Slather on the SPF and hit up these 4 ICONIC Sedona Trails

Sedona is most notable for it’s Red Rocks, Vortexes/healing/spirituality, fine shopping, and outdoor activities for any experience level. It’s breathtaking beauty can not only be seen at viewpoints and overlooks, but up close and personal at every turn on so many trails.

While you can spend a solid week here exploring all of Sedona, Cottonwood and Flagstaff, we only had about 48 hours in Sedona and we made it a priority to limit our time in the hottest part of the days to maximize our hiking as a fun, pleasurable activity. We scoped out All Trails (check out trail app, too) and prioritized our list of trails we wanted to hit.

Our list of hikes we wanted to hit:

1. Cathedral Rock to Red Rock Crossing
2. Devil’s Bridge
3. Boynton Canyon
4. Soldier’s Pass
5. Birthing Cave
6. Seven Sacred Pools
   

48 Hours in Sedona:

Day 1:

7:30 AM- Cathedral Rock to Red Rock Crossing via Baldwin Trail

Your day could (AND SHOULD) begin early as Arizona is on Mountain Standard Time (MST) meaning they don’t observe Daylight Savings Time and the Sun could rise as early as 5:30 AM. So head out early to the Baldwin trailhead (going west towards Cottonwood) to beat the crowds and the heat. Parking is pretty limited at the popular trailheads and will fill up much earlier than you can anticipate. In addition, there is a $5.00 Daily Red Rock Pass park fee that you can use at any Coconino National Forest Parking Lots.

While starting at Baldwin Trailhead does tack on another 2.5ish miles to your journey, the variety of geographical hiking and shaded forest trails far make up for the added mileage. The other bonus to starting at the Baldwin Trailhead is the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Oak Creek – and if you’re feeling it, dip your toes in the refreshingly chilly water on the way back to cool down.

Cathedral Rock to Red Rock Crossing (Baldwin Trailhead)

Cathedral Rock to Red Rock Crossing is rated as moderate, however there is a bit of scrambling towards the top that will require you stay both hydrated and motivated. If the rocks ever seem slippery under your shoes, there were several alternate paths to the far sides of the rock that will give you the power of choice into confidently climbing to the top of Cathedral Rock. Overall, expect to spend about 3-4 hours on the trail- depending on how long you spend at the top.

11:30 Lunch at Butterfly Burger

Spectacular menu and a great place to cool off and recoup for the afternoon.

1:30 Boynton Canyon & Subway Trails

Listen, I know I made a point of saying we wanted to stay out the sun for the hottest part of the day, but if you can muster the strength to hike in the sun for the first 30-40 minutes, most of this hike will be shaded by a forest. And believe me, it’s more than worth it.

The first part of the hike rides along the perimeter of the Secret Mountain Wilderness/Enchantment Resort and quickly moves closer to the mountains and into Boynton Canyon. While this trail is hot in the sun, and on the lengthier side of day hikes, the elevation change is minimal and will largely feel pretty flat.

In addition, this trail includes the “not so secret” Subway Trail that leads to an epic photo-op and perfect opportunity to catch a glimpse of some Yavapai/Apache peoples’ mountain dwellings. The trail is not recognized by the Coconino National Forest, however the All Trails route includes the tangent to the Subway.
To climb to see the key-hole subway, you’ll have to scale up a somewhat steep slope – with a tether. Try not to let this keep you from completing this part of the trail, because overcoming this obstacle will be so empowering and have one of the best views of Boynton Canyon.

Subway Trail

After getting back on the original trail, you’ll hike for about another mile to the turnaround point in Boynton Canyon. The Canyon views are accommodated with a natural sloping rock, perfect for sitting and enjoying a snack, or laying back and taking in your surroundings.

Plan to spend around 4 hours on this trail. If start out about the time that we did, the trail was mostly clear and we chased the sunset coming out of the Canyon. This trail is worth all of the hype and will most certainly be a major talking point from your Sedona adventures.

