Devil's Bridge — Attraction in Sedona

Iconic Sedona! A must visit! Is it the most popular trail in Sedona? Probably. Can it get crowded here - even at the most "off peak" time? Sure. (I was there in the morning of early Jan. '23 and only had to wait a few minutes to get on the bridge. But others who went that same afternoon waited almost an hour.) Is it worth it? 100% yes, yes, yes!

While the photo op here is wildly popular, it's no surprise why. The views and formations here are stunning. The hike is easy / moderate for most, with only a very small sections requiring a bit of a scramble on all fours for some.

We parked at the Mescal Trailhead and used the Chuckwagon Trail to meet up with the Devil's Bridge Trail - and enjoyed the hike along the way almost as much as the reward at the end.

After getting your memory making photo, take time to use the side trail that leads below the bridge. ...And just know that the line to take that memory making photo up top can take up to an hour or more waiting in line with others wanting to do the same. We went in the morning (afternoon is admittedly better lighting) but only waited a couple of minutes.

Oh, final note - I am not the best with heights but the most narrow section of Devil's Bridge is eight feet wide and very flat. It isn't as harrowing as some angles seem to make...

This hike practically defines what a Sedona hike should be. A walk through some desert trails, really cool views as you go, and a marque view/opportunity at the end.

I parked at the Dry Creek Trailhead, and on a scale of 1-10, the first 2 miles (if you stick to the trail) or 1.4 miles (if you cut over to the road half way in) were about a 1-3 in difficulty. Some uneven areas, but not much elevation or rugged ground. This will get you to the actual "Devil's Bridge Trailhead", where there is another .85 miles to get to the bridge. The first half of this is also fairly easy, at which point you start getting into slightly more challenging hiking (3-4/10), with elevation changes and more uneven rocks to climb over. When you get to the top, there are 2 25-30' climbs which are essentially steep and uneven rock staircases. When you get to the top of the second one, the bridge is right around the corner.

For the actual bridge, the skinniest part is probably 4' wide, but it looks narrow from the side. I don't think any mom would be comfortable letting their kids go on the bridge just because it looks scary. There are some good places to sit and admire it, though, and you can walk on the trail all the way to the end of the bridge if you just want to get close and...

While visiting my brother in Casa Grande, we decided to take a trip up to Sedona for a slightly cooler place to hike. It was awesome!

My sister-in-law picked the area, and we opted for the Devil's Bridge Hike with four kids in tow, ranging from 8 to 3 years old.

The kids were troopers and we took turns carrying the 3 year old and the 4.5 year old towards the end.

There are a few different ways you can get to Devil's Bridge from where we parked - we opted to go there on the 4x4 road. While there were plenty of other hikers, I did feel a little bad each time an ATV had to slow down to pass us (and was a little nervous about a child getting out in the road at the wrong time!) But that was the most direct way.

We made it to a lovely vista and thought it was the end, though I wondered "where is the bridge?". My oldest niece noticed some hikers continuing up to what we thought was a second vantage of the vista and asked if she could go up. Her mom said she could, if someone went with her. I volunteered, then the rest of the kids wanted to as well, so we all ended up going. Good thing, or we would have missed the awesome bridge!

I will say, it is not as precarious when you are actually on it as it looks from across the ravine. Definitely...