Located in Arizona’s Red Rock Country, the Boynton Canyon Vortex is a destination for hikers, nature lovers, and spiritual seekers. Also known as Boynton Pass Vortex or Boynton Vortex Trail, this area in Sedona is known for its stunning red rock formations and unique energy vortex.
- Level of Difficulty: Easy, short hike
- Skill Level: All skill levels
- Distance: 1.10 miles (out-and-back trail)
- Cost: $5 daily Red Rock Pass or use the America The Beautiful Pass
How to Get to Boynton Canyon Vortex
To access the energy vortex, you’ll hike to the end of the Boynton Vista Trail. It’s located in Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness – an area encompassing around 48,000 acres – of the Coconino National Forest.
From West Sedona, take Boynton Pass Road to Boynton Canyon Road where you’ll turn into the trailhead parking lot. You’ll need to either have your NPS annual America The Beautiful Pass or purchase a Red Rock Pass online (only $5 for the day). At the trailhead, there will be a vault toilet, but no water access so be sure to bring enough with you before arriving.
Hike to Boynton Canyon Vortex
The Boynton Vista Trail is an out-and-back route that’s about a mile long and takes about a half hour to complete. It’s fairly flat and welcoming for all levels of hikers with wire barrels as carins marking the trail. You’ll start by taking the path marked Boynton Canyon Trail, and then turn right onto the Vista Trail (also called the Vortex Trail).
Rock Formations at Boynton Canyon Vortex
When the trail dead-ends, you’ll find yourself at the vortex. You will see a tall sandstone spire called Kachina Woman and a lower knoll rock that’s unofficially called Warrior Rock. The vortex is thought to be in between these red rock formations.
Feeling the Energy of Sedona Vortex Sites
Sedona is well known for its energy vortexes (vortices) which attract those seeking spiritual healing, creative thinking, self-exploration or an awakening. An energy vortex is an invisible swirling center of energy that promotes a range of physical, emotional, and spiritual effects. Everyone will feel something different, the key is to allow yourself to embrace it and what’s around you.
Locals say these areas are alive with energy and can leave people feeling recharged, uplifted, and inspired. At a vortex site, you may see people finding solace in prayer, yoga, music, or meditation. This is why the area is so popular for retreats involving chakra balancing and aura clearing!
An interesting fact that is often used as the only physical proof of an energy vortex is that you may see twisted juniper tree trunks growing around these sites. This is said to be because of the vortex’s swirling energy that filled the tree and changed its shape.
How Many Vortexes Are in Sedona?
All of Sedona’s sacred and powerful space is considered to be a vortex. However, there are specific sites where the energy is said to be its most powerful. In order of the most prominently known sites, Sedona’s energy vortexes include:
- Bell Rock
- Airport Mesa
- Saddle of Cathedral Rock
- Boynton Canyon
- Oak Creek Canyon Overlook (Schnebly Hill)
- Red Rock Crossing
- Chapel of the Holy Cross
- West Fork
Each site is thought to produce its own unique energy, either flowing upward or downwards (entering the earth). Spiritual guides further classify these energies as being masculine (electric), feminine (magnetic), or a combination (electromagnetic).
Vibes at Boynton Canyon Vortex
Boynton Canyon Vortex is thought to produce a combination energy of inflow on the canyon floor and upflow on the ridges and peaks. Like a yin and yang effect, the energy is balanced between the masculine knoll and the feminine Kachina woman.
Say Hi to Robert the Vortex Flutist
There is an infamous flutist who climbs the knoll everyday where he sits and plays his Reike Flute. Robert is a relatively unknown, hidden gem that complements the vortex experience.
When I was just turning onto the Vista Trail, I could hear his music softly in the distance and it helped lead me to the vortex. He fits perfectly into the slightly hippie vibe of Sedona, and even gives out heart-shaped rocks to everyone he meets at the site. His music is impressive (and sets the tone for the whole experience), but his climbing skills deserve some serious respect!
History of Boynton Canyon Vortex
In 1300 AD, the Yavapai Native American tribe (later the Tonto Apache tribe) called the land now known as Sedona their home. When gold was discovered in neighboring lands in the late 1800s, the tribes were driven off their land.
Boynton Canyon Vortex is considered to be a very sacred place for indigenous tribes. It is one of the holiest for the Yavapai-Apache people, who believe this is where the Great Spirit Mother (First Woman) gave birth to the human race. Ancestors would not enter the site without purifying themselves first by fasting or meditating.
Takeaways and Tips on Visiting Boynton Canyon Vortex
This trail was one of four in Sedona that I hiked on my birthday during a solo trip a couple of years ago. On this day, I also hiked to Devil’s Bridge for sunrise, experienced the Bell Rock vortex, and somehow made my way to the hidden Boynton Canyon Subway Cave.
Boynton Canyon Vortex was one of my favorite places I visited, not because I had a spiritual awakening, but because of the calmness and tranquility I felt in this area. I’d recommend this as a fantastic early evening hike to relax and embrace the vortex experience. In some parks and on trails across the country, people will pass you and won’t make eye contact, let alone be dared to say hello. But in Sedona, there is a completely different, extremely welcoming, open, and non-judgemental vibe.
Resources on Preserving and Protecting Sedona
- When visiting this precious place, please follow Leave No Trace principles to respect and protect this special area.
- Pledge to take care of the environment by joining the Sedona Cares Challenge.
- Understand the importance of Public Land Preservation.
