The Devil’s Bridge hike in Sedona is extremely popular. It’s easy to see why. The natural sandstone arch is perched on the cliffside, beckoning hikers to shuffle out for a closer look. The trek to the bridge is considered moderately difficult due to a few minor rock scramble areas. Having to hoist your way up the trail in a couple of places seems easy compared to the deep breathes you may have to take as you make your way out to the middle of the bridge. Don’t look down.
Our family recently took an early morning adventure to the bridge, avoiding parking and crowding issues to greet the day and one of Sedona’s most beautiful sights.
Get there early
As with almost every trailhead in the Sedona area, parking and crowding is an issue. In our research, we’d heard that even if we were to start our hike at 9 am, by the time we got to the bridge we may have to wait as long as 1.5 hours for a turn to walk onto it. To avoid this frustration, we decided to get to the trailhead before daybreak and were so happy we did. We hired Bob’s Taxi to pick us 15 minutes before sunrise and found ourselves at the trailhead, in the dark, just 15 minutes later.
Take the Mescal Trail to Devil’s Bridge Trail
Assuming you don’t have a 4×4, you’ve probably heard that you should start your hike to the bridge at the Dry Creek Vista Trailhead. Then walk the dirt road until you get to the Devil’s Bridge Trailhead. Don’t do it. A much more scenic and less trafficked trek to the bridge starts at the Mescal Trailhead. Take Dry Creek Road and then make a right onto Long Canyon Road until you find a small parking lot on the right-hand side for Mescal Trail.
Follow the Mescal Trail into the woods and after a short distance keep left onto the Chuckwagon Trail. Look for signs and cairns to guide you. The hike from Mescal Trailhead is about 4 miles round trip but offers better views than the Dry Creek Vista trail.
To reach Devil’s Bridge you will climb a few natural stone steps and do a bit of rock scrambling. When you reach the bridge, there is a flat area to sit and take in the views while you wait your turn to walk out onto the bridge. Since we started our hike at day break, we were some of the first twenty people to the bridge. As the sun was peaking over the mountains, the reds of the rocks changed with each passing minute.
Our Devil’s Bridge hike in Sedona was one of our family’s favorites. For other hiking adventures in the area, see our posts on hiking Cathedral Rock and Seven Sacred Pools.
Happy Adventuring, Rochelle