During October we spent a few a days exploring all that Sedona has to offer — oh what a dreamy week that was. We initially planned on staying in Scottsdale during our entire time in Arizona and doing a one day trip up to Sedona. But a week before we were headed out I last-minute booked us an Airbnb in Sedona. Best decision of the entire trip.

If you’re like me and love a good lounge by the pool and read a book day but also need to get out and move your body, then Sedona is the perfect place to visit. It’s an absolutely gorgeous town with so much to offer. Before we arrived I reached out to a few friends and asked my Instagram to send recommendations, and wow did people deliver. From amazing restaurants like Mariposa, too many hikes to count, a walkable town center, views (all the views) and tranquil spas and gorgeous resorts — Sedona has so much to offer.

Because we only had three days in Sedona and the rest of our trip would be in Scottsdale staying at the Royal Palms, I knew I wanted to spend the majority of our time enjoying the outdoors and hiking as much as possible. And that is what we did. Michael would wake-up around 5 a.m. to go on a bike ride, then meet me back for coffee so we could head to the trails before the crowds and heat arrived. Each hike we did was amazing in it’s own way but my favorite hike that we did during our trip was Solider Pass.

If you’re headed to Sedona and are overwhelmed by all the amazing hiking options, here are the ones we loved and a few details to help you make the most of your trip — enjoy!

soldier pass

By far my favorite hike of the trip, and our first hike of the trip. I had read on Alltrails that (like most trails) it was best to get there as early as possible. Soldier Pass is a bit different in that the parking lot doesn’t open until 8 a.m., so sadly unless you have an Uber drop you off or you’re staying in the residential area that is in walking distance to the trailhead, you’ll likely have to wait and park there when the gate opens.

We took the wonderful advice from everyone on the internet and arrived to the trailhead at 7:30 a.m. and waited for ~20 minutes for them to open the gate for all the cars to get in. Please keep in mind that you do need a permit (you can buy them at the grocery stores and gas stations) and only 16 cars can fit in the parking lot — so getting their early is key! We arrived on a Wednesday morning but if it was a weekend I would have probably arrived around 7 a.m. to be safe.

The hike is pretty short (4.1 miles total) and not a ton of elevation gain. And there is so much to see! Along the way you have three worthwhile stops and then after about 1.5 miles the views are incredible. We stopped to see Devil’s Kitchen and the Seven Sacred Pools before making our way to the secret cave. Luckily a sweet couple showed us the way to the secret cave (which is a must see), otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to find it. I’d recommend downloading a trail map since you likely won’t have service. Although the trail is easy to follow it’s hard to find the cave so that’s why I recommend the map.

We took our time walking the trail and stopping to take in all the views. I believe all in all it was about 3 hours long for us to see everything and stop a few times for photos and water.

west Fork trail oak Creek

Another easy going and gorgeous trail — West Fork Trail in Oak Creek. Parking is limited, like most hiking in Sedona, but there is way more parking than at Soldier Pass or Devil’s Bridge. We actually went to West Fork twice during our limited time in Sedona because it was so close to our Airbnb and it felt more like a walk through the forest than a hike.

Both times that we went, we arrived in the later afternoon and had that gorgeous golden hour light seeping through the trees and canyons. This would be a great hike for kids, but be prepared to get your feet very sandy and wet. Although the hike is easy because of little to no elevation gain, the sand does make it a tiny bit challenging if you’re going to hike 7+ miles.

It also get’s a bit chilly during this trail because of all the tree coverage - so bring layers! We saw a sweet family playing in the water and an older lady reading a book by the creek. It seems like the perfect place for an afternoon yoga session or meditation.

I think what we loved the most about this hike was how different it was from the others that we did. Plus, coming from Phoenix’s 95 degree temps, it was refreshing to be out in the cooler weather with all of the greenery! If you’re in Sedona, I’d recommend caring out at least a few hours to explore the West Fork Trail.

Devil’s Bridge

I did love the hike to Devil’s Bridge and seeing all the amazing views of the canyon but out of all the hikes we did it was my least favorite. Don’t get me wrong — it was incredible! I think my biggest piece of advice for this hike would to be to go early in the morning, very early. The hike is one of the most popular hikes and in order to get “the picture” from the top, you have to wait in line for 45+ minutes and sometimes 2 hours.

Obviously, we had zero patience for that so we skipped out on the photo opt and instead took a break and enjoyed watching everyone take funny photos at the top.

You have a couple options when hiking to Devil’s bridge — either taking the dirt road with vehicles that have high clearance or going the longer route on the actual hiking trail. We decided to go up the hiking trail and enjoy the views on the way up and then took the dirt road on the way down. The dirt road was way faster but definitely not as enjoyable.

If you were to arrive around 6 a.m. to make it for sunrise, then I’d recommend taking the dirt road (since it’ll be too dark to take in all of the views) and then on your way down take the trail.

We had to park about .5 miles from the trailhead (again, super crowded) and we saw lots of people on our way up. I’m not complaining because we were definitely part of crowding. Just a heads-up if you plan on going! Get their early and you’ll be much happier.

If you’re headed to Arizona any time soon, please make time for Sedona! It’s such a magical little town with so much to see and do. It’s one of those places we are already dreaming up our next trip and can’t wait to explore it even more.

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