Devil’s Bridge Trail in Sedona Arizona is a popular hike to a natural bridge. This is a very popular trail and landmark so we decided to do a sunrise hike here in early March, 2020.
Information
According to the hiking guide I used, Devil’s Bridge Trial in Sedona is listed as a moderate 4.4 mile in and out round trip trail from the Devil’s Bridge Trail Parking Lot. You can also drive to Devil’s Bridge Trail head and park there if you have a high clearance vehicle and then only had a 2 mile round trip hike. Personally, after walking along the road, we wouldn’t have driven it even if we had our Jeep. It was pretty rough in spots, but we did see a few Jeeps driving it, so it is doable. My fit bit tracked this hike at 4.1 miles and took 2 hours and 5 minutes.
The Hike
The first mile you will will be hiking along a rough Jeep trail. It was dark on our way there, but very pretty on the way back.
As elevation rises you will be hiking along a dirt path and rock steps at times. We really enjoyed this early morning hike as the sun was rising. The first light of day on the rocks was so brilliantly beautiful.
Right before you arrive at Devil’s Bridge you will encounter some steep steps with drop offs. I wouldn’t think you would want to do this part if you had bad knees or ankles, but it was actually a very short part of the trail. I had my hiking poles with and they were more of a nuisance than they were helpful.
Devil’s Bridge
Devil’s Bridge was pretty amazing. We shared the bridge with 3 other couples and all took turns walking on the bridge and snapping pictures of each other. The sun crawling across the canyon below was beautiful.
The path over and on to the bridge was really not that bad. It is not as narrow as it looks from the photos.
The Hike Back
The hike back was uneventful. It was fun seeing the rock formations from the trail that we passed in the dark. The trail was much busier on our way back.
Conclusion
Devil’s Bridge is a trail you won’t want to miss in Sedona. This is a quick in and out trail with a great reward. It is a busy trail so therefore, you will definitely want to go early. When we arrived at the parking lot at 6 am there were only 3 other cars, but when we returned close to 9 am, the lot was full.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock. The resort was very nice. Steve’s conference was here so it was convenient to stay here. The room was comfortable with a separate bedroom and a sitting room with fireplace. The room also had a small fridge and microwave. The two restaurants were good and we enjoyed the outdoor dining. I actually ate lunch there each day. There is an outdoor area with fire pits and seating, also an outdoor games area. The staff was very courteous and knowledgeable about the area. There also is a large spa. I did treat myself to a deep tissue massage after day 3 of hiking. The gal there was great!
Planning
When planning for this trail, we used the Great Sedona Hikes Guidebook. I liked this book because it gave straight forward information, good directions, accurate description and include a map. This book was easy to follow and contains information on over 100 trails in the area. The only thing I would have liked better is if the photos were in color instead of black and white. Although, there is an icon on each hike that you can scan on your phone that has great color photos of each hike.
I also used Sedona Trails Map while in Sedona. This is a sturdy map that fit nicely in my bag. Easy to follow and definitely worth having.
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For more posts about Hikes in Sedona and Hiking Tips you can follow these Links:
Soldier’s Pass Trail, Sedona, March 2020
Making Friends on the Broken Arrow Trail, Sedona March 2020
Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte Hike, Sedona, March 2020
What to wear on a Mountain Hike
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