Sedona: What I Wish I Knew My First Time

Ahh, Sedona.

It had been on my bucket list for a while.

So I looked up some pins on Pinterest, and I *thought* I was prepared.

I was not.

First off, decide which trail you’re going to take, if you’re hiking.

I had wanted to do the Cathedral Rock Trail, but once we got to the town of Sedona, it was still 45 more minutes away. Noooooo! And my husband was getting antsy.

So we decided to the Devil’s Bridge Trail, because it was relatively close to town (Just a few miles off the Main Street).

The best thing about Sedona: you don’t have to hike – at all – to see some great views. The drive up is absolutely beautiful. You can see the famous red rocks while driving, and on the way out, they had several places where you could pull off the side of the road for scenic overlooks.

So – if you have a child, a dog, or an impatient husband — you can still see some great landscapes!

(Also — if you don’t want to walk at all — there are ATV and Pink Jeep Tours. Which looked pretty fun for groups!)

Something about Devil’s Bridge Trail I did not expect — it was VERY crowded.

We went in the spring, on a weekday, at around 1 or 2pm. So it was probably a lot of people’s spring break, I guess. The main trail had so many people that it was hard to stop and take pictures without someone almost tripping on your ankles. Ugh. I guess it would be similar to Camelback in Scottsdale.

Also, it’s not that challenging of a trail. It’s probably less than 4 miles roundtrip, and a lot of it is walking on a flat trail / driveway.

Once you get close to the actual “Devil’s Bridge”, there is a little bit of climbing involved, but nothing super-intense. I don’t even have hiking shoes, but I will say it’s good to have your hands free (use a backpack) for extra stabilization.

Then, there it is. The trail’s namesake. Devil’s Bridge is a narrow strip of rock that forms a natural bridge. It’s cool to look at, but there was a line of fifty people waiting to take their picture on it! Nooooooo!

I’m not sure why that surprised me, but it did. My favorite part of hiking is kind of feeling alone in nature. Obviously I’m not going to get the trail to myself, but when there’s so many people walking right behind you, it kind of kills the vibe for me!

Were the views worth it?

Yes. Absolutely. The crowds did not dampen that AT ALL. But I just wish I had known it was going to be a little more touristy.

Instead of just waiting in line to get the same picture that everyone else has, I enjoy stopping along the trails for other points-of-view.

In Sedona, just about everywhere has a breathtaking backdrop, and bonus points if you can get some of the desert vegetation or driftwood in the picture, too!

My favorite part was the little connecting trail from the first parking lot to the main trail. It had hardly any people and I felt like I was in the wild west, exploring, with just my husband! (Who was not a huge fan of me taking pictures of him, but oh well! Ha.)