How to Hike the Devil’s Bridge Trail Sedona: Complete Guide

Hiking Devil’s Bridge Trail Sedona: Complete Guide

Without a doubt, the most iconic hike in the Sedona area is the hike to Devil’s Bridge. This easy trail with stunning red-rock scenery has recently boomed in popularity as a result of TikTok and Instagram creators publicising its location. Its short hiking distance and relative proximity to the city of Sedona make it a popular hiking route, with plenty of bang (i.e. incredible views) for your buck (i.e. walking distance).

This post covers everything you need to know for hiking Devil’s Bridge Trail Sedona, including route options; what to expect and how to avoid the crowds. Check out the contents page below to skip to your preferred section, or continue reading for the full guide.

About Devil’s Bridge

Devil’s Bridge is the largest natural sandstone arch in the Sedona area. Standing at over 50 feet tall and 45 feet long, it looms over a striking green basin of trees and shrubbery below. This backdrop is part of the Red Rock/Secret Mountain Wilderness which makes up part of the Coconino National Forest.

The bridge is approximately 5 feet wide, making it easy to walk along, and nowhere near as scary as photos might make out!

About the Devil’s Bridge Hike

Walk type: Out and back
Distance: 6.3km
Maximum Elevation: 1520m (feet)
Minimum Elevation: 1365m (feet)
Walk time: 1-2 hour
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Highlights: Sandstone arch
Permit Required: No
Entrance Fee: None
Dogs Permitted: Yes (on lead only)

How to get to Devil’s Bridge Trail Sedona

Driving to Devil’s Bridge Trail

Since Devil’s Bridge is located just a few miles northwest of uptown Sedona, the trailhead is easy to drive to.

Simply take the W Arizona 89a, before turning right onto Dry Creek Road. This is the quickest and easiest method IF you can get parking. Though there are a couple of parking lots available, parking for Devil’s Bridge is notoriously tricky.

Where to park for Devil’s Bridge Hike?

• Devil’s Bridge Carpark: This is the nearest car park to the bridge and is at the Devil’s Bridge Trail trailhead. It requires 4×4 or vehicles with high clearance, meaning most people start the hike elsewhere.
• Main Car Park: Dry Creek Road (paid)
• Overflow to Dry Creek: Unofficial roadside parking on Boynton Pass Road with a few spots to park off the road.
• Mescal Parking: Provides bays at the side of the road.

Shuttle to Devil’s Bridge Trail

Alternatively, you can take the free shuttle bus from one of the park-and-ride stops in Sedona. The shuttle service runs most days from 7am until 6pm – check out the official website for details.

Two shuttle routes go via Devil’s Bridge. Both routes 11 and 12 will stop at the Dry Creek Parking lot where you can begin your hike.

Devil’s Bridge Hike Routes

There are multiple routes you can take to reach Devil’s Bridge. The two most popular are from the Devil’s Bridge Car Park via Dry Creek Road, or from the Mescal Trailhead. Both routes are 6.3km long and join the Official Devil’s Bridge Trailhead after 1.8km.

The route via Dry Creek. This is the easiest and simplest route and follows Dry Creek Road from the car park directly to the start of the trailhead.

The route via Mescal. This is the more scenic route and follows the Mescal trail from Long Canyon Road, and then joins the Chuckwagon Trail.

Both these routes are great, however, my preferred route for hiking Devil’s Bridge is a combination of the two, by taking the Chuckwagon Trail!

Starting on the roadside of Boynton Pass Road, it’s slightly longer than the others (total hike distance was 9km), but can also be joined easily from the Dry Creek car park. The route follows a more winding path and intersects the Mescal Trailhead route. You can turn this into a circular hike by following Dry Creek Road back. This is particularly useful if you want to save time coming back after sunset.

Devil’s Bridge Trail Sedona: What to expect

Broadly speaking the hike to Devil’s Bridge is easy to moderate difficulty and takes around 2 hours.

Starting the hike

The hike to Devil’s Bridge is a relatively simple one. From either car park, you will follow a dirt track away from the road and into the wilderness.

The early section of the hike leads you through trails surrounded by prickly pear cacti and juniper trees. This section is predominantly flat and winds back and forth. You will have views of the surrounding red cliffs and dried-up river beds. Throughout this section, you will likely come across a few people also hiking the route.

The path is well-trodden, however there are signs in place to keep you on the trail.

Devil’s Bridge Trail Sedona

Whether you start on the Mescal Trailhead, Dry Creek Road, Chuckwagon Trail or have a 4WD vehicle and start from the Official Devil’s Bridge trailhead, you will end up on the Devil’s Bridge Trail. This is because all of the routes converge for the final uphill!

