Little Horse and The Hog (Trails)-Sedona

Little Horse Trail and The Hog Trails was my favorite hike while in Sedona at the beginning of March 2020. It was also our longest hike and more challenging than the others have been. After visiting Native American sites in the morning (links below), I met up with Steve mid afternoon and he was ready for a hike. He had liked my photos from Broken Arrow Trail and wanted to see Chicken Point so we decided to hike from the other side up to Chicken Point. We checked our map, and the Little Horse Trail looked perfect and it wasn’t far from where we were staying in Sedona. Furthermore, if we had time, we could turn it into a loop trail and follow the Hog Trails back to our vehicle.

Information

According to my guide book, Little Horse Trail is a 2 mile one way trail to Chicken Point or 4 miles out and back. We connected to other trails and made it over a 5 mile loop trail. This trail is considered a moderate trail. I would agree parts of the trail are moderate, especially towards the top near Chicken Point, but up to that point it is a fairly easy trail.

After Chicken Point we followed Broken Arrow trail down to High on the Hog Trail. I would consider this trail moderate. From there we followed Hog Heaven Trail to Hog Wash Trail. These were both moderate trails with drop offs and some mild scrambling. I would probably not hike any of the hog trails if I had knee or ankle problems or I didn’t like drop offs or heights. They all require some careful stepping in some places. Finally we followed Mystic Trail then walked a few blocks through town before picking up the trail to the parking lot. This last part was easy as the trail was back to a dirt packed trail. According to my Fit Bit this route was 5.39 miles and took us 3 hours and 36 minutes.

Location

The Little Horse Trail in Sedona

Little Horse Trail

Finding Little Horse Trail is easy. Follow Bell Rock Pathway towards Bell Rock for a bit more than 1/4 mile, until you come to the Little Horse sign, then just follow that! I love how Sedona trails are well marked with signs. What is really great about this trail is you can connect to so many other trails from here. From Little Horse Trail you can see Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte to your right. In front of you, you will see the peaks from Chicken Point. Very scenic, plus it is pretty cool to see these landmarks from another direction.

The path on Little Horse is dirt packed and for the most part an easy trail. There is some elevation, more so as you start to go around to the front of Chicken Point. To get up to Chicken Point there appears to be more than one trail. There is a large rock that at first I wondered how I would get up it, but then as we got closer, it was easy to see the best way to get to Chicken Point.

Chicken Point

Chicken Point gets it’s name from years ago when Jeeps were allowed to circle around a large rock on the point. This would put the Jeep close to the edge with a steep drop off. Supposedly you were “chicken” if you didn’t do it. This practice is no longer permitted.

We enjoyed the rock formations at Chicken Point, but the most amazing thing we saw were the bike riders. Across from Chicken Point is a huge red rock cliff with a jagged top. About half way up you can see a white line. On that white line, mountain bikers ride their bikes on this narrow path! It’s called Riding the White Line and some consider it the most dangerous off-road bike trail in the world! I had heard about it but didn’t believe people rode on it until we actually saw it!! While we were there, three guys were up on the line. At first they walked along the line and then one of them rode his bike a ways then turned back! Crazy! Scared the heck out of me! I was so amazed I videoed it on my phone!

Broken Arrow Trail

We took the Broken Arrow Trail down so we could do a loop and see as much as we could. As we continued down the trail, we ran into the young guys who were riding the the white line. I showed them my video and sent it to there cell! They said they were going to come back the next day and try again!!

High on the Hog Trail

It didn’t take long to connect to the High on the Hog Trail. This is the trail I had walked with the older gentleman I had met on Broken Arrow Trail. I really liked this trail as it has some beautiful panoramic views. The trail is a bit more tough than Broken Arrow as there is some loose rock and some rocky steps that were a bit tricky for my short legs! There are also some drop offs but the views were beautiful.

Hog Heaven Trail

We made it to the Hog Heaven Trail. If you read my Broken Arrow post, this is where the gentleman who befriended me advised me to follow another trail as the remainder “Hog” trails are the ones he thought would be tough for me. So of course, I had to check them out for myself and since Steve was with me I wasn’t too worried.

Hog Heaven Trail continued with more beautiful views, but true to what I had been told, it is a more difficult trail. There were more drop offs and at times you were walking on top of the large rocks, sometimes at a slant, some times very narrow. Some of the trail had loose rock, so careful footing was needed. I thought this trail was fun, but we were also noticing the sun was going to be setting before long so we didn’t spend as much time as we would have liked. The shadows made for beautiful pictures though!

One area on the Hog Heaven Trail had a bit more of a drop off than I bargained for. The path appeared to go straight down a rock! There was a bit of a slant, but still, a bit nerving. Steve just walked on down, but I went on my bottom, sort of a backwards crawl, not too graceful either! Regardless, I made it to the path below. What is really amazing, if you look at the rock, there are bike tracks on it! Bikers love these Hog trails!! Here I was slightly freaking after getting to the bottom and a couple of guys on bikes rode down it! Wish I had my camera ready for that!!

Hog Wash Trail

Shortly after this point, we found our last Hog trail, Hog Wash. Hog Wash was a much better trail. It was mostly a dirt packed trail with beautiful vistas and the sun setting gave the rocks a fiery hue. So beautiful!

Mystic Trail

Just as the sun was setting we found the Mystic Trail. This trail was easy and flat as it headed towards a residential area in Sedona. It was getting dark and chilly. We pulled out our warm shirts and headlamps and continued on our way.

To the Parking Lot

At the end of the Mystic Trail, in order to get back to the parking lot, you have to walk about 10-12 blocks through a neighborhood. Arrows point the way. Once you again pick up the trail, its about 1/4 mile straight to the parking lot!

Conclusion

I absolutely loved these trails! To me Little Horse Trail and the Hog Trails were not only the most beautiful, but the most fun of all the trails we have done in Sedona. I will say though, that I was glad to do these with Steve as I probably would have turned around at a few spots on the Hog Trails.

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.

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 of My Posts of Sedona, You can Follow These Links!!

Petroglyph Site, March 2020

Montezuma Well, March 2020

Montezuma Castle, March, 2020

Tuzigoot Ruins, March 2020

Devil’s Bridge Trail, March 2020

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