September 2023: Our 1-Day Sedona, Arizona Itinerary
My husband and I had an unforgettable day exploring the breathtaking landscapes of Sedona, Arizona. We packed our itinerary from sunrise to sunset, starting with an invigorating morning hike and wrapping up with a stunning sunset trek. It was so amazing! I think about this trip often. I would love to go back and recreate it, but with different hikes and maybe add on a few more days because there’s just so much to do in Sedona.
If you are planning a trip to Sedona, you have to read through this blog post! Our 1-Day Sedona, Arizona Itinerary is meant to both inspire and educate others through our personal experiences. Visiting Sedona, Arizona (and following our itinerary below) will not disappoint!
We drove from Flagstaff to Sedona which is about a 45 minutes’ drive. We were staying in Flagstaff for about a week to explore that area. During our time in Flagstaff, we visited the Sunset Crater Volcano and Walnut Canyon National Monument, hiked to the tallest peak in Arizona, spent a full day soaking up the beauty of Sedona, and went on the most incredible adventure in Grand Canyon National Park. It was an amazing trip!! We loved Flagstaff and can’t wait to go back someday.
But enough about Flagstaff, this blog post is about Sedona! Join me as I share the amazing experiences we had while exploring this enchanting destination in Arizona.
Table of Contents
Sunrise at Devil’s Bridge
Trail Info: We started from the Dry Creek Vista Trailhead and took the Dry Creek Road route to Devil’s Bridge.
Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 4 miles with an elevation gain of 530 feet.
Hiking Time: It took us about 2 hours to complete this hike.
Route Type: This is an out-and-back hike.
Difficulty Rating: For us this hike was mostly easy with a moderately challenging ascent closer to Devil’s Bridge.
We messed up! Well, I (April) messed up. I’m the one that usually does the trip planning and research for our hikes. But this time I did not do enough research about hiking to Devil’s Bridge. I was completely clueless when we tried to drive to the Devil’s Bridge Trailhead but had to stop because we couldn’t go any further along the road. The unpaved section of Dry Creek Road is only meant for high clearance, 4×4 vehicles.
How did I miss this important information when I first learned about Devil’s Bridge!? This almost ruined our plans to catch sunrise at the top of Devil’s Bridge because now we had to park at the Dry Creek Vista Trailhead. Thankfully, this parking area was right there so we turned the car into the parking lot and RAN!
We actually did run down the Dry Creek Road towards the Devil’s Bridge Trailhead which added an extra 1 mile to our hike. Once we made it to the official trailhead, we only had 1 more mile to go. We were power hiking at this point because the trail started to get steeper.
We passed one couple making their way to Devil’s Bridge. We finally reached the top and made it before the sunrise! We saw one guy flying his drone around. I bet those shots were awesome!
We watched the sunrise light up the red rock landscape. It was beautiful! A visit to Devil’s Bridge wouldn’t be complete without walking across the bridge (technically it’s an arch). The walkway across the bridge is wide so it’s really not that scary. I could see it being sketchy if you have an extreme fear of heights. I do have a slight fear, but I felt fine walking across Devil’s Bridge.
About 15 minutes after sunrise, more people started showing up. It never got too crowded during our time up there. We probably spent about 45 minutes at the top. On our way back to our car, we passed a ton of people! It was a Thursday, so I can’t imagine how crazy it gets on the weekend.
The Dry Creek Vista Trailhead parking area was insane! It was completely full. A few cars were driving around waiting for a parking spot to become available. I’m so glad we got there early. We got out of there quickly and made our way to the next hiking spot.
Soldiers Pass Trail & Cave
Trail Info: The Soldiers Pass Trailhead is located at the end of Forest Service 9904 Road near a residential area in Sedona, AZ.
Length & Elevation Gain: The entire trail is 4.5 miles long with an elevation gain of 860 feet, but we only went to the cave and back which was about 3 miles roundtrip.
Hiking Time: It took us about 1.5 hours to complete the hike then another 45 minutes to walk 1.5 miles back to our car from the trail head (we didn’t wait for the shuttle).
Route Type: This is an out-and-back hike.
Difficulty Rating: For us this hike was easy. The short rock scrambling portion to get inside the cave was a bit challenging but nothing crazy!
I did it again. I messed up!! At this point I was so annoyed with myself. What did I do wrong this time you ask?
We drove to the Soldiers Pass Trailhead, so excited to embark on this amazing hike, and… we had to turn around. The trailhead parking area was CLOSED! Again, how did I miss this when doing research for this hike? Did I even do my research? Doesn’t seem like it.
After a quick Google search, I learned that the Soldiers Pass Trailhead parking area is closed Thursdays through Sundays. On those days, you must take the Sedona Shuttle. We found the directions for the park-and-ride location where the shuttle will pick people up and drop them off at the trailhead.