6:30 Rocky Road Ice Cream Co. & Sunset Views at Airport Mesa Scenic Lookout

If you’re an individual that insists on ice cream during vacation, hit up Rocky Road Ice Cream Company on your way to see the Sedona Sunset. Their handcrafted, small batch ice cream hit the spot after a long day of Arizona hiking.
To check out a fantastic view of the sun escaping the Sedona landscape, drive up Airport Mesa Rd all the way to the top for the scenic viewpoint. You can take a short walk from the $3.00 parking lot to the viewpoint, or head out on a short trail to the top of Table Top Mountain.

Day 2:

6:30 AM- Birthing Cave Trail via Mescal Trailhead

This choice may be a little debatable, as we could have started the day with Devil’s Bridge, however by looks of the Mescal Trailhead Parking lot at 6:20 AM, we personally decided to walk down the road to Birthing Cave Trail first instead. From this trailhead, you can reach both Birthing Cave and Devil’s Bridge, so pack some snacks and lots of water for the day and get these two trails done together. No matter what, Devil’s Bridge Trail will be busy- from sunrise to sunset, whereas Birthing Cave is a lesser travelled trail- therefore it will be more quiet in the morning.

And at 7 AM, the trail is so quiet, you’ll nearly have it to yourself. Be sure to find a good place to climb up a little on the right side of the cave to get the best photo op.

The cave is most appropriately named and you won’t be able to help yourself from feeling the strong feminine energy this cave boasts.

If you parked at Mescal Trailhead, this trail will take you about 1.5-2 hours to complete, but it is the most peaceful and serene way to start your day and will offer one of the best views in Sedona

8:30 AM- Devil’s Bridge via Mescal Trailhead Parking/Chuckwagon Trail

Undoubtedly one of the most heavily trafficked trails in Sedona, you will definitely wait in a line on the Devil’s Bridge hike get a once in a lifetime photo opportunity. If head out on your trail with that mindset, then the line merely be a literal speed bump to get there.

So now that you’ve already parked at Mescal Trailhead from Birthing Cave, you’ll set out on a fairly flat, incredibly scenic route towards Devil’s Bridge. There’s a little scramble at the top where you’ll climb up some of the sandstone rocks, however, don’t let that deter you from the 500 ft final ascent.

Once you’ve finished the climb, head over to the line and take your break while waiting for the picture. Whatever you do, do not turn back around because of the wait. Take it as an opportunity to enjoy the Sedona Landscapes and meet fellow travelers- after all, they’ll be the ones taking the picture for you. We began this trail at 8:30 and waited about an hour and fifteen minutes to get some pictures on the bridge.

Additionally, Devil’s Bridge is only seemingly narrow. The bridge is anywhere from 8-12 feet wide so you’ll have plenty of room to walk down the center and not feel like you’ll fall over the edge.

Devil’s Bridge will probably take anywhere from 3-4 hours to complete depending on what time you get out on the trail. If crowds aren’t your thing, check out this trail either for sunrise or sunset.

Afternoon:

We decided to take the afternoon to walk through the downtown area of Sedona. If you would like to try eating cactus, I definitely recommend hitting up The Cowboy Club right on State St. for some cactus fries, bison burgers, and prickly pear margaritas. This meal will fuel you up for a walk to the Mexican Shopping Village of Tlaquepaque: the most beautifully landscaped shopping area you’ll ever lay your eyes on. Even if you don’t patron the stores, there are so many “insta-worthy” places here to get that new profile picture.

Accommodations:

Coconino has several campgrounds that you can reserve on the recreation.gov website here, however Pine Flat Campground is one very few that are first come, first serve. If you are unable to make a reservation for your planned dates of travel, I highly recommend you check out dispersed camping in West Sedona on Forest Road 525 from HWY 89. The road is quite rocky to get to the campsites, however, the further back you make it on 525, the better the views are- PLUS, dispersed camping is free.

Sedona Dos and Don’ts