The 10 Most Amazing Hiking Trails in Sedona

Sedona is a perfect hiking destination with gorgeous walks through towering red rocks and hidden caves to explore. There are wonderful hiking trails in Sedona for every level, which is one of the things that makes this area so popular. Read below for everything you need to know about hiking in one of Arizona’s best destinations and the top hikes in Sedona.

Scroll down in this article, and you can find the best hikes broken into categories to help you choose what hike is right for you. We visited Sedona during the spring of 2022 and will share everything we learned about the hiking trails in Sedona.

What to Expect on the Hiking Trails in Sedona

The hiking trails in Sedona are relatively easy. We found most of the trails have large sections of flat trails that end with a short steep section up to an interesting overlook, cave, or feature. This means that if you are looking for easy hikes in Sedona, you can often do the trail and simply stop before you get to the steep section if you prefer, although you may miss out on the best part of the hike.

Sedona is also suffering from an overcrowding problem If you are hiking on some of the best hikes near Sedona, you will likely have trouble parking and will find the trails crowded, especially during the busy spring months. Since the trails are well marked, make sure you stay on the trail to help with erosion problems and try to hike early in the day or late in the afternoon to avoid the crowds.

Quick Look at the Best Places to Hike in Sedona

What to Know About Hiking in Sedona

There are a few things you should know before you head out on one of the top trails in Sedona.

• Most of the hiking trails in Sedona are popular and parking lots can often full up by 7 am. Try to arrive early or hike late when possible.
• If you are hiking during the hot months, many trails have very little shade. Make sure you bring plenty of water and sun protection
• Many of the hiking trailhead parking lots require a parking pass. You can purchase the Red Rocks Pass right at the trailhead for $5/day or $15/week. You can also use your National Parks Pass.
• Sedona has recently started a shuttle service. The shuttle is free and easy and serves many of the popular hikes close to town during the busy season. Check the shuttle page for more information.

Map of the Best Hikes in Sedona, AZ

10 Best Hikes in Sedona

Read below for an overview of the best hiking trails in Sedona and remember that these are often some of the most crowded hikes as well. You can also scroll down to the bottom to see the best Sedona hikes listed by category to help you choose the best trail for you.

Cathedral Rock Trail

Distance: 1.2 miles (1 Hour)
Elevation Gain: 750 ft.
Difficulty: challenging

Cathedral Rock is often at the top of the list of best Sedona hikes – for good reason. This classic rock formation is very close to downtown Sedona and in just a short distance, you get up onto the rock for excellent views. Don’t let the short distance of this hike fool you. This is a steep little hike, and the last portion of the hike involves some scrambling that can be a bit slippery.

The parking lot to Cathedral Rock is closed during the busy season and you will need to park and take the Sedona Shuttle.

Boynton Canyon Trail (Including the Subway Cave)

Distance: 7.3 miles (or 6 miles if you just go to Subway Cave)
Elevation Gain: 1,170 ft (or 700 ft to just Subway Cave)
Difficulty: Moderate to Hard

The Boynton Canyon Trail is a wonderful Sedona hike up a canyon with lovely views, but the highlight of this trail is the Subway Cave. Many people hike directly on the Boynton Canyon Trail to the Subway and don’t finish the trail up to the end of the canyon. The Boynton Canyon Trail is an easy to follow Trail, but the hardest part is finding the turn to get up to Subway Cave. Look for a wide trail on your right about 2 miles from the trailhead.

The cave itself is a short scramble up a rock ramp to the inside of the cave. From here you have amazing views back out through the Subway shaped opening. We did this hike really early in the morning, and there was already a crowd building up at the cave entrance, so if you aren’t getting an early start, you may find a line here to take your photos!

We also loved the hike up to the end of the canyon and it was much less crowded. There is a gradual elevation increase with a steep section right at the end. This hike is a scared place, please respect all signs.

See complete details on hiking to Subway Cave and Boynton Canyon.