Soon after you join this section of the trail, you will be able to see part of the arch (and potentially people standing on it) amongst the trees. You will also come across a few more people on their way up/down from Devil’s Bridge.

From here, the trail gets gradually steeper. The uphill transitions from a dirt path to a more rocky section with large steps. It may be easier to scramble up here, though nothing too strenuous.

Once you’re up, the arch is positioned so that it’s pointing back to where you came from. To stand on it and get the iconic photo, you will need to walk around and back (this will make more sense when you’re there in person).

How busy is Devil’s Bridge?

For better or worse, there’s no denying that Devil’s Bridge is considerably busier than it used to be. But how bad actually is it?

In the early 2000s, you could probably walk up here and not find anyone else at the top. Nowadays, you’d be extremely lucky to share it with a handful of others. The reality is that it’s common to have queues of people waiting to take the photo, whilst the final scramble up there may leave you elbow-to-elbow with the next person…

Whether you want to blame it on Instagram/TikTok culture or simply on how rare it is to have an incredible arch in an accessible location near a city, it doesn’t change what Devil’s Bridge has become! And while it may not be the same as having nature all to yourself, I guess it’s nice to see so many people enjoying it and there are ways to avoid the crowds.

If you want to beat the crowds, you should arrive before 7am so you can get a spot in the parking lot and be one of the first hikers on the bridge. Similarly, go on the cusp of sunset, as hiking back in the dark will put some people off.

The Devil’s Bridge arch is the main focus of the hike, however there are beautiful views in other directions. I recommend spreading out and enjoying those views while any crowds dissipate. You can also strike up a conversation up there, most hikers are very friendly!

Devil’s Bridge at Sunset

Most blogs (including my own) will usually recommend visiting hikes either early in the morning or for sunset, particularly if there’s photography involved! This is generally great advice – who wouldn’t want a trail all to themselves? But alas, it doesn’t always work out that way!

Due to my drive from Grand Canyon National Park earlier that day, I opted for a sunset hike to Devil’s Bridge to make the most of the evening. Here are my key takeaways for viewing Devil’s Bridge at sunset:

• Cooler temperatures: make it ideal for a quicker walk, though you might want another layer outside of summer.
• The sun sets around the corner from Devil’s Bridge: This means that you can’t see it go down. I didn’t mind, because the sun illuminated all the trees below and the rocks behind. But it just means if you’re looking for the ‘perfect’ sunset shot, you won’t necessarily get it.
• Once the sun starts setting, it goes down quickly! We left Devil’s Bridge just before it started getting dark. Even if you take the quicker route via the road, you will likely be walking back in the dark for some portion. Be prepared with a headtorch, enough water/snacks, and saved directions (note – signal is bad so download in advance).

Tips for hiking to Devil’s Bridge Trail Sedona

• Get there early: Due to limited car parking spaces, you should try to do the hike early in the day. If parking is already full, there are a few pull-ins on the side of the highway.
• Use the toilets at the trailhead: There aren’t any on the trail and the route isn’t exactly known for its privacy!
• Download offline maps: Signal isn’t great here, so download the hiking route in advance so you don’t get lost.
• Check the weather in advance so you can pack accordingly. Wet weather will mean fewer crowds, but it also means more slippery rocks!
• Pack light: You don’t need much for this hike. Make the most of it by packing only the essentials. If you’re going late to avoid the crowds, bring a headtorch!

Devil’s Bridge Permits and Reservations

No permits are required for the Devil’s Bridge hike in Sedona, nor do you need any reservations. The only thing you may need is a Red Rock Pass (also covered by the America The Beautiful National Park Pass). I personally wasn’t checked, but there’s a chance they will go around cars.

Alternatives to Devil’s Bridge Trail Sedona

If you have more time in the area, you may wish to find other hikes, particularly with Devil’s Bridge Trail Sedona becoming increasingly busy. Here are some of the best:

• Cathedral Rock (easy)
• Boynton Canyon (easy/moderate)
• Birthing Cave Trail (moderate)
• Soldier Pass Trail (moderate)

Further north, I also highly recommend exploring Slide Rock State Park.

Before you go

Thank you for reading my guide on hiking Devil’s Bridge Trail Sedona. If guides, itineraries and travel content like this interest you, head over to my blog page to find out more.

If you are new to Matt’s Next Steps, check out the About Me page to find out a bit more about who I am, my travel adventures, and why I wanted to become a travel writer.

Please comment below and let me know your thoughts and experiences, or if there is anything else you want information on.

Happy hiking!