Broken Arrow Trail

The Broken Arrow Trail lets you hike the terrain that made Sedona's jeep tours famous. It starts at the end of Morgan Road, 1.4 miles south of the Uptown Y on SR 179: turn left onto Morgan Road, follow it 0.6 miles to the end of the pavement, cross the cattle guard, and park on the left about 80 yards on. From a trailhead at 4,282 feet, the trail runs 1.5 miles one way to Chicken Point with only about 344 feet of gain, and with the side trip to Submarine Rock the round trip is about 3.5 miles. The Forest Service calls it moderately easy with spectacular views, and that is exactly right. Early on, the trail passes the Devil's Dining Room, a deep sinkhole fenced off beside the path, then winds among red rock outcrops near the Twin Buttes. About half a mile before Chicken Point, a short side path to the right leads onto Submarine Rock, a long, smooth slickrock fin shaped like its name, with wide views back toward town. The trail ends at Chicken Point, a broad slickrock saddle with views of the Twin Buttes, the Chapel of the Holy Cross area and the long line of cliffs to the south. Chicken Point is also the turnaround for jeep tours on the adjacent Broken Arrow road, one of the most popular tours in Sedona, so expect vehicles and engine noise at times. The trail is popular with mountain bikers too, so stay alert, and it is entirely unshaded, so avoid summer middays.

Why choose this hike. Broken Arrow gives you some of the most dramatic scenery on the south side of Sedona for modest effort. There is no scrambling, the grades are gentle, and the destinations, the sinkhole, Submarine Rock and Chicken Point, give natural turnaround options for different energy levels. It is a good choice for families with school-age kids, for anyone acclimatizing to Sedona's elevation on day one, and for photographers who want sweeping red rock panoramas in the golden hours. The proximity to the jeep road is a mixed blessing: it is less wild than a wilderness trail, but it is also fun to watch the jeeps crawl up the rock, and it may convince you to book a ride another day.

Logistics. The Morgan Road lot is small and fills early, and the dirt section beyond the cattle guard is shared with tour vehicles. A Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful pass is generally required for parking at Sedona trailheads, so check the signs and display one. An alternative approach is the Little Horse Trail from the SR 179 side, a stop on the free Sedona Shuttle's SR 179 route on its operating days, which also climbs to Chicken Point and makes a fine one-way or loop option with Broken Arrow. Bring sun protection and plenty of water, as there is no shade at all, and wear shoes with good grip for the slickrock. On Submarine Rock and at Chicken Point, stay back from drop-offs and keep kids close.

Pairings. Broken Arrow sits on the SR 179 corridor between Uptown and the Village of Oak Creek, close to the Chapel of the Holy Cross and a few minutes from Tlaquepaque, so it fits neatly into a south-side day: hike early, visit the chapel late morning, then lunch at Tlaquepaque or in the Village. It is well away from Oak Creek's flood zone. If you would rather ride than walk, Pink Adventure Tours' Broken Arrow tour covers the same landscape by jeep, and the trail lets you appreciate on foot just how steep those rock staircases are.