We arrived at the park-and-ride spot and waited for about 15-20 minutes for the next shuttle. A small crowd of people formed as we waited. The shuttle arrived and we all got onto the bus. It was a short drive to get to the trailhead. It’s only a 1.5-mile walk but we decided just to wait for the shuttle.
We finally reached the Soldiers Pass Trailhead and began our hike. There were maybe like 10 or more other people who got off the bus with us. Closing the trailhead parking area and having people take a shuttle bus every 50 minutes is a good idea to control the chaos of big crowds.
As we hiked along the trail, we soon encountered the first intriguing feature: Devils Kitchen Sinkhole. This fascinating geological wonder was first formed in the 1880s, and it has seen several major collapses since, with the latest occurring in 1995. I wonder when the next collapse will happen. With that thought in mind, we observed from a safe distance.
We continued along the trail then soon realized we weren’t on the right trail anymore. We somehow missed a turn and ended up on the Soldiers Pass Road, which is for high clearance, 4×4 vehicles. We retraced our steps and got back onto the trail. I read another article where this is a common mistake people make. There are plenty of signs along the trail to guide you in the right direction, but we somehow missed a sign.
As we continued along the trail, we arrived at another stunning geological feature: the Seven Sacred Pools. While the pools weren’t overflowing with cascading water, they were still beautiful and inviting. This spot is a favorite among photographers, and it’s easy to see why. Coffee Pot Rock sits majestically in the background, adding to the picturesque scenery.
Next, we were heading to the part of the hike I was most excited about! Many folks refer to it as a “hidden cave”, and that really piqued my interest. It was the main reason I chose to add this hike to our 1-day Sedona, Arizona itinerary.
Despite not knowing about the trailhead parking area being closed, I knew from the research I did that there is an unmarked spur trail you must take in order to find the hidden gem known as Soldiers Pass Cave. At least I knew how to find the cave!
The Soldiers Pass Cave is hidden within an arch. And the entrance can be tricky to find if you don’t know where to look. We climbed our way into the cave and… just wow. We were both amazed out how beautiful the inside of this cave was!
We spent quite a bit of time exploring the cave, taking pictures, and resting. It was the perfect spot to beat to heat as well.
We finally made it back to the trailhead parking area but realized it would be about a 45-minute wait until the next shuttle arrived.
We decided to walk the 1.5 miles back to the park-and-ride location where our car was parked. It was an easy walk along a dirt path alongside the road. We used Google Maps to help guide us.
We got back to our car, plugged in the next hiking location, and off we went!
Birthing Cave
Trail Info: Long Canyon Trailhead is located off of the Long Canyon Road. It’s about a 15-20 minutes’ drive from the town of Sedona.
Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked 2 miles with an elevation gain of 250 feet.
Hiking Time: It took us about 1 hour to complete this hike.
Route Type: This is an out-and-back hike.
Difficulty Rating: For us this hike was easy. It does get a bit steeper closer to the cave which was a bit challenging.
First off, I’d like to say we did not have any issues parking at this trailhead! Yay!! It is a small dirt parking area but there were only two other cars there. Not too many people our hiking during the middle of the day in the summer. It was like in the low 90s (Fahrenheit), but this was our last hike before a much-needed break indoors. But we’ll get to that soon.
Let’s hike to the Birthing Cave! This is a short hike and fairly easy with a little bit of elevation gain at the end. We reached a junction in the trail, and I almost messed up… again. That’s been a very common theme during our Sedona trip.
We continued hiking down the Long Canyon Trail from this junction, but we realized this was not the correct way. I don’t think we were using AllTrails at this time, so we didn’t know exactly where the cave was located. I thought the main trail led straight there. Boy was I wrong!
I think Vikas looked on Google Maps and saw that the main trail was going in the opposite direction of the cave. We went back to the junction and saw two people walking from an unmarked path. We asked about the cave’s location, and they pointed us the right way.
We started hiking on the same unmarked trail they just came from. The trail was not too hard to follow. It was well defined for the most part. As you get closer to the cave, it does get a bit trickier to find, but at this point you can see the cave.
In the blog posts I read (yes, I did do some research but again not enough), people said to look for a heart-shaped depression in the rock which is the Birthing Cave. I literally could not visualize it. Vikas said he could see it, but I never could. Even when we got closer, I still could not see the heart.
Looking back at the pictures, I see it now. I guess during our hike my mind was playing tricks on me. Anyway, we eventually made it inside the cave! We were the only ones there.
We climbed a bit further up the cave walls, but didn’t go too far because it was pretty slippery. I didn’t know at the time that climbing up to a small depression in the middle of the cave will give you the best perspective for taking pictures of the unique shape of the cave. I know we will be back again at some point, so I will be better prepared next time!
