Length: 7.1 miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Moderate

Wilderness Area: Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness

Journal: "The Verley Top"

**Kid Friendly Hike**

From the junction of SR 179 and SR89-A go west on SR89-A, 3.1 miles to Dry Creek Road. Turn north (right) on Dry Creek Road and drive 2 miles to FR 152C. The road becomes dirt here and a bit rough in places. High clearance is a must and 4WD if wet. If you need a Red Rock Pass, there is a kiosk at this intersection. Follow FR 152C 3.4 miles to the signed Secret Canyon TH.

Trail Description:

From the small trailhead, the trail starts at the kiosk and crossed the creek. There is a sign-in board on the far bank. You will enter the wilderness at this point. Continue north along Secret Canyon. At .6 miles, you will cross the creek. Shortly thereafter, you will reach the junction with the HS Canyon Trail. Continue straight following the west side of the creek. At 1.5 miles you cross the creek again. The trail is easy to follow and you are walking amongst pinion, juniper and manzanita.

Approximately 2 miles in the trail reaches a slickrock crossing of a small side canyon. Cross the side canyon and climb gently to the junction of the David Miller trail at 2.1 miles from the trailhead.

The David Miller trail is rather new and climbs gently for the first half of a mile through scrub oak and pinion. Once you reach the area where the views start, the trail climbs much more steeply to a pass between Secret Canyon and Bear Sign canyon. The vegetation changes significantly once you cross the pass. On the Bear Canyon side of the pass, the trail passes through large strands of pine and fir. The decent is steep but short and you will reach the canyon floor in just a quarter mile.

Once you reach Bear Sign Canyon, turn right and follow the creek for 2.25 miles to the junction with the Dry Creek Trail. The path is easy to follow and descend from pine to juniper over the course of the trail. The junction with the Dry Creek Trail is well marked. Turn right and follow the Dry Creek trail for .75 miles to the trailhead at the end of FR 152C. This trailhead is shared by the Vultee Arch Trail and the Dry Creek Trail.

Follow the road south 1 mile to the Secret Canyon Trailhead.