If you're a "legit" hiker (and I consider myself one), Devil's Bridge may not actually end up on your list. A lot of snobby hikers will dismiss this one automatically, citing the touristy nature and the incessant crowds (consisting of a lot of people who clearly don't know how to hike). That's a legit issue but you're doing yourself a real disservice if you forego a bucket list optic for that reason - in an area full of stunning views, this one is really close to if not right at the top.

I would STRONGLY recommend starting early, and I mean early. I'm an absolute machine of a morning person and even I set my alarm. My top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality and I were up and slowly starting to caffeinate by 4:45ish. There might have been a little cranky side-eyeing as the coffee was sipped, but that's a small price to pay (and I've been dealing with those looks for years; second nature at this point). It was still pretty dark when we headed over, and it was literally 6:02am when we set out on the trail. Honestly? If I had to do it over again, I'd push it back 10-15 minutes earlier because there was already a small line of people at the bridge when we got there about 45-50 minutes later.

You have a couple of options here, but this is a rare hike for me at least where it actually IS about the destination, not the journey. I wouldn't get cute with this and opt for one of the 6-mile adventures. Go right to the bridge - it's why you're here. We parked at the Dry Creek Trailhead (which is flat out not going to be an option for you if you're here by 7ish, so another reason not to play around with your start time) and just went on the ATV/Dry Creek Road straight over there. Very simple, very easy and you still get some nice optics on the way. We walked silently most of the time just taking in the spooky mist rising in the canyons. It was really cool. Once we intersected with the official Devil's Bridge trail, it definitely got more crowded but we could hear people throughout this walk. It wasn't egregious, though I couldn't help but wonder in horror at what this is like a few hours into the day.

The vast majority of this trek is easy - it's on an unpaved road so it's not necessarily smooth but the up and down is pretty minimal. It DOES get frisky at the end when you actually get the bridge in your sights and have to climb up to the ledge it's on. It's close to the level of rock scrambling, though I think you can do this in decent running shoes (which I did with no slippage). It's also heavily used so it's easy to see the path you should take, and there are a lot of steps ground into the sides that help as well. I'm in good hiking shape so this wasn't an issue at all. My chum is active but not a huge hiker; she was able to do this with minimal drama as well.

The bridge is really neat and the pics barely do it justice. It looks so much like an optical illusion that some of the 'wow' factor is diminished. And it has the added benefit of looking much scarier than it actually is when you're facing it from certain angles. When you're actually on the side of it about to walk across, it's wider than it appears from the main ledge that a lot of people are hanging out on. Per the attached picture though, I wish I'd gotten a little further to the left - would not have been difficult but it was hard to gauge when you're right there (ask the gazillion people on the ledge for guidance). Another selling point? Even though there were way more hikers than I'd prefer in a normal situation, great vibes abounded. Everyone was very supportive of each other and willing to take pictures for those brave enough to pose and scamper over to the bridge.

Stockpile the coffee and start your day off right - it's worth it and then some.