We took a small break before heading back down to the car. We passed a few people heading towards the cave. I believe this hike is very popular, and I’m sure weekends can be crazy, but we had the whole place to ourselves during peak time (mid-day).
The next thing on our agenda… find a cool place indoors to relax! If it serves ice cream, even better.
Root Beer Floats!!
We found a place called Rocky RD Ice Cream Co. in Sedona. We were both craving something cold to eat after hiking in the heat all day.
I got a root beer float and Vikas got a mocha float. I haven’t had a root beer float in YEARS! It honestly slapped. After that day, I was obsessed with root beer floats for a few months. I bought vanilla ice cream and root beer to make my own floats at home.
We spent some time cooling off inside the ice cream shop. I had another fun idea to stay cool in the Arizona summer heat. Of course, my idea did not go exactly as planned, but it still worked out!
Crescent Moon Ranch
My initial plan was to park at the Cathedral Rock Trailhead and walk over to a place called Buddha Beach so we could go for a swim. This was a spontaneous plan, so I didn’t research anything about the Cathedral Rock Trailhead parking area nor Buddha Beach.
Well, I did plan to hike to Cathedral Rock for sunset, but of course I missed a very important detail about the trailhead parking area.
Guess what happened.
The parking area for the Cathedral Rock Trailhead was closed! 😭
I didn’t know that the trailhead parking area closes during certain times on Thursdays through Sundays. Now we have to come up with another game plan! So, we decided to drive 30 minutes to a place called Crescent Moon Ranch.
It cost $12 to enter, but I learned that we could park at the picnic area and find a spot to swim in the Oak Creek. We never made it to Buddha Beach, but we found a secluded spot along the creek. It wasn’t deep enough to swim, so we just sat in the creek which was perfectly fine.
After spending some time in the creek, we made our way back to the picnic area to have a late lunch or early dinner. We like to bring our own meals with us to save money rather than eating out at a restaurant. But we do treat ourselves sometimes! Our go-to is typically rice and beans in a bag.
After lunch/dinner, we went back to the Cathedral Rock Trailhead. I know what you’re thinking… “but I thought it was closed??”
Yes, it WAS closed. Only from 7 AM to 5:30 PM. Our plan was to hike to Cathedral Rock for sunset, so thankfully the parking area re-opened later that day.
Sunset at Cathedral Rock
Trail Info: Cathedral Rock Trailhead is located off of Back O’ Beyond Road about a 10 minutes’ drive from central Sedona.
Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 1.5 miles with an elevation gain of 780 feet.
Hiking Time: It took us about 1 hour to complete this hike.
Route Type: This is an out-and-back hike.
Difficulty Rating: It was moderately challenging for us. The rock scrambling section was a lot of fun and fairly challenging!
The parking lot was nearly full when we arrived. I’m so happy we were able to get a parking spot, or else we would have gone back to Flagstaff because I was so over all the logistics for that day. 😅
Good thing we didn’t miss out on this hike because it was our favorite hike of the day! It’s short but mostly consists of rock scrambling.
This hike was also the most crowded one we’ve done all day. Cathedral Rock is the place to be at sunset apparently.
We made our way up the trail and saw a few people turning around at this one part. It’s a fairly tall crack in the rock surface that you have to climb up. It’s not too technical but can be scary for people with little to no rock scrambling experience and for those who have a fear of heights.
We made our way up the crack and continued climbing our way to the top. The sun was slowly setting as we got closer to the summit.
Once we finally reached the top, our jaws dropped. The views were stunning! One of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen. We found a spot where there weren’t too many people around.
A local came up to us and started talking about a vortex. I was very confused at first because I had never heard of a vortex. He said there are several in Sedona but the one on Cathedral Rock is one of the most powerful ones.
Vortexes are swirling centers of energy that promote healing, meditation, and self-discovery. This guy was very excited and full of energy. I guess the powers of the vortex really hit him. I did feel a sense of peace at the top while watching the sunset, but I always feel that way when watching a sunrise or sunset.
I later learned that the vortex is located towards the left side of Cathedral Rock, and we were sitting on the right side, so maybe that’s why I didn’t feel anything. Whether a vortex is real or not, it’s a cool concept, and I’m a very opened minded person so I’ll try to find the exact spot of the vortex next time!
After the sun finally set, we quickly made our way back down to the car. We had to scoot down the rocks on our butt because it was so steep and slippery. Everyone was doing it which made the experience even more fun and hilarious.
Finally, it was time to drive 45 minutes back to Flagstaff. What a long yet incredible day! Despite all the mistakes I made, it was somehow still a perfect day that my husband and I will remember forever. Sedona has a special place in our hearts, and we cannot wait to visit this magical place again and explore new areas!
