The Best Hikes in Sedona, Arizona
Sedona is one of the best places for hiking in the United States! With the incredible red rocks, secret caves, secluded hiking trails, and photography opportunities, there is so much to experience. Sedona is located 2 hours from Phoenix, AZ and less than an hour from Flagstaff, AZ. It is quite convenient to get to!
We were lucky enough to spend the month of January in Sedona since we are living out of Airbnbs while we can work remotely. During our time exploring Sedona, we did several of the most popular hikes, as well as several hikes off the beaten path. Below we have provided an in-depth guide for the best hikes in Sedona.
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Hiking Gear for Sedona
As avid day hikers, we have spent so much time and energy finding the best gear to support our day hikes. The red rock landscape is quite different from other places we have hiked. We strongly recommend hiking shoes with great traction here, given the rocky terrain can be very slippery due to the sand. Rachel loves these Saucony hiking shoes and Clark recommends these Brooks hiking shoes.
Before each hike, we always run through our gear checklist to make sure we have all of our essential items. Even on shorter hikes, it’s important to make sure you have the right clothing and gear in case something unexpected happens.
You have probably heard of the ten essentials for hiking. We expand that a little further with some things we like to bring in addition to the main safety items. Below, we have a link to the packing list we go through before each day hike. Reminder: this is not a backpacking (overnight) gear list, but rather a list to support a couple hours, or an all-day mountain adventure.
Read more about The Ten Essentials for Hiking, our Day Hike Packing List, and our Recommended Gear
The Best Hikes in Sedona
There are so many amazing hikes in Sedona and what seems like endless miles of trails to explore. We had the opportunity to explore many of the trails and several of the lakes during our month-long stay. Also, trails along the red rock were less well marked than other places we have hiked, we suggest using AllTrails or Gaia Maps to make sure you stay on trail via GPS.
Below are some of our favorite hikes in Sedona which we have arranged in order of difficulty: easiest to hardest.
1. Secret Slickrock
Trailhead: Secret Slickrock Trailhead
Miles: 0.7 mile out-and-back
Elevation: 97 feet
This is a very easy, short trail that ends with an awesome view of Cathedral Rock.
Pro Tip: head here after some rain for a beautiful reflection shot of Cathedral Rock. In the mornings, Cathedral rock will be backlit and at sunset the light will be on the rock. Both are beautiful!
2. Airport mesa Summit Trail
Trailhead: Airport Mesa
Miles: .5 miles out-and-back
Elevation: 100 feet
While parking is tough, with only a handful of spots on the side of the road, this is one of the best overlooks in Sedona! We have also heard great things about the 3.2 mile Airport Loop Trail which leaves from this same trailhead. We highly recommend coming for sunset!
3. Seven Sacred Pools
Trailhead: Soldier Pass Trailhead
Miles: 1.1 miles out-and-back
Elevation: 108 feet
Seven Sacred Pools is a beautiful spot along the Soldier Pass Trail. There are seven naturally occuring pools that, depending on when you visit, will be full of water. The view of the pools has Coffee Pot Rock in the background making for a beautiful vista.
Pro Tip: Parking here is the most difficult aspect of the hike. There is a very small parking lot with only 14 spots that is almost always full. We waited 10-30 minutes for a spot each time. The parking at the Soldier Pass trailhead does not open until 8 AM, and closes at 6 PM. Given we were there in January, the sunrise and sunset times were around then, so this was not a big issue, but we feel that visiting on a summer evening it could be. Please be aware that there is no parking in the nearby neighborhood and these rules are very strictly enforced. You can try parking at Brins Mesa Trailhead where there is more parking, but that extends the hike to the Seven Sacred Pools and makes it 2.6 miles round trip.
4. Baldwin Trail
Trailhead: Baldwin Trail Trailhead
Miles: 2 mile loop
Elevation: 216 feet
This trail has a couple beautiful views of Cathedral Rock. This is a nice wide trail that goes along by the river.
5. Sugarloaf Mountain
Trailhead: Sugarloaf Trailhead
Miles: 1.9 miles out-and-back
Elevation: 354 feet
Start off from the parking lot on the Teacup Trail and turn right at the Sugarloaf Loop Trail. Head up to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain, which is not hard at all yet provides a beautiful 360 degree view of Sedona. This is a great place to watch the sunset, which we did many times as it was so close to where we stayed and a pretty quick hike up!