Courthouse Butter and Bell Rock Hike

Distance: 1-4 miles
Elevation Gain: 350 ft
Difficulty: easy/moderate

South of Sedona, the impressive Bell Rock welcomes you as you drive into town from Phoenix. This well named rock makes a great place to explore and there are many people climbing around the Bell Rock all day. This is a relatively easy/moderate hike and there are several ways to lengthen or shorten your hike making it one of the better easy hikes in Sedona and a good choice for families.

The Trail itself winds up Bell Rock, or you walk right around the entire rock formation and get views from every direction.

Brins Mesa and Solider Pass Loop

Distance: 6.1 miles (can be adjusted with several options for a longer hike)- hiking time is 3-5 hours)
Elevation Gain: 12,000 ft
Difficulty: Moderate

This is a wonderful hike right in the heart of Sedona. You can do this hike in several different ways. If you want to do a short hike, you can go directly to the Soldier Pass Cave, stop at the 7 Sacred Pools and Devil’s Kitchen. If you are up for a bit longer hike, you can hike Soldier Pass and Brins Mesa as a loop. This gives you the best of both trails, and you can get views from above on the Mesa as well at check out the cool features on the Soldier Pass Trail.

Quick note that Soldier Pass Cave does get crowded so try to get there early if possible.

See more about hiking Brins Mesa and Soldier Pass.

Broken Arrow Trail Loop

Distance: 5.7 miles (you can also hike the Broken Arrow Trail as an out and back to combine many different trails)
Elevation Gain: 600 ft
Difficulty: moderate (there was some exposure if you have a problem with heights)

This trail gets our award for one of the most underrated hiking trails in Sedona. It is generally considered a good hiking trail, but gets far less crowds than some of the other hikes on this list. There are several ways to put this trail together either as an out and back or a loop. The distances above reflects hiking this as a loop with the Hog Trails.

There are two great features on this hike – Submarine Rock and Chicken Point. Submarine rock sits in the bottom of the canyon and rises up for wonderful 360 degree views of the rock walls. The trail continues on to Chicken Point for more beautiful views. We looped the trail, by coming down High on Hog down towards Hog Wash. This trail is also a mountain biking trail but has excellent views and a bit of exposure.

You should also know that Chicken Point is a favorite 4×4 destination so you will likely see jeeps and other vehicle going up very steep sections of rocks!

See a complete guide to hiking to Submarine Rock and Chicken Point on the Broken Arrow Trail.

Devil’s Bridge

Distance: 4 miles (2-3 hours with time for photos)
Elevation Gain: 520 feet
Difficulty: Moderate - some climbing at the end

Devil’s Bridge is the largest natural bridge in Sedona and the relatively easy hike brings you right to the top of the arch where you can walk out and snap an epic photo with the canyon floor and distant rocks in the background. Like many other hiking trails in Sedona, there are several ways to do this hike – we strongly recommend hiking to Devil’s Bridge by parking at the Mescal Trailhead. This makes the hike about 4 miles, along a pretty trail.

The trail itself is mostly flat until the end when you need to climb up the steep rocks to the top of the bridge. If you decide to turn around before this spot, it is pretty hard to see the arch, but you still have great views of the surrounding area. The very last stretch up the hike is on stairs that have been carved into the rock.

We arrived at the arch around 7 am just after sunrise and there were already plenty of people taking photos. We waited about 10 minutes, but by the time we left, the line was building up and by midday the line can be more than an hour long to get a photo out on the bridge.

Learn more about hiking to Devil’s Bridge.

Birthing Cave

Distance: 2 miles (1 hour)
Elevation Gain: 300 ft
Difficulty: moderate (with a challenging section near the end)

One of the less popular hikes on this list of hiking trails in Sedona, the Birthing Cave is a short and mostly easy hike to a hidden cave. Start at the Long Canyon Trail and after about 0.6 miles turn left up a small open hill onto the trail to the Birthing Cave. There were several arrows made from stones in the center of the trail.

From here, the trail get steeper and the very last section is a short scrambe up to the cave. The cave is shallow and very open. We were there in the afternoon and shared the cave with just a few other people.

See more details about hiking to the Birthing Cave.

