
Thanks for bringing back good memories of hiking in the deserts of the American Southwest.
I was going to suggest West Fork Oak Creek also. Best when it’s really hot.
The blue-tinge is a white-balance issue. You can either adjust it on the camera or correct it using photo-editing software (like lightroom or photoshop).