This Sedona hike offers scenic views, wildflowers and many options

Situated in the foothills below Mingus Mountain a couple miles south of Cottonwood, the Blowout Wash Recreation Area trail system offers an airier alternative to crowded Sedona-area hike destinations.

The over 15-mile system in Prescott National Forest is made up of flowing single-track loops that are easy to customize for both challenging day hikes and easy strolls.

The loops run through a scenic mix of high-desert terrain. The varied terrain and microclimates of water-scoured washes, a chiseled stone-walled canyon, edgy ridgelines and high desert grasslands are the backbone and soul of this always entertaining nonmotorized maze.

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An excellent, moderate-rated introduction to the area links up four trails for a tour of some of the system's sweet high-point vistas.

Beginning at the main trailhead along Forest Road 493, the loop begins with a 0.2-mile walk on Blowout Canyon Trail. Right out of the chute, the hike delivers amazing 360-degree vistas, dominated by 7,818-foot Mingus Mountain in the west and the sprawling Verde Valley to the north.

The route then veers right onto the Bullseye Trail where it begins a leisurely mile-long climb through a corrugated landscape dotted with junipers, common hop trees, velvet ash, yucca and cactus.

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At 1.2 miles, the circuit connects with the Higher Learning Trail. This segment offers the best views of Sedona red rocks, the twisting green channel of Oak Creek and the geometric layout of vineyards in the valley below. The views are temporarily swallowed up where the trail slides into a minor canyon before swinging back uphill.

The hike encounters a breezy lookout point at the Extra Credit Trail junction — a treeless ridgeline with a fringe of yucca and prickly pear cactus anchoring an expansive grassland flush with wildflowers like bare-stem larkspur, sego lilies, four o'clock, antelope horns, tufted evening primrose, silverleaf nightshade, thistle, prickly poppies, blackfoot daisies, scarlet beeblossom and miniature wool star to name a few.

At the junction, hikers may opt for a longer, 6.7-mile loop by continuing straight ahead, or a 4.9-miler by turning left at the sign. Either way, Higher Leaning reconnects with the Extra Credit Trail which makes an easy, half-mile descent to reconnect with the Blowout Canyon Trail.

Along the Blowout Canyon segment, peeks at the steep-walled, eponymous canyon and an impressive community of ocotillo and blooming cactus enter the fray.

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Over this half-mile leg, distant mountain peaks hover over the southern horizon while flowering shrubs like range ratany vie for attention underfoot. Back at the Bullseye Trail junction, the route doubles back to the trailhead where a colorful map kiosk shows the entire trail system layout and more ways to enjoy the quieter side of Verde Valley hiking.

Length: Short loop, 4.9 miles. Long loop, 6.7 miles.

Rating: Short loop and long loop are both moderate.

Elevation: Short loop: 3,806-4,318 feet (926 feet of accumulated elevation change). Long Llop: 3,806-4,675 feet (1,129 feet of accumulated elevation change).

Getting there: From Interstate 17 north of Camp Verde, take Exit 293 for Cornville Road/County Road 30. Go 17.7 miles west on Cornville Road, which will turn into Mingus Avenue and then Forest Road 493, to the Blowout Wash Recreation Area trailhead on the right. The trailhead is 1.5 miles south of the Cottonwood airport. Roads are paved except for a short section of rough dirt that's suitable for all vehicles. There are no fees or facilities at the trailhead.

Details: Prescott National Forest, https://www.fs.usda.gov/prescott.

Read more of Mare Czinar's hikes at http://arizonahiking.blogspot.com.