Rustlers Hike Chicken Point and Submarine Rock

January 02, 2026

Under sunny, clear blue skies in October the Rustlers set off to follow our leader Martha Blaney as she endeavored over the next three hours to make sure we got our money’s worth by trying every trail to and away from Chicken Point including Broken Arrow, Broken Arrow Spur, High on the Hog and finishing on the Twin Buttes Trail.

Along the way there were some geological wonders, the first being a sinkhole called the Devils Dining Room. The sink hole does not look like much on surface but the 600 sq ft opening becomes a 3,720 sq ft opening at its 80 ft depth. Lots of room for bats.

This sink hole is also unique in that it exposes two grey colored en echelon basalt dikes that cut through the south wall of the collapse feature. En echelon basalt dikes are a pattern of volcanic dikes that are arranged in a staggered or overlapping parallel series that collectively form a larger, longer line. These dikes dated at 12 million years old are part of a family of numerous House Mountain feeder dikes that resulted in a lava field that once covered this entire area.

We then hiked on to the Submarine Rock. It is a unique rock formation named for its resemblance to a submarine. Research and using ChatGPT indicates that it was not named by the early homesteaders from this area. One thing the rock does have is a very visible, 6-inch strike slip fault that allowed the resident geologist to talk about the differences between faults (rocks show displacement) and fractures (no displacement). He was excited. A fault is a fracture in the Earth’s crust where there has been significant movement or displacement, while a fracture is a crack where no such relative movement has occurred.

We hiked on to Chicken Point, suddenly running into many cyclists and hikers on the trail. Fortunately, this day we were all respectful and courteous with each other. At the Point there were several Jeeps and their passengers walking around proud of their ride wondering how all the hikers got up there. At the end of this prominent point with its incredible views of Cathedral, nearby Munds Mountain and to the north Wilson Mountain towering over Sedona is Chicken Point proper. The name “Chicken Point” apparently comes from an old practice where Jeep tours would drive all the way out onto the last rock outcrop, circling around a small formation with steep drop-offs on all sides. If the driver did not attempt (or refused) to go out that far, they were considered “chicken”. Today, vehicle access to the very tip is restricted for liability reasons, but the name stuck as a reminder of those daring drives.

Also, out there on the side of the nearby cliff, there were no crazy cyclists attempting the White Line today, so we moved on back down the trail to an appropriate snack area. It being close to the end of October, a very big bag of candy was produced and passed around to help us recharge. An excuse adopted by many of us was to consume them before they melted. It is the right thing to do.

We turned onto the High on the Hog Trail which became a bit more technical with narrow, tipping pathways which fell off the cliff into an abysmal boulder and prickly plant lined landing far below. The forestry had cut steps through some of the steeper parts making the path much safer. Thank you. Having successfully descended off the cliff we got onto the relatively long walk back to our cars. That last bit always seems longer. We did look up and see multiple holes in the sandstone rocks along the cliffs. This type of erosion is common throughout the Sedona area and is called Tafoni weathering. The holes are commonly aligned along joints, bedding planes or other zones of weakness in the bedrock. They are the result of a complex interaction of physical and chemical weathering processes.

It was a good morning hike with a bonus snack, some exercise, and worthwhile conversations with fellow Rustler hikers.

Check out sedonawesterners.org to join if you are not already a member or for the latest hiking information. This week the Rough Riders will go to Schuerman Loop on Saturday and the Rustlers will hike the Turkey Creek Loop. Sunday the Drovers are hiking Steamboat and Tuesday the Dogies take on Mayan Man. Wednesday the Drifters are hiking Chuckwagon. On Wednesday, January 7 the Trackers also have a meeting: Hiking Basics 101. The Trackers do not meet every week, so make sure to check out for the website for more information on this event if you are interested as registration is required. On Thursday the Amblers will hike Outer Limits and the Mustangs will hike Cathedral Rock via Napoleon’s Tomb.

Thursday, January 8 is also the Sedona Westerners monthly meeting at 6 pm. In addition to the regular business, Nate Meyers, Executive Director of the Sedona Historical Society, will talk about the Sedona Heritage Museum and share stories and photos from Sedona's history and the pursuits of pioneers who lived here. The new year is off to a great start.