Scenic Sedona, AZ - Hikes

For all of Sedona's hikes, you need to buy a Red Rock Pass for each vehicle you park at the trail head. The passes cost $15 for a week (which is not bad compared to California 1-day passes). Once you have that, you're good to go.

Devil's Bridge Hike - You Should Go

Nate and I on Devil's Bridge

This is a short hike (1 mile each way) but with quite a climb in elevation. The real trick is getting to the trail head. Most of the trip is on a dirt road. If you're driving a sedan, you'll probably need to park at least another mile from the trail entrance. We made it ok in
our Rav 4, but the parking was marked for another trail (not for Devil's Bridge), so keep your eyes open and a map handy. Once you make the trek in the car and on foot, you reach a beautiful formation that looks like a very narrow bridge about 100 feet off the ground. You can climb out onto the bridge (like we did in the picture). It's not as narrow as it looks when you're on it, but it makes for a dramatic photo. I do this hike each time I go to Sedona.

On top of Courthouse Butte.

Courthouse Butte Trail - You Should Go
This is a simple trail (trust me, I'm really out of shape) that follows some beautiful rock formations. It's a little less green than some trails but very flat. We followed the trail until we reached Courthouse Butte (about 1.5 miles from the trail head), which is a large flat rock. We climbed to the top (which is a little bit of a challenge) and enjoyed the view. It was a fun and easy hike with a great payoff.

Chicken Peak View

Hike to Chicken Peak - You Should Go
To make it to Chicken Peak, you need to take the Bell Rock trail to the left (when entering at the trail head). This is a much greener trail than Courthouse Butte but also a little rockier. This is still an easy trail and about 2 miles each way if you stop at Chicken Peak. This trail is nice and shady, so it's probably better for in the summer months. There's a point in the trail where you reach a rocky area that's not as well marked. Keep going straight across the rocks and then you'll see the trail continue to the left. You'll know you've reached Chicken Peak when you see a bunch of jeep tours stopped on the trail. From here, you can see many of the famous rock formations. It's also a nice place to stop for lunch and enjoy the view.

View from Soldier's Pass

Soldier's Pass Trail - You Might Like It
This is a very easy trail to hike but a little confusing. The trail head is in the midst of a neighborhood but pretty easy to find if you follow the signs. The trail starts as one and then splits off into 3 different trails (ranging in 1-2 miles one-way). There is a large sink-hole where the trails split that is cool to see (it's hard to capture the depth in a photograph). Once you find which direction to take for Soldier's Pass, the path is well-marked up until the "7 pools" (which were really 7 puddles when I went). After that, the jeep trails take over and it's hard to figure out where the real trail leads. There are some nice views around the pools, but I would probably try one of the other trails next time.

The sink-hole