January 26, 2026
Arizona Hiking - Sedona area
Sedona is only an hour south of Flagstaff. It is very popular with mountain bikers.
It has a myriad of trailheads and trails.
I have yet to hike in this area.
This is a list I am compiling in anticipation of doing so.
This is National Forest Land, with two Wilderness areas --
the Munds Mountain Wilderness to the east and
Red Rock - Secret Mountain Wilderness to the north.
You will need to pay a fee or have a pass at many (most?) trailheads.
During busy times, many trailhead parking areas fill up fast and
you may need to arrive before sunrise, or have alternate plans.
General advice is to avoid the summer months (June, July, August).
The town of Sedona is at 4400 feet, so this is not a cool summer spot
like Flagstaff at 7000 feet.
Devils Bridge - 4 miles
Cathedral Rock - 1.2 miles
Bell Rock - 3.6 miles
Boynton Canyon / Subway Cave - 6.5 miles
West Fork Trail - 6 miles
Bear Mountain - 5 miles
Brins Mesa - Soldier Pass loop - 4.5 miles
Bear Mountain
This is a 5 mile hike out and back (2.5 each way) with great views. Hot in the summer.
2000 feet of elevation gain. Someone says that 500 feet per mile is "moderate".
Hence this trail is "hard" with 1000 feet per mile. The top of Bear Mountain is
6463. This is one of the more challenging hikes in the Sedona area.
West Fork Trail
The trailhead is run by a concessionaire, so there may be a fee ($15) regardless of what pass you have.
If you just hike 3 miles out and 3 miles back, you get 6 miles on the easiest part of the trail.
You can definitely go farther (maybe even 6.5 out and 6.5 back).
Have any comments? Questions?
Drop me a line!
Tom's hiking pages / tom@mmto.org