6. Birthing Cave
Trailhead: Long Canyon Trailhead
Miles: 2 miles out-and-back
Elevation: 291 feet
This is a relatively easy trail which ends at a gorgeous sacred cave. The trail itself is not difficult at all, although somewhat hard to navigate. We had read the trip reports (using the AllTrails App) and we knew to turn left onto the trail where there was a log that appeared to be blocking it. That log was actually the sign to find the way to the cave! Upon reaching the cave, there is a bit more elevation gain and a steep section to climb up into the cave. Wear hiking shoes with traction so that you have solid footing on the red rocks and sand.
Pro Tip: Bring your wide angle lens to capture the full cave in a photo. Also, the parking area is very small. We came here on a weekday just after sunrise and saw only 2 other people. We would avoid here on the weekends.
7. Doe Mountain
Trailhead: Doe Mountain Trailhead
Miles: 1.5 mile out-and-back
Elevation: 492
Hiking to the top of Doe Mountain, provides panoramic views of most of the Sedona area. Once you get to the top of the mountain, walk along the trails to get an incredible views looking back towards Sedona. We did this hike at sunrise, and we would love to go back for a sunset in the future.
8. Bell Rock
Trailhead: Bell Rock Trailhead
Miles: 1 mile out-and-back
Elevation: 380 feet
Hiking at Bell Rock can be more of a climb than a hike. We decided to hike uphill towards the highest part of Bell Rock that we felt safe at. We kept to the trail directions on AllTrails and only had to do some minimal scrambling. We arrived at a platform which has a great view of Courthouse Butte, and that was high enough for us. Do not attempt to climb high onto Bell Rock without proper climbing experience. You can also walk around the beginning of this trail and see the beautiful vistas without much effort.
9. Robbers Roost
Trailhead: Robbers Roost Trail
Miles: 3.2 miles out-and-back from the non 4x4 parking area
Elevation: 500 feet
This trail arrives at a beautiful cave and almost a perfect circle hole in the cave! So picturesque. Be aware that this trailhead requires driving on a gravel road for about 9 miles. Then, there is a parking area for non 4x4 vehicles. Do not attempt the rest of the road without a 4x4. Once parked in the regular parking area, hike up the road to the Robbers Roost Trailhead. It is helpful to have GPS via AllTrails or Gaia.
10. Cathedral Rock
Trailhead: Cathedral Rock Trail
Miles: 1.2 miles out-and-back
Elevation: 652 feet
Cathedral Rock is also more of a climb than a hike. Cathedral Rock is also one of the most popular hikes in Sedona. We were quite surprised by the difficulty level given how many people we saw hiking there. It is essentially straight uphill but a short distance, luckily. Go prepared knowing this is a bit more of a quick vertical hike, and it will be very enjoyable! This is an awesome place for a sunset. Wear shoes with traction, as always in the desert!
11. Devil’s Bridge
Trailhead: Devil’s Bridge Trail Parking Lot
Miles: 4.2 miles out-and-back
Elevation: 564 feet
Devil’s Bridge is one of the most iconic views in Sedona. It would require a 4x4 vehicle to park at the Devil’s Bridge Trailhead, though it also saves 2 miles. We do not have a 4x4 and parked at Devil’s Bridge Trail Parking Lot. This is probably the most popular hike in Sedona, so arrive early, or be expected to wait for a photo on the bridge. The bridge is wider than it looks, and in our opinion, safe to walk out on. This hike is not very difficult besides a bit of elevation gain during the last mile. On a holiday, we hiked in the dark with headlamps and arrived at the bridge 40 minutes before sunrise, and we were the third people there. We recommend going before sunrise or on a weekday.
12. Munds Wagon Trail to Merry Go Round Rock
Trailhead: Munds Wagon Trail
Miles: 6.5 miles out-and-back
Elevation: 1,300 feet
Munds Wagon was our favorite trail in Sedona in terms of the actual trail itself. This trial was a really nice one to hike on with great views all around. Merry Go Round Rock has beautiful views for miles! If you don’t want to hike the whole way, you can take a 4x4 vehicle up to Merry Go Round Rock via Schnebly Hill Road. However, do not attempt this without a 4x4! The road is super rough.
Other Hikes:
Some other trails we were told to hike include Bear Mountain (5 miles and steep), West Fork Trail, and Little Horse (4 miles). We will be back to do some more hiking!
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