If you’ve come to Sedona to hike, you’ve come to the right place. There are more than 200 hiking trails in the Sedona area covering over 400 miles. That’s a lot of steps!
Need help picking the best trails? While there are hardly any bad trails in Sedona, here are what we consider some of the highlights, starting with easy hikes and moving up in difficulty.
EASY
1. Kisva Trail
inkknife_2000, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 9 miles
Difficulty level: Easy
Length: 1.8 miles
Completion time: 45 minutes
One of the easiest trails in Red Rock State Park, this sandy trail sticks to level ground along Oak Creek. Bring your binoculars–this wooded area along the creek is prime wildlife viewing for desert critters and birdlife. You can connect to the park’s other trails to head uphill for more scenery and a moderate hike.
Check out Kisva Trail on Shaka Guide’s Sedona Arizona Driving Tour.
2. Secret Slickrock Trail
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 7 miles
Length: 0.8 miles
Completion time: 20 minutes
Cathedral Rock is stunning and not to be missed on a trip to Sedona. While there are many hiking options around it, including a trail going up to its saddle, this easy trail on the opposite side of Oak Creek offers a stunning, unobstructed view of the rock before you. The trail through desert scrub is short, easy, and ends at a wide, open ledge with nothing but open air between you and this iconic butte.
Check out Secret Slickrock Trail on Shaka Guide’s Sedona Arizona Driving Tour.
3. Mystic Trail
Kevin A. Trostle, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 3.5 miles
Length: 0.9 miles
Completion time: 30 minutes
If you were planning on checking out Chapel of the Holy Cross but it’s too busy or you’re too early (it opens at 9:00 a.m.), check out Mystic Trail on Chapel Rd. This short and sweet trail is an easy hike along some pretty cool red rock formations. If you wanted to extend your hike beyond the out and back, Mystic connects to Peccary and Hog Wash trails, and a wider network beyond that. Just keep an eye out for mountain bikers.
Check out MysticTrail on Shaka Guide’s Sedona Arizona Driving Tour.
4. Fay Canyon Trail
Coconino National Forest, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 8 miles
Length: 2.3 miles
Completion time: 1 hour
One of Sedona’s easier and more popular hikes, the Fay Canyon Trail sticks to the canyon floor and takes hikers past canyon walls and spectacular rock formations. And this trail has what few other Sedona trails have: shade! Trail spurs to a rock arch and to a viewpoint after the trail’s end require some scrambling and would upgrade the hike to moderate.
5. Chapel Trail
Symbiosus 16:23, 28. Mär. 2007 (CEST), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 4 miles
Length: 1.4 miles
Completion time: 45 minutes
Find the trailhead in the middle parking lot for Chapel of the Holy Cross and follow it as it meanders through desert scrubland along an incredible wall of red rocks and a pair of spires known as the Two Nuns. The trail dead ends into Little Horse Trail, which we suggest taking up to Chicken Point for a fantastic view. This would increase the difficulty level to moderate, but put together, this is one of our favorite hikes! **Note** The folks at Chapel of the Holy Cross discourage people parking in their lot only for the trail. If you do hike the Chapel Trail, we encourage you to check out the Chapel as well.
Check out Chapel Trail on Shaka Guide’s Sedona Arizona Driving Tour.
MODERATE
6. Raven Caves Trail
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 2.5 miles
Length: 0.5 miles
Completion time: 20 minutes
From a tiny parking lot along the Red Rock Scenic Byway is the trailhead for Raven Caves. A short, easy hike takes you to a series of eroded caves along Oak Creek. The hike to the caves is simple and easy enough, but there’s some scrambling involved to enter and explore inside the caves. It’s a fun, little adventure that most people pass on the Scenic Byway!
Check out Raven Caves Trail on Shaka Guide’s Sedona Arizona Driving Tour.
7. Birthing Cave Trail
Photo by Jimmy Conover on Unsplash
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 7 miles
Length: 2 miles
Completion time: 1.5 hours
Again, like Raven Caves, much of the hike to Birthing Cave is easy and flat. It’s only at the end that a strenuous climb is required. Leave from Long Canyon Trailhead (or Mescal Trailhead if the small lot is full) and cross picturesque desert terrain until the climb up into the Birthing Cave, whose red walls frame a panorama of Sedona’s mesas and buttes beyond. It’s best to bring shoes with good traction if you plan on climbing around this amazing view.
8. West Fork Oak Creek Trail
Brady Smith; Coconino National Forest, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 10 miles
Length: 6.5 miles
Completion time: 3 hours
One of the most popular trails in Coconino National Forest, this out-and-back trail within Oak Creek Canyon follows Oak Creek as it forks to the west surrounded by steep canyon walls. Lots of shade and trees differentiate this hike from most in Sedona. The trail itself is relatively flat, but requires 13 creek crossings using logs and stepping stones to reach the end.
