Kachina Woman At Sunrise: Hiking In Sedona’s Boynton Canyon

On my first couple mornings in Sedona I made a point to get out and explore Boynton Canyon, since I was staying right in the heart of it.  A trail guide at the resort told me that Kachina Woman was one of his favorite short hikes in the area—particularly at sunrise—so I headed out in the chilly morning to see for myself.

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“Kachina Woman” refers to the 80-foot weird tall mushroom-like tower that looms over the entrance to Boynton Canyon.  It’s also called Bandito Spire apparently??  Which is kind of badass.

One thing I didn’t realize is that it’s also one of Sedona’s vaunted vortexes (vortices???).  I didn’t do much research on them and I don’t seem to be susceptible to feeling their effects.  But if you’re interested in that kind of thing, Boynton Canyon Vortex’ is between Kachina Woman and Warrior Rock.  This site has more on the vortex and climbing the spire.

The rock spire is not too far from the main Boynton Canyon trailhead parking lot, on the trail offshoot called Boynton Canyon Vista.  It’s quite a short hike, which is another reason it’s a great sunrise option.

It took a bit longer than I had expected hiking from the resort, but I had the trail mostly to myself and it was not a difficult walk at all.

See my other posts about planning a trip to Sedona!

What To Do In Sedona: How To Plan An Awesome 3+ Day Itinerary

15+ Sedona Travel Tips For An Amazing Trip

A Breathtaking Sunrise Hike Up Sedona’s Cathedral Rock

A Guide to Sedona Wineries, The Perfect Day Trip

Sedona Hiking Guide: Must-Do Trails & Some To Skip

Hiking Sugarloaf Loop Trail, One of Sedona’s Best

Airport Mesa & Vortex…My Favorite Sedona Sunset Hike

Visiting Sedona’s Unique Chapel Of The Holy Cross

Where To Eat & Drink In Sedona: The Best Restaurants, Bars & More

Review:  A Stay At Sedona’s “Luxury” Enchantment Resort

Cool Stops to Make on the Drive Between Phoenix & Sedona

Where to stay in Sedona:  I stayed at Enchantment Resort which is a major splurge and while the location is amazing, I didn’t feel like the property quite lived up to the price (see deeper review).  On the more luxury end, next time I would still splurge a bit but try Amara instead.

I also stayed a couple nights at Arabella and would recommend it as a great mid-range option.  It has a nice courtyard and pool, and they plan lots of activities that guests can join in on (happy hours, stargazing, hikes, etc.).  It’s also a pet friendly option.

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How to hike Kachina Woman in Boynton Canyon

If you aren’t staying at Enchantment Resort, you’d start at the Boynton Canyon trailhead parking lot.  Early you should have plenty of parking, but later in the day you may have to park along the side of the road.

You’ll follow the Boynton Canyon trail for about 5 minutes, then once you see a sign for “Vista” you’ll take that trail on the right-hand side.  At this point you’ll head east and should see the Kachina Woman spire.

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I actually went the longer route from the back entrance of Enchantment Resort, then hiking over to Kachina Woman (but completed the circle by going back via the Boynton Canyon trailhead and main road).  The resort website says it’s a half-mile roundtrip form the resort and I call SHENANIGANS on that.  It was definitely further, but still very easy.

This is what my starting point looked like, out the back gate and you hang a right at the totem pole-like things.

Since I came the longer way from Enchantment Resort, I’ll be sharing more photos than just the simple hike from the trailhead…but they’ll also give you an idea of what to expect if you started at the Boynton Canyon trailhead and continued on the main Boynton Canyon trail (for example if you were going toward the famous “Subway” cave).

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The trail curves toward Kachina Woman and walks along the red rock cliffs for a while, looking down on the resort.

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Then you’ll hit a trail juncture, where you can turn toward the main Boynton Canyon trailhead and parking lot, or hang a (left in my case, east; right from the parking lot) and hike up the last bit to the Kachina Woman spire.

This is the Vista trail I mentioned early in the post.  From here it’s not far at all, and you’ll start getting beautiful views of the spire at this point.

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It was just me and one other person here, and so I could take whatever photos I wanted and just enjoy the silence and the view.  I wish I’d come even earlier, but even in the early morning “just past sunrise” phase, the skies were blue, the light was pearly, and the views over the valley below were peaceful perfection.

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At this point, I started hearing the siren’s call of strong espresso and flaky pastries, so headed back.  I decided to complete the circle and go back via the main trailhead, hoping it would be a bit shorter.

If you’re looking for a beautiful, short, and uncrowded hike that gives you major returns in views, then definitely give Kachina Woman a look…at sunrise she really shines!

Other easy hikes with big payoffs:

• Hiking Bodega Head Trail On California’s Sonoma Coast
• Discovering A Secret Scottish Castle Ruin On A Sea Cliff
• Hiking Oregon’s Stunning Trail of Ten Falls
• Hiking The Hooker Valley Track On New Zealand’s South Island

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