Airport Mesa Loop

Distance: 3.1 miles (loop)
Elevation Gain: 410 ft
Difficulty: moderate

Located close to town, the Airport Mesa Loop follows along the top of Aiport Mesa and Table Top Mountain. This trail has excellent views in several direction, but looks out over the town of Sedona. The trail doesn’t have tons of elevation, but we found the trail rocky and difficult footing for much of the hike.

This is a popular place to watch the sunset and you can see people flocking to this place as the sun starts to go down.

Bear Mountain

Distance: 5 miles
Elevation Gain: 2000 ft
Difficulty: difficult

This trail was near the top of our list during our recent visit to Sedona, but we were never able to make it happen, but I couldn’t make a list of Sedona’s best hikes without including Bear Mountain.

The trail is just west of Sedona and offers panoramic views in every direction from the top. The trail is generally considered difficult with several false summits.

Hike Along Oak Creek

Distance, Elevation Gain, and Difficulty: All varied based on the trail

This was the final hike we did on our last visit to Sedona. There are several hikes you can choose from, but if you’re looking for hiking trails in Sedona that have a water feature, finding a hike along Oak Creek is a great option. We hiked down to the creek on the Huckaby Trail, but other excellent options include Grasshopper Point and the West Fork Trailhead.

So many hiking trails in Sedona follow dry canyon bottoms, so it’s refreshing to hike along a creek and there are many places along Oak Creek to dangle your feet or take a swim.

See how we did the hike along Oak Creek.

Best Time of Year to Hike in Sedona

The best time to explore the hiking trails in Sedona is in the spring and fall when the temperatures are comfortable. These are also the busiest times to hike in Sedona. Winter can be a great hiking time, although expect colder temperatures and occasional snow. Summer is very hot, so if you are planning to visit and hike in Sedona in the summer, you should plan to hike early in the morning before the heat sets in.

Best Trails in Sedona by Category – How to Choose the Best Hike

The best hiking trails in Sedona for you will depend on your fitness level, interest, time of year and more. Below are a few suggestions of the best hikes for different types of Sedona Hikes.

Best Easy Hikes in Sedona (Best Hikes in Sedona for Families)

• Bell Rock
• Birthing Cave
• Devil’s Bridge Trail
• West Fork Trail

Best Sunrise Hikes in Sedona AND Sunset Hikes in Sedona

• Catherdral Rock
• Airport Mesa
• Boynton Canyon Overlook
• Devil’s Bridge

Best Hikes in Sedona with Water

• West Fork Trail
• Huckaby Trail

Most Popular Sedona Hikes

• Devil’s Bridge
• Cathedral Rock
• Courthouse Butte and Bell Rocks
• Subway Cave
• Soldier Pass

Best Dog-Friendly Hikes Sedona

• Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte
• West Fork Trail
• Cathedral Rock

Common Questions about Hiking in Sedona

Which Sedona hike is renowned for its red rock vistas and challenging terrain?

The famous Devil’s Bridge Trail is renowned for its stunning red rock vistas and challenging terrain. It’s a favorite among experienced hikers. The highlight is the natural sandstone bridge formation, which makes for an iconic photo spot. Be prepared for a moderately strenuous hike to reach this spectacular viewpoint.

Can you recommend a family-friendly hike in Sedona with kid-friendly features?

Absolutely! The Fay Canyon Trail is perfect for families. It’s relatively flat, so kids can easily manage it. The trail is shaded in some parts, and the canyon walls provide a cool, comfortable environment. Plus, there’s a hidden arch to discover along the way. Many of the trails have flat sections and you can hike a portion of all the trails above.

Are there any lesser-known hikes in Sedona that offer a unique and serene experience?

Yes, for a serene escape away from the crowds, consider Oak Creek Canyon. This scenic trail meanders alongside a babbling creek and through a lush, narrow canyon. It’s a peaceful, shaded hike that’s especially enchanting in the fall when the leaves change color. Another hidden gem is the Secret Slickrock Trail.

Check out our Hiking Pages to learn more about amazing hikes, hiking gear and more, or check out our 3-Day Sedona Itinerary and 11 Things to do in Sedona