Devil's Bridge

Devil's Bridge is the hike every Sedona visitor has seen on social media: a natural sandstone arch high on the flank of a red ridge northwest of town, wide enough to walk across, with a long drop beneath it and a view down a juniper-studded canyon to Capitol Butte. It is the largest natural arch in the Sedona area, and the photograph — a lone figure standing mid-span with arms raised — is so popular that on busy mornings there is a polite queue at the end of the trail to take it. The hike itself is moderate. From the Devil's Bridge Trailhead on Dry Creek Road (Forest Road 152), the Forest Service lists 1.6 miles round trip and under 400 feet of climbing, finishing with a short, steep stone staircase up to the arch. The catch is the road: the unpaved stretch of FR 152 is a rough jeep track that requires a high-clearance vehicle and is a poor choice in wet weather, and walking it is not recommended. Most visitors therefore start lower, at Dry Creek Vista at the end of the pavement or at the Mescal Trailhead on Long Canyon Road, and follow the Chuckwagon Trail through piñon and juniper — about 4 miles round trip from Mescal and nearly 6 from Dry Creek Vista. Both trailheads are served by the free Sedona Shuttle from the Posse Grounds Park and Ride, Thursday through Sunday during the day, which removes the parking lottery entirely. The bridge is broad and stable, but there are no railings, and the drop is real: step onto the span only if you are comfortable with exposure, and never in wind or ice. Bring water; there is little shade on Chuckwagon and none at the arch.

The arch formed the way most of Sedona's landmarks did — by water and frost working along joints in the sandstone until a fin of rock was undercut and a span left standing. What makes Devil's Bridge special is scale and accessibility: there are other arches tucked into Sedona's canyons, but none as large or as easy to stand on. That combination, plus a camera angle that makes the span look far more precarious than it is, turned a quiet local hike into one of the busiest trails in Arizona over the last decade. The Forest Service and the City of Sedona responded with the trailhead shuttle, and the Dry Creek Vista and Mescal stops are among its most used.

Plan the hike around the queue and the sun. Early starts are the obvious move: the first shuttle runs and the hours after sunrise bring cooler air, softer light on the ridge, and a shorter line for the arch photo. Late afternoon is the second-best window, when the span is backlit and the crowds thin, but watch the last shuttle time. If you want the photo, someone in your group should hike down the short spur below the arch to shoot upward while the others pose; the etiquette is a few frames each and then move along. The final pitch is a series of natural stone steps, steep but short, and the stretch on Chuckwagon is a pleasant, rolling trail with views of Capitol Butte and Mescal Mountain. Mountain bikers share Chuckwagon, so stay alert on blind bends.

The bridge works best as part of a West Sedona morning. Pair it with Soldier Pass, another shuttle stop from Posse Grounds, for the Devil's Kitchen sinkhole and the Seven Sacred Pools, or drive on to Boynton Canyon for the vortex at its mouth and Enchantment's restaurants for lunch. Jeep owners with genuine off-road experience can drive FR 152 to the upper trailhead, but rental-car policies usually forbid it, and the road is unpleasant for everyone after rain. A few practical notes: no pets on the arch itself is the wise rule even though dogs are allowed on the trail; there are no toilets at the Devil's Bridge Trailhead; and if storms are building, turn around — the arch is the highest exposed point on the hike. When the Pocket Fire closed nearby Dry Creek-area trails in summer 2026, Devil's Bridge was not among the closed routes, but always check the Red Rock Ranger District's alerts before you go.