A Winter Hike in West Fork Oak Creek Canyon–January 2025.

January 17, 2025 / Add comment

West Fork Oak Creek. This is the "Subway" section of the canyon. — West Fork Oak Creek. This is the “Subway” section of the canyon.

A week of cold overnight temperatures has allowed ice to form on West Fork of Oak Creek–so this was a good time to hike the canyon. Winter visitation is fairly light so getting a parking spot is easy and we encountered only a handful of hikers on the trail. So it is definitly more enjoyable in the winter.

Icicles hang from the canyon wall in West Fork Oak Creek.

There are no waterfalls in West Fork Oak Creek. This is the closest thing with a small cascade of water pouring over the sandstone.

Intricate designs in the ice abound in the canyon. This was also an attempt at focus stacking.

There was ice on the creek but there was also open areas of running water. It required some care making the numerous stream crossings to step on logs or rocks and not to put too much weight on the ice. A big difference from previous winter hikes was the lack of snow. Although we carried foot traction devices (i.e., Kahtoola microspikes) we did not need them.

At the “Subway”, a narrow, high-walled section of the canyon with wall-to-wall water, the ice was probably not thick enough to ensure safe passage through this section. Some of it was firm but there was still open water in the middle of the channel. Opting for safety, we let this be our turn-around spot.

There are several cliffs in the canyon with significant water seeps. Water drips from the large icicles and refreezes at the ground creating free-standing ice stalactives as well as encasing grasses and small stems in strange and bizarre shapes.

There are several cliffs in the canyon with significant water seeps. Water drips from the large icicles and then refreezes at the ground creating free-standing ice stalactites as well as encasing grasses and small stems in strange and bizarre shapes.

Ice sculpture from dripping icicles above.

Detailed view of ice crystals in West Fork Oak Creek.

I looked back at the many times we have done this in the winter and the conclusion that I can draw is that it requires multiple nights of sub-zero temperatures (generally -5 to -10°F or colder) to produce safe ice. The recent cold temperatures were single-digit readings but above zero. Not cold enough.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Here are some older entries about hiking West Fork in the winter:

Fall Colors in Northern Arizona

January 13, 2024

A few more images showcasing fall colors in northern Arizona. It was great while it lasted!

West Fork Oak Creek (12mm fisheye lens).

Autumn Colors in Northern Arizona

November 8, 2023

October and November brings color to the foliage in northern Arizona. This year, however, the colors have been subdued and the color change has been over an extended period of time rather than a sharp peak. Nonetheless, it’s always a fun time to get out and photograph. These photographs were taken between October 10 and November 1.

October 10, 2023

Lockett Meadows, the Inner Basin, and the San Francisco Peaks.

Fallen aspen leaves cover the Waterline Road in the San Francisco Peaks.

A ridge is covered with aspen as seen from the Inner Basin Trail.

October 19, 2023

Aspen along the Veit Springs trail on the San Francisco Peaks.

October 30, 2023

Red maple leaves in Harding Springs, Oak Creek Canyon.

Fallen maple leaves in Harding Springs, Oak Creek Canyon.

Maple tree, Harding Springs, Oak Creek Canyon.

November 1, 2023

Apple leaves, Call Of The Canyon picnic area, Oak Creek Canyon.

A sunlit wall is reflected in a pool in West Fork Oak Creek.

Fallen leaves sit atop the water in a tranquil pool in West Fork Oak Creek.

Bright yellow maple leaves arch across the West Fork Oak Creek trail.

The color continues to migrate into the lower elevations. Middle and lower sections of Oak Creek Canyon have yet to hit their peak.

A Winter Hike up West Fork Oak Creek canyon

December 23, 2022

Running water and ice fill the shaded depths of West Fork Oak Creek.

It has been a few years since we have done a winter hike up the West Fork of Oak Creek. This is mainly because of overcrowding in the canyon and a full parking lot. But earlier this week we passed by the entrance and noted that the parking lot was nearly empty. We already had plans for that day but decided to hike the following day.

