Date: April 22, 2026 • Elevation: 4,874 feet • Prominence: 394 feet • Distance: 2.2 miles • Time: 1 hour • Gain: 497 feet • Conditions: Overcast, slightly warm

Arizona • Main • PB • LoJ

This peak is a sandstone mound located near the Sedona Airport. It does not have an official name, but is commonly called Coconino Point, named for a trail that circumvents it lower down.

I was on a rushed day-hiking trip to Flagstaff, where I hiked Hochderffer Hills Highpoint and Mooney Mountain. I was done with Mooney Mountain about 11 a.m., with plenty of time to waste before returning to the big city. I had possible peaks in mind depending on what route I took heading south.

I got onto Interstate-17, and saw one of those mobile electronic signs about lane restrictions and delays 39 miles ahead, so I bailed at the Fort Tuthill exit and got onto AZ-89A, the route through scenic Oak Creek Canyon and into Sedona.

Naturally, I get a couple miles in, and see another mobile electronic sign about lane restrictions and delays up ahead. Well, I was committed to this now, so if I'm going to be stuck for awhile, I want nicer scenery.

The closure happened at the top of the descent into Oak Creek Canyon. I rounded a bend and came to a stop, this lasting about 15 minutes. A massive rounded cliff rose up ahead. Not very red yet, but still interesting to look at.

We finally got moving, and slowly descended down the switchbacks into Oak Creek Canyon. Road crews were shoring up and building some guardrails and it appeared there had been some damage from a small landslide. Once into the canyon, we drove slowly but steadily through the forested bottom, with cliffs fronting the road. We were able to go about 30 miles per hour, which wasn't bad. The scenery is always very striking and there is no reason to rush things.

I was soon out of the Canyon and approaching Sedona proper. Traffic picked up and became heavy, which it always is. Lights are rare here, and almost all intersections are roundabouts, which are usually adequate, but when traffic is as heavy as it is here, these get clogged too. People just bolt into them, ignoring the yield rules. Otherwise, you would never get into one. Then there are the pedestrians who walk everywhere, even amid the cars. This is the Sedona they don't tell you about. And this was on a Wednesday afternoon.

I got to Airport Road, and went south. The airport itself sits atop a naturally flat mesa called Table Top Mountain. It's big enough to fit in a runway about a mile long. This is mainly for small planes and corporate jets, but not the big airliners. Coconino Point is an appendage rising northeast of this mesa, separated by a saddle.

There is a tiny parking lot alongside the road at the lowpoint, but it holds just about ten vehicles and not unexpectedly, it was full. Instead, I drove uphill to a paid parking lot up by the airport. It's only $3 and just an extra half mile, so it was not inconvenient.

It was about 12:30 now, warm into the 80s but dry and a soft breeze. I was already suited up from my earlier hikes, so I was on the move immediately. The Sedona View Trail begins here and parallels the road, dropping about 230 feet to the aforementioned lowpoint between the two peak formations. The trail itself was well constructed and with plenty of hikers.

Between the two peaks is a smaller mound of sandstone rocks called Airport Mesa Viewpoint. This is what most people were aiming for. Coconino Point, which is what I wanted, rose ahead. Aside from two women, I saw no one else on the trail after Airport Mesa View.

The official trails stop short of Coconino Point, but some well-beaten paths continue toward some homes. I followed these and angled upwards, following a fence line. It ended, and I crossed over, now on steep brushy slope.

Paths seem to come and go. I'd be on a path which would lose distinction. Then I'd bust uphill a few feet, onto another path. It seemed any opening was a path. All seemed to lead me toward a point above some exposed rounded cliffs, then angle steeply upward to the flat summit.

I walked the summit from one end to the other and snapped photos, there being plenty of scenery to take in. Unfortunately, the high clouds had moved in and muted the colors. Still, it was extremely lovely, and I had this perch all to myself in busy Sedona. I found a clump of low rocks about midway on this flat summit which I took to be the highest point(s).

I descended the same way, then back on the official trails, followed the one that led up to the smaller bump in the middle, Airport Mesa Viewpoint. The top is open with rounded rocks and lots of places to sit and take in the views. The two women I mentioned earlier were here and they asked me if I "got what I was after", which I said yes. I sat down and spent about ten minutes here.

I did not know this at the time but this is one of the four main "vortexes" in Sedona. This is supposedly where natural energy from the rocks meet and are allegedly to make one feel calm and at peace. People come from all over the world for these vortexes (this is how they spell it here).

I can't say if I felt any vortex whooshes or any unusual energy flows. I did feel calm and rested, being on a scenic viewpoint amid some of the prettiest scenery in the country. I spent about ten minutes here, vortexing and having something to drink. It was pleasantly warm and quite comfortable.

Going down, I just had to rewalk the trail back up to my car. There are some vewpoints from up here too, so I stopped to also take a look. There were a couple of jewelry vendors nearby and an ice cream truck. I spent about another half hour hanging around. I was done with today's hiking but still enjoyed the vibe. Maybe that was the vortex having an effect on me.

I changed into shorts and a t-shirt then began the drive out, following AZ-179 and its many roundabouts back to Interstate-17, then the long drive south into Phoenix. I was in town by about 4 p.m.. I found my cheap hotel and checked in, only to discover the room had not been cleaned. So I got a different room, showered and crashed for a couple of hours.

For all the peaks and hiking I have done in Arizona, I almost never come to Sedona. I've hiked a few peaks in the area, but today, I was reminded why. The traffic is profound. It's not just inconvenient but truly unpleasant. Sedona is not close to where I live or my usual stomping grounds so I probably won't be here very often anyway. I still have an interest in many of its peaks but I need to work up some patience again for the traffic. That being said, I enjoyed my brief time here today and yes, the scenery is as beautiful as advertised.