What is the most beautiful hike in Sedona?

Is hiking in Sedona difficult?

What do I need to know before hiking in Sedona?

In this blog, I’ll show you my experience of doing the most popular hikes in Sedona!

Cathedral Rock Trail

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Cathedral Rock Trail is a 1.2 miles roundtrip trail. It’s also one of the most popular hikes in Sedona, where you can enjoy a 360-degree view of Sedona’s mountains. In the beginning, the trail was pretty easy and sometimes you would have to hop on some rocks. Be prepared to do a little challenging hike towards the end. There will be a little rock climbing to get to the top. However, it usually has many people on the trail most of the time and you can easily get help whenever you need it. Always follow the sign that shows you you are on the right path to avoid getting lost. 

Devils Bridge Trail

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Devils Bridge Trail is a 3.6 miles roundtrip trail. It’s definitely one of the must-hike trails in Sedona. There are 3 different routes to go to the Devil’s Bridge, one is 3.6 miles roundtrip, one is 4 miles roundtrip and one is 5.8 miles roundtrip. The 3.6 miles starts with a long desert road without any shade and it can be really hot and burning on the way back in the afternoon when the sun is right up in the sky. Be prepared for the long uphills towards the end, and bring a lot of water to keep you hydrated.

It is definitely worth the hike when you are at the top and viewing the magnificent bridge! People say it is an illusion that when you look at the side the bridge seems really thin, but when you’re walking on top of it it’s pretty wide.

Subway Cave Trail

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Subway Cave Trail is a 7 miles roundtrip trail where you begin with Boynton Canyon Trail and turn into a side trail in the middle to go to Subway Cave. It takes about 5-6 hours to complete.

This hike is one of my favorite hikes and is covered mostly with shade by surrounding trees (which makes a huge difference). Although it says it’s a 7-mile roundtrip trail, most of the part’s a pretty flat road before arriving at Subway Cave.

The entrance to turn into Subway Cave is pretty wide and seems a little hard to miss. However, it could still be tricky to stay on the right path. Follow where people are coming from and ask for directions every once in a while to make sure you’re on the right path!  When you arrive at the bottom of the cave, there are two ways to go up. One is the obvious path right below the cave where you will have to do some rock climbing on a tiny path. Another one is easier on the left side where you can climb around the cave to go in.

Viewing out from the cave was incredibly beautiful! The 7 miles distance might scare you off, but I highly recommend doing this trail! It’s definitely not as bad as it seems.

Birthing Cave

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Birthing Cave is a 2 miles roundtrip trail, a smaller version of Subway Cave that’s also worth the hike to avoid crowds. It starts with Long Canyon Trailhead, walk about 0.6 miles and there will be a wooden fence in front of you. Right before you reach the fence, turn left to the fork towards the narrow trail. It’s easy until you get to the cave. Be prepared to do some climbing into the Birthing Cave. 

Fun story: I got lost for about 30 mins trying to find my way by myself to the cave. It was the first trial I did in Sedona and I was definitely being too naive. Finding the way to Birthing Cave is one of the most confusing trails I have done because there were so many little forks on the path that just look like a real path (do your research)!

Bell Rock

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Bell Rock is a 0.8 miles roundtrip trail. It’s beautiful on the top with lots of big red rocks along the way. You’ll have to do a lot of climbing on rocks, mostly towards the end. I didn’t get to the very end because it got very dangerous and there were hardly any signs. It’s better to climb with another person to help you out. The rocks are very slanted, so prepare really good hiking shoes.

Final Thoughts

I hope you find this blog helpful for your next trip to Sedona, AZ! Sedona is not the best place to visit for tourists. The hikes are all pretty challenging and I hardly see many elderly people on the trails, especially towards the end when it gets challenging. If you wish to make the most of your time in Sedona, be prepared to do some practice and maintain a good workout habit!

Check out my other post about How to plan a Solo Trip?

Happy Adventure Soul 🙂