Hike #39 - Harding Springs Trail - Sedona, AZ

 Harding Springs Trail is in beautiful Oak Creek Canyon.  Like many of the trails in Sedona, it was built by cattle ranchers to bring their cattle to and from the plateaus above.  Paul and I had already hiked a similar trail that morning just a couple miles north on 89A, The Cookstove Trail.  It was late morning on June 24th, and as usual we did not pass any other hikers.  This trail has a 1200' ascent in approx. 1 mile. This trail can be linked to the Cookstove trail to make a 5 mile loop.  It took us 28 min. to hike up and approx. 18 min. to hike down.  We stopped at the top to relax on some rocks and take in the unusual rock formations on the West wall of Oak Creek Canyon.  Trailhead elevation is 5,500' and Top Elevation is 6,250'.