If we do part of the West Fork Trail in Oak Creek Canyon, how wet will our feet get or is it possible to hike the Trail without getting very wet? We will be there the first week of October and I'm trying to decide whether we need to pack water shoes or an extra pair of sneakers. Thanks.

We live here (25 years) and have hiked the West Fork many times. Now that the monsoon is ending, there will be little water flowing in the canyon. My advice to you would be to wear hiking boots and have a hiking staff or stick. You can cross and re-cross the stream that way by going from rock to rock. Sneakers provide little or no ankle support and are a poor choice for hiking.

Forget the water shoes. It is more important to have good foot support. I don't think we've ever gotten our feet wet, even being caught in a monsoon. We kept dry by sitting under a tree; however, that was how I learned what Poison Ivy looks like (after the fact)!

Thank you so much for the information. We will wear our hiking shoes and bring our hiking poles.

My husband and I just did West Fork today - it was a beautiful hike. Be sure to go all the way to the end which is 3.2 miles. He wore Keen sandals and I wore hiking boots. Neither of us were wet nor did we need hiking poles.