Check out West Fork Oak Creek Trail on Shaka Guide’s Sedona Arizona Driving Tour.
9. Bell Rock Trail
Coconino National Forest, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 5.5 miles
Length: 0.8 miles
Completion time: 30 minutes
It’s easy to approach Bell Rock, with a wide, flat pathway going straight to the iconic butte that looks a little like Disney World’s Space Mountain. How far up you want to go after that, and how difficult you want this hike to be, is up to you. But, it’s totally worth it to scramble up a bit and get a nice view of Courthouse Butte right next door, as well as Cathedral Rock and the city of Sedona itself not too far off.
Check out Bell Rock Trail on Shaka Guide’s Sedona Arizona Driving Tour.
10. Kisva Trail to Eagles Nest Loop
inkknife_2000, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 9 miles
Length: 2.8 miles
Completion time: 1.5 hours
Perhaps Red Rock State Park’s most exciting hike, the Eagles Nest loop is accessible via the easy Kisva Trail. There’s about 340 feet in elevation gain, but the reward is a great view of the red rock backdrop of this state park. Not super close to a red rock formation itself, the view is more panoramic than intimate, but no less stunning. More experienced hikers might rate this one as easy.
Check out Eagles Nest Loop on Shaka Guide’s Sedona Arizona Driving Tour.
11. Devil’s Bridge Trail
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 7 miles
Length: 3.9 miles
Completion time: 2 hours
Easily one of the most popular hikes in Sedona, Devil’s Bridge is made to be a photo opportunity–you may even need to wait in line for your turn to stand on the natural rock bridge. Most of the hike follows an old jeep road and is flat, but eventually the trail begins to climb in elevation. The hike up to the bridge requires navigating some natural rock staircases that push this hike to an overall moderate difficulty. Also to note: the trailhead is down an unpaved road, so a high-clearance vehicle is required to reach it. The nearby Dry Creek Road and Mescal Trailheads are more easily accessible and connect to Devil’s Bridge, but add at least a mile to the hike. Because of its popularity, and its beauty, this trail is a good choice for a sunrise hike.
RELATED: How to Hike Devil's Bridge in Sedona, Arizona
12. Little Horse Trail
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 4 miles
Length: 4.3 miles
Completion time: 2 hours
There’s about 500 feet of elevation gain on this moderate hike, but the payoff at Chicken Point is well worth the effort. Hike through desert scrubland and then enter a world of red rock formations and spires. The vista from Chicken Point is one of the best views in Sedona, in our opinion. If you were hoping to hike the Chapel Trail from Chapel of the Holy Cross but weren’t able to, Little Horse Trail will get you there.
Check out Little Horse Trail on Shaka Guide’s Sedona Arizona Driving Tour.
HARD
13. Cathedral Rock Trail
Nikolai Gates Vetr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 4.5 miles
Length: 1.2 miles
Completion time: 1-2 hours
Perhaps the most popular hiking trail in Sedona (good luck getting a parking spot!), the Cathedral Rock Trail goes up over 700 feet in about a half mile. Make sure to bring appropriate shoes–some parts of the trail are a scramble with some mild climbing. The reward in the saddle of the butte is a breathtaking view of the surrounding red rock scenery, and the butte itself. If you’re up to it, consider this as a sunrise or sunset hike.
14. Bear Mountain Trail
Coconino National Forest, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Distance from Uptown Sedona: 9 miles
Length: 5 miles
Completion time: 4-5 hours
Want a REAL challenge? The Bear Mountain Trail is one of the most difficult, yet most rewarding hikes in Sedona. The trail climbs over 2,000 feet, but with great scenery along the way and an unparalleled, bird’s eye view at the top. You’ll be able to see Fay Canyon next to you and the entire Sedona area beyond. Just remember to come prepared with appropriate shoes, a gallon of water per person, and snacks.
Good to Know
Some planning goes a long way for a successful hike in Sedona.
Many of the trailheads around Sedona require the Red Rock Pass to park your vehicle. These are easily purchased in kiosks at most trailheads and retail locations and visitor centers throughout Sedona. If you already have an America the Beautiful Pass for the national parks, then you’re all set for all but a few locations.
Though the scenery on these hikes is out of this world, parking can be a real downer, with few of Sedona’s trailheads offering truly adequate parking lots. New in Spring 2022 is the Sedona Shuttle, a free park-and-ride option that takes hikers to some of the most popular trailheads. And of course, our Shaka Guide tour of Sedona offers plenty of options so you don’t feel like you’re missing out. Either way, your best bet is to get an early start.
Please remember to adhere to the ‘leave no trace principles.’ Carry out whatever trash you have, stick to the trails, and leave the desert landscape as it is for others to enjoy.
We hope your hiking adventures in Sedona are nothing short of life-affirming. Happy trails!
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