9 Amazing Hikes in Sedona for Your Next Road Trip

One of the things that keeps us coming back to Sedona again and again is the huge number of amazing hikes that it has to offer. Every time we head back we find new hikes that we fall in love with so I'm sure this list is going to grow but for now these are our nine favorite hikes that Sedona has to offer. We're starting our list with a climb to the top of Cathedral Rock. A lot of hikes in Sedona have a decent amount of elevation change and that definitely goes for Cathedral Rock. Sandstone is really grippy but shoes with good traction are a must. This hike may only be 1.3 miles long but it will have you climbing up over 770 feet. Once you get up to the top you can either make a right to go to the standard photo op spot or you can go left to an alternate view spot. This will require a little bit more climbing but the view is absolutely amazing. Either way you can't go wrong and I think that Cathedral Rock definitely needs to be on your to-do list when you visit Sedona. Moving on to the second hike on our list which I don't feel like it gets enough recognition and that is Fay Canyon. This is a great hike for anyone that wants to get immersed in Sedona nature without having the crazy climbs like some of the other ones on this list. This is another short hike that comes in at only 2.6 miles round trip. If you're looking for a little bit of added adventure you can also fork off of the trail and climb up to a pretty good sized arch. You also have the option to take the slightly technical trail that climbs up to the top of the arch for one of the best views of this trail. Just be careful if you do decide to climb to the top of the arch there are a lot of loose rocks and cacti that would definitely make the trail a lot less enjoyable for you. But in our opinion the risk is worth the reward and we love the view from the top. After leaving the top of the arch you also have the option to finish the Fay Canyon trail. Once you reach the end you can climb up some rocks for yet another picturesque view up the canyon. This is a really nice spot to stop for a break and maybe even have lunch. We're now leaving one of the easiest hikes on this list and heading over to one of the most mysterious and that is Boynton Canyon. This hike comes in at a little bit over six miles long. It starts off very easy and well marked but if you're hoping to find the subway you're going to be in for a bit of a challenge. Even with all of the research that we did there was still a lot of wandering around and wayfinding involved. But luckily everything paid off and we soon found ourselves at the base of Boynton Canyon's most famous rock formation. One cool thing is that the subway is not the only cool thing to see here. There's also petroglyphs and Native American ruins as well. I would definitely recommend doing your homework before attempting this hike and I would highly recommend bringing a tracker as well so you don't get lost. Some of the riverbeds that you have to take to get here can be a little bit disorienting. Hike number four on our list is the Birthing Cave. This is another very short trail coming in at only two miles with 400 feet of elevation gain and most of those 400 feet are at the entrance of the cave. Please note that this hike is considered to be sacred to some so please be respectful if you decide to visit. The vast majority of this hike is super easy all the way until you get to that last super steep part that I mentioned earlier. Much like Fay Canyon this climb is full of loose rocks and cacti. You definitely don't want to go sliding down the hill into those and several of us almost did a couple of times. Once you reach the top of the short but very steep climb you'll be rewarded with the Birthing Cave. If you're super adventurous there is a small divot in the back that you can climb up and get into. There was a couple of people sitting in it and I couldn't exactly figure out how to get up into it anyways. Trail number five is a little bit of a celebrity in Sedona and it is the Devil's Bridge. There are several different routes that you can take to get to the Devil's Bridge and we've always started at the Mescal Trailhead. If you use this trailhead you can expect a hike of 4.2 miles with 500 feet of elevation gain. Much like the Birthing Cave the vast majority of the elevation gain will be at the very end. Since this is one of the most popular hikes in Sedona if you want to get a parking spot you need to get there very early. One added benefit to getting there so early is that you get to see the Sedona wilderness bathed in that soft morning light. Even if you do get there super early you can expect to stand in line to get your photo on top of the arch. One good thing about this is that you can kind of work out a little bit of a buddy system and have the person behind you in line take your picture in exchange for you taking theirs. There is also another little side trail that will take you to the bottom of the arch if you want to see it from a different perspective. We are already at number six on our list and it is Robber's Roost. If you have a four-wheel drive vehicle this will be the shortest hike on the list coming in at only 3 tenths of a mile. If you don't have a four-wheel drive though you're looking at a much longer hike at 3.4 miles. Either way I think that it is worth it