Gretchen Stuppy Carlson
Running just to the east of Sedona, Oak Creek carves a deep and beautiful canyon with places to swim, hike and just enjoy the views. There are several places to access the creek including the Midgley Bridge Trail, West Fork Trail, Grasshopper Point, and Slide Rock. If you are looking for something short and close to Sedona, the Midgley Bridge Trail to the Huckaby Trail is a short and sweet little trail down to the creek.
You can read complete details on how to take this hike and what to expect on the Midgley Bridge Trail below.
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Quick Look at the Midgley Bridge Trail to the Huckaby Trail
Distance: 2+ miles Elevation: varies Difficulty: easy/moderate
Like so many trails in Sedona, it is easy to change, adjust, lengthen and shorten this hike depending on your time and interest.
If you are looking for quick access to the water, you can do just the Midgley Trail and Upper Huckaby Trail down to the creek. From here you can continue on the Huckaby Trail as long as you like. This is what we did, so I will describe this hike in more detail below. This hike has a short section that is steep as you descend down to Oak Creek.
Another option is to hike the Midgley Bridge Trail North and instead of turning at the Huckaby Trail, continue straight. This trail is 0.6 miles to the road going to Grasshopper Point and you turn here and come back the way you came. This trail has almost no elevation change and is a nice walk if you just want the views but you won’t access the creek. If you want to go further, you can visit Grasshopper Point and continue on the Allen’s Bend Trail.
You can also hike to this part of Oak Creek by starting at the Southern part of the Huckaby Trail. From here, the trail is about 2.6 miles each way.
Map of the Midgley Bridge Trail and Huckaby Trail to Oak Creek
Things to Know about Hiking in Sedona
The Best Time of Year to Hike in Sedona: You can hike in Sedona all year long, but spring and fall are the best (and most popular) times to hike. Winters can be chilly with some ice and snow, and summers can be very hot. It’s always best to get out early to hike to avoid hot temperatures and crowds.
Park Pass: You will need to purchase a Red Rocks Pass to Park at the Midgley Bridge Picnic Area. Passes are $5 per day and $15 per week. You can buy your pass right in the parking lot, or use your National Parks Pass. Note that the Sedona Shuttle does not serve this parking lot. The parking lot is small and can fill up at times.
Stay on Trail: There are several places along this trail where people have taken shortcuts off the trail. This leads to trail erosion and other problems. Please stay on the trail and always practice leave no trace.
Where to Park: Parking for the Midgley Trail starts at the Midgley Bridge picnic area. This is only about a 5 minute drive from Sedona. The parking lot was not crowded when we visited, but it is fairly small so could fill up quickly. Many people are just stopping to snap photos from the viewpoint, so if the lot is full it’s worth waiting a few minutes.
Details to Hiking Midgley Bridge and Huckaby Trails
The trailhead for this hike can be found at Midgley Bridge Picnic area. There are bathrooms and some tables here with views of the bridge. The trail starts under the bridge and passes under the highway before turning left and running parallel to the road. This part of the trail is relatively flat and easy.
After a few minutes, you will come across a sign and a trail to your right. Turn right onto the Huckaby Trail. This trail descends through a few switchbacks down the hillside to the Creek. We found this part of the hike pretty with views across to the rock walls on the far side – there are a few places to stop and snap some photos on the way down. Stay on the trail and you will end right at the creek.
If you don’t want to descend to the creek, you can skip the turn on to the Huckaby Trail and continue down the Midgley Bridge Trail
The first part of Oak Creek that you get to is pretty, but you should turn off to your right as the views continue to get better. The trail is shown crossing the river here, and if you are going to hike a portion of the Huckaby Trail, you should look for a place to cross. Since we were only doing a short hike, we stayed on the west side of the river and walked along the riverbank.
The trail goes across a forested area and then you can walk along the river itself. There are a few little places to walk in to cool off your feet and some deeper sections as well, but nowhere you could fully swim unless you make your way further down the trail. This part of the trail is narrow and rocky in places but it’s only a short distance to where the river opens up a bit with rock ledges to walk along.
The riverside is a lovely place to have a picnic and there were several groups of people relaxing here when we visited. It’s also a great place to see the underside of the bridge which looks really impressive from this angle.
A quick note about crossing the river – when we visited in March, the water level was high and several people said they weren’t able to cross the river at this point on the trail. If you are hiking the trail and are counting on crossing, you should plan accordingly, especially if there’s been rain recently.
Our final thoughts are that this is an easy and quick hike to add on to a day of activities, especially if you are looking to visit some water after a long day of hiking. We did this hike in the afternoon, after visiting Devil’s Bridge in the morning and it was a lovely way to end the day. If we had a little more time, we would have liked to hike the Huckaby Trail longer or continue on the Midgley Bridge Trail to Grasshopper Point.
Looking for other great hikes in Sedona, check out the Best Hikes in Sedona,? You might also like:
- Boynton Canyon (Subway Cave)
- Birthing Cave
- Hiking the Brins Mesa and Soldier’s Pass Loop
- The Broken Arrow Trail