This wall of ice greets hikers at the very beginning of the West Fork Trail.

Overnight refreezing creates amazing ice patterns.

One of the 13 stream crossings along the West Fork Trail.

Beautiful with snow and ice but this location is also amazing during the fall when the trees are in full color.

There is an overhanging wall that drips water constantly and produces amazing icicles and ice sculptures.

A natural ice scupture from dripping water. What does it look like to you?

Another overhanging wall with icicles framing the sunlit wall on the other side of the canyon.

The end of the West Fork trail where water spreads from side to side ("The Subway"). This can easily be waded in the summer but requires an extended deep freeze for the ice to thicken in the winter. While it may look like open water it is actually clear ice about an inch or so thick. — The end of the West Fork trail where water spreads from side to side (“The Subway”). This can easily be waded in the summer but requires an extended deep freeze for the ice to thicken in the winter. While it may look like open water it is actually clear ice about an inch or so thick.

We have done this hike in the winter enough times to know that having solid foot traction gear is necessary as well as a set of hiking poles. With those aids, we had very little trouble hiking to the end of the established trail (~3.2 miles). As noted at the trailhead, there are 13 stream crossings and each one had ice-covered rocks and/or logs to step on. The trail was a combination of packed snow and ice.

We saw only a few people at the start of the hike and none after the first half-mile or so. On the way back, we encountered a few hiking parties intent on reaching the end of the trail and they were close enough that I have little doubt that they made it. As we got closer to the trailhead we ran into several parties that were ill-equipped to be doing this winter hike.

This winter hike is best right after a snowstorm but that can mean having to break trail through the snow. We’ve done that and it was a workout. But the payoff in snow-covered cliffs and creek are worth the effort.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Here are some older entries about hiking West Fork in the winter:

Hiking West Fork Oak Creek — From the Top

August 4, 2019

Most of the time when we hike West Fork Oak Creek we do it from the bottom up. Only once before have we done top-to-bottom and that was back in 1999. We were new to northern Arizona and had read Tyler Williams’ Canyoneering Arizona that this could be done in one very long, hard day. He was right about the long and hard. We have since referred to that epic day as our bootcamp hike.

The start of the hike on Woody Mountain Road.

West Fork Oak Creek. You have been warned of the difficulties that lie ahead.

The passage of time can dim the memories of how hard and unpleasant things were. So here we were in 2019, twenty years later, and we wanted to do this hike again but with some modifications. We were not planning on hiking the entire length of the canyon. Instead, we would simply head down canyon and turn around when we had enough.

The first few miles feature a dry wash filled with boulders, sand, and thick vegetation. There is no trail.

It didn’t take long to realize that even this would be a challenge. There is no maintained trail—and not even much of any hint of a trail at all. The vegetation was so thick we had to bushwhack our way through it. Remember that the Slide Fire in 2014 burned through this area (mostly low intensity) and this thick vegetation may be the result of the burn and regrowth. And there was lots of poison ivy. After the first few attempts to get around it we gave up and just plowed through it.

It took us about 2 1/2 hours to reach the first set of narrows about 3 miles down canyon. Just below the narrows is the confluence with Casner Cabin Draw—which ended up being our turnaround spot. We had some commitments that evening so we did not have unlimited time for exploration. Maybe that was a good thing!

The first narrows are encounted just upcanyon of the confluence with Casner Cabin Draw.

I had just been looking at some old photographs from that 1999 hike so I remembered a few locations and took new photographs in the same spots. The tree on the right has grown substantially in 20 years.

Navigating the boulders in the dry narrows.

We did not encounter any water in the stream bed until the narrows and even then it was a small pool only a few inches deep and a few feet wide.

I’ve also included a photo (a scanned Kodachrome slide) from that 1999 hike showing one of the “must swim” cold pools of water.

We enjoyed the quiet and solitude of the upper canyon.

Flagstaff Altitudes

Tag: West Fork Oak Creek