Oh, Sedona. It seems that just about every tourist on Earth has visited this Arizona town. But what are the best hikes in Sedona? How do you know which one(s) to pick?
In this guide, I explore the 6 best iconic hikes for first-time Sedona visitors. Although these trails can get crowded, all of them are certified bangers.
From short, easy strolls to adventurous scrambles, there is something on this list for every hiker.
So, whether you’ll be spending one day or one week in Sedona, be sure to check out these 6 amazing hikes in Sedona!
Best Hikes in Sedona: Bell Rock
- Difficulty: moderate to strenuous
- Length: 1 mile out-and-back
- Time: 1-2 hours
- Best parking spot: Courthouse Vista
Bell Rock is one of Sedona’s most popular hikes, for good reason. Easily accessible from Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek, this scramble takes visitors up this iconic bell-shaped formation.
The hike starts off on an easy trail, but soon you’ll be finding your own route up Bell Rock. For the easiest route, I recommend heading to the right side of the rock.
However, don’t be fooled by the short distance. This is more of a scramble than a hike, and it can be challenging for the average hiker. Wear grippy shoes, take it slow, and don’t be afraid to turn around if you need to.
Best Hikes in Sedona: Birthing Cave
- Difficulty: easy to moderate
- Length: 2 miles out-and-back
- Time: 1-2 hours
- Best parking spot: Long Canyon Trailhead
If you want a short, relatively easy hike in Sedona with epic views, the Birthing Cave is for you.
During this hike, you will stroll on a flat trail before hiking up into the Birthing Cave. From here, you can scramble up onto the cave walls for those perfect photos.
In order to get the entire entrance in your photo, I recommend bringing a VERY wide-angle DSLR or a GoPro.
Learn more: How to hike to the Birthing Cave in Sedona
Best Hikes in Sedona: Devil’s Bridge
- Difficulty: moderate
- Length: 4 miles out-and-back
- Time: 2-4 hours
- Best parking spot: Mescal Trailhead
Without a doubt, Devil’s Bridge is one of the most popular hikes in Sedona as well as the United States. Hundreds of people hike to this iconic landmark every day, with even more in the peak seasons.
Because of its crazy popularity, do not expect to be alone on this hike. Unless you are here very early in the off-season, chances are you will be sharing the trail and the bridge with many other people.
Still, the Devil’s Bridge hike is one of my favorite hikes in Sedona. For the best hike, start from the Mescal Trailhead and take the Chuckwagon Trail until it meets up with the Devil’s Bridge Trail.
However, logistics can get challenging, so I recommend you check out my Devil’s Bridge trail guide for more information.
Learn More: How to Hike Devil’s Bridge
Best Hikes in Sedona: Cathedral Rock via Baldwin Trail
- Difficulty: moderate to strenuous
- Length: 4 miles out-and-back
- Time: 2-4 hours
- Best parking spot: Baldwin Trailhead
If you’re visiting Sedona, you’ll probably want to check out one of its best hikes: Cathedral Rock. However, this hike is constantly SWARMING with visitors, and it can be incredibly difficult to find parking.
Instead of the typical Cathedral Rock hike, you can take the Baldwin and Templeton Trails until they meet up with the Cathedral Rock Trail. On this beautiful hike, you will walk along Oak Creek before doing that epic scramble up Cathedral Rock.
Keep in mind that getting to the top of Cathedral Rock requires scrambling skills, but this hike is still 100% worth it even if you don’t opt for the scramble.
Learn more: How to hike Cathedral Rock via Baldwin Trail
Best Hikes in Sedona: Subway Cave
- Difficulty: moderate
- Length: 5.3 miles out-and-back
- Time: 3-5 hours
- Best parking spot: Boynton Canyon Trailhead
If you’re looking for a slightly longer hike with a huge payoff, the Subway Cave hike is for you.