because this is one of the coolest caves that we have found so far in Sedona. Even if you park at the upper parking lot you're still going to get a tiny little workout because this hike is full of elevation change. There are also some narrow ledges that you need to make your way across just before you get to the caves which could be kind of challenging for anyone with a fear of heights. This is another spot where people think that there is a vortex inside so if you see someone meditating please be respectful and keep your voices down. Whether you believe in the vortexes or not you definitely have to admit that there is something super cool about this cave. We were lucky enough to have it to ourselves for almost half an hour so that gave us a little bit of time to clown around. This is definitely one of those places that I would not hesitate to go back to on our next trip to Sedona. This list is in no particular order and number seven happens to be one of my all-time favorites and that is Soldier Pass. This could be one of the hardest hikes to get parking for in all of Sedona. There is a second trailhead with more parking that will take you to the cave but it adds quite a bit of distance to your hike. If you're lucky enough to get parking at the main trailhead you can expect a hike of four miles. It took us three attempts to get parking here but I'm happy to say that this hike is worth it. One cool thing about this trail is that not only do you get to see the cave but there are other things to see as well. There is the giant sinkhole known as the devil's kitchen and a little further down the trail there is the seven sacred pools. One thing that you do need to keep in mind though is that they close the gates to that parking lot at 6 p.m sharp. As tempting as it would be to watch the sunset here if you want to get your car out you need to be back in time. The Soldier Pass cave may be a little bit challenging to get into for some but the view inside is absolutely breathtaking. If you want to maximize your time here you can make your way across the super sketchy ledge that climbs up to the top of the cave as well. Just be careful it is a very long ways down. If you only have time for one hike in Sedona this would be at the very top of my list. We only have two hikes left to go and coming in at number eight is the bell rock climb. Even though this is called the bell rock climb it does not take you all the way to the very top of bell rock but it does take you to a spire that gives you a beautiful panoramic view of Sedona. Much like Soldier Pass this hike has two parking lots that give you a long and short trail option. The longer of the two trails comes in at a round trip distance of three miles while the shorter option comes in at two miles and they both drop you off at the start of the bell rock climb. The climb starts off pretty easy with lots of markers and rock baskets but eventually you're gonna have to use your wayfinding skills and find the easiest and safest way up for you. If you plan on watching sunset up on the spire be sure to bring a headlight or a flashlight. It would be super tricky to find your way down in the dark. This climb is pretty intense and you can expect to gain about 600 feet in elevation. There is another trail that takes you all the way to the very top of bell rock and we hope to do that on our next visit to Sedona. That one is way trickier but if it gives you a better view than this it might be worth it. The last item on our list is another short and somewhat unknown trail called the caves trail. This super short trail comes in at just half of a mile round trip and takes you to some really neat sandstone caves. We didn't know what to expect when we visited and we thought maybe there would just be one small cave so we were super excited to find out that it's actually a series of tunnels. The last set of tunnels is probably the trickiest ones to get into but if you can make your way across it was probably my favorite part to explore. It definitely has some indiana jones vibes and the cool thing is that it's such a short trail that it won't take up a whole lot of time in your day. It is also pretty close to bell rock so you can do them back to back like we did. If you decide to visit these places please be respectful and practice leave no trace. Maybe even leave the areas better than you found them. Sedona is an absolutely magical and beautiful place and I would love to see it stay that way for many many years to come. We always do our best to pick up at least a couple pieces of trash along the trail and if we all do our part we can have this area looking beautiful for generations to come. Well that's going to do it for our list of nine awesome hikes to do in Sedona. Are there any hikes that you think belong on this list? Please let us know in the comments below because we are always looking for our next big adventure. Speaking of adventure, if you enjoy this video please be sure to like, comment, and subscribe because that is the best thing that you can do to support this channel. Be sure to hit that bell so you get notified and don't miss any of our upcoming videos. If you want to see everything that we're up to check us out on Instagram at thatadventurelife underscore official and for all the information about these hikes and other awesome things to do in Sedona head on over to thatadventurelife.com