The first time I was in Sedona, it was cold and rainy. Even though we knew we loved the place the moment we woke up in a gorgeous setting of red rocks and desert landscape, Tanner and I were both so exhausted that we couldn’t seem to wake up early enough to get a hike in. Sedona was right at the end of a roadtrip, which you can read more about here, and we just tried to fit too much into the trip.
This time, we drove up to Sedona on Saturday morning with two things to do; we were going on a hike and a jeep tour. We had already made reservations for a jeep tour, but wanted to do an iconic hike in Sedona.Devil’s bridge is, by far, one of the most iconic hikes in the area. It’s not even a super long or difficult hike either! The weather was about the same as last year, with a chance of rain and a lot of clouds. The cloud cover wasn’t too bad, but we were nervous about getting rained out! Luckily, the weather behaved (for us) so I can give you a few of my tips for making sure you can cross this hike off your bucket list!
When to Go:
Make sure you get there early. Tanner and I woke up at 8 and left our hotel around 8:30. It was about a 15 minute drive to the trailhead parking lot. When we got there, there were only a few parking spots left.
By the time we finished the hike around 11, the parking lot was completely full. There were people parking on the street and pretty far out too. So, to make sure you can find a spot, try to get there early.
Where to Park:
Now, I drive a Prius, which is by no means a high clearance vehicle. When I was reading a few of the hiking guides, I was concerned my car would be able to make it to the trailhead.
Now, for a little more information on the parking lot: unless you have a high-clearance vehicle, you will not be able to make it to the Devil’s Bridge trailhead. However, all vehicles have the capability of making it to the Dry Creek Road Trailhead. When I was reading hiking guides, they mentioned a few other places you could park but I didn’t go further than the Dry Creek Road Trailhead lot.
The entire road to the Dry Creek Trailhead lot is paved, so there is nothing to worry about there. Just make sure to not leave any valuables in your car as there were warning signs up about car break-ins (we did not experience this).
How long is it and how long will it take?
From the Dry Creek Trailhead, it said that the round trip hike was about 4.5 miles. From the Devil’s Bridge Trailhead, it’s about 3 miles roundtrip.
We started our hike around 9 AM and finished around 11 or 11:30 so it definitely was not too long of a hike.
How difficult is it?
The hike definitely wasn’t too bad! Most of the hike is along a flat trail (or you can take the jeep road, which is also not too bad) and the last .7 miles or so is up natural sets of stairs. Some of the stairs could give someone vertigo and could be difficult for those with fears of heights. Personally, I found the climb up easier than the climb down. Make sure to wear clothing you don’t mind getting dirty since you may have to slide your butt down a few rocks to get down some of the trickier and more slippery stairs.
Most sites call this a “moderate” hike and I would agree. I would even say that a pretty novice hiker could do it. I’m not in the best shape (aka I never workout) and this hike was pretty easy. The last .7 miles will make you break a sweat, but it’s totally doable and totally worth it.
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