At first, you’ll hike through Boynton Canyon, where you’ll see wildlife such as birds, squirrels, and deer. Then, you’ll take a spur trail to scramble up into Subway Cave, a beautiful cave resembling a subway train.
Since this is one of Sedona’s most well-known hikes, I recommend starting out very early. If you’d like more tips and tricks, check out my guide to Subway Cave.
Learn more: How to hike to Subway Cave
Best Hikes in Sedona: Brins Mesa-Soldier Pass Loop
- Difficulty: strenuous
- Length: 6 mile loop
- Time: 4-6 hours
- Best parking spot: Brins Mesa Trailhead
After the busier trails, the Brins Mesa-Soldier Pass Loop can seem like a nice break. Even though this hike can be crowded as well, you’ll experience a lot fewer crowds than Devil’s Bridge and Cathedral Rock.
If you want a hike that is interesting every step of the way, the Brins Mesa-Soldier Pass Loop is for you. Over the course of 6 miles, you’ll see a sinkhole, natural pools, a cool cave, and epic views all around.
Although you can see some of these sights on the shorter Soldier Pass Trail, I recommend hiking the full loop for even better views, as well as to escape some of those crowds.
Learn more: How to Hike the Brins Mesa-Soldier Pass Loop
My 3 favorite Sedona hikes
Although all the hikes on this list are spectacular and worth doing, you might not have time for all of them. If this is the case, I recommend checking out my three favorite hikes.
This may seem surprising (due to the fact that I hate crowds), but my favorite Sedona hike is Devil’s Bridge. Even if are caught up in the masses, the experience of standing on Devil’s Bridge is thrilling. In addition, the Mescal and Chuckwagon Trails are super gorgeous.
My second favorite hike is Cathedral Rock via Baldwin Trail. Naturally, scrambling up Cathedral Rock is a can’t miss activity, but the shady walk along the creek is really what blew me away.
Finally, my last favorite hike in Sedona is the Brins Mesa-Soldier Pass Loop. There are so many cool landmarks that make this an essential Sedona hike, but I also loved seeing a lot fewer crowds on this hike.
Tips for hiking in Sedona
First of all, start your day off early! My mom and I arrived at many trailheads 30 minutes before sunrise in January, and for the first few miles of the hikes, we would see zero to several hikers.
Additionally, don’t be afraid to stay out late. Lots of these hikes, including Cathedral Rock, Devil’s Bridge, and Birthing Cave make amazing sunset hikes. However, don’t forget to bring a jacket and headlamp along!
Remember to bring lots of water, especially if hiking in summer, as Sedona can get very hot.
While you are allowed to bring dogs on most of these trails, remember to keep them on a leash.
Some of these hikes will require you to display a $5 Red Rock Pass (or America the Beautiful Pass) on your vehicle, so research ahead.
Leave no trace, do not litter, and leave everything you find behind.
Finally, be considerate of other hikers by keeping your voice low, giving right-of-way to others, and waiting your turn for photos.
What to bring hiking in Sedona
- Daypack
- Water
- Snacks
- Hiking boots/shoes
- Camera
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Jacket (for winter)
- Headlamp (for sunrise/sunset hikes)
While you should have the essentials, you won’t need to bring the whole kit and caboodle of gear to Sedona, since all of these hikes are short and well-trafficked.
Best hikes in Sedona: conclusion
Although there are too many hikes in Sedona to count, there are a certain few that stand out as iconic ones.
Even with all the popularity, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, Birthing Cave, Devil’s Bridge, Brins Mesa-Soldier Pass, and Subway Cave still hold up as some of the best hikes in Sedona.
If this is your first time in Sedona, I highly recommend hitting the hikes on this list. It took me three days to complete all of them, but if you have less time, pick and choose which ones sound best to you.
If you have any questions about Sedona hikes, be sure to check out my trail guides or leave a comment down below.
Happy hiking!
Wow! Those sound amazing 😲. I’m adding Sedona to my bucket list.