Sedona AZ Sunset and Hiking to Devil’s Bridge

Can you believe this view of Devil’s Bridge in Sedona Arizona? It was just as good as the pictures I saw on PINTEREST I have always wanted to see Sedona, so for our 21st anniversary this year we decided to do a road trip and take in a few other places while we were at it. We started in Southern California and spent two nights in Sedona, then on our way to Zion National Park in Utah we saw Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon. This year was a bit crazy (more on that later) and I wasn’t able to share in real time so for the last week of 2017 I thought it would be fun to share some of my highlights with you and this is first on the list!!! If you have been following along with me for a while you know that I like to share little snippets of our travels. I always like to read blogs for tips before I go somewhere. We only had one full day in Sedona and wanted to make the most of it. We picked Devil’s Bridge because it was winter and some of the other sights would be better in summer in my opinion. We basically only saw one half of Sedona. But all the more reason to plan another trip, am I right?  Scroll down for tips on finding the Devil’s Bridge trailhead so you don’t waste any time like I did.

 

I can cross seeing a sunset in Sedona off my bucket list. I got so fortunate with this one. We were getting into Sedona just as the sun was setting. We tried to pull over and take it all in but there was nothing spectacular to see. We were pretty bummed, got back in the car and continued heading east toward Sedona. I caught a glimpse of this in the rearview mirror. We almost missed it!! So my husband pulled off the road and I tromped through the brush to capture it. I did not exaggerate these colors. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. Something about the colors of the sky against such a unique landscape. The rest of our time in Sedona was cloudy which made catching this sunset extra special. Keep reading to see the best place in Sedona to catch the sunset.

We stayed at the SEDONA SUMMIT which we really liked. It had a kitchen and really fabulous huge spas sprinkled throughout the property. We especially liked that after our long day of hiking. The concierge helped us set up a PINK JEEP TOUR  for the next morning. That was so fun! They took us to an Indian Ruin that you couldn’t get to without taking the tour. The entire road on the way there was red.

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We saw some really impressive vistas along the way. 

The property used to be privately owned and the people would have visitors throughout the years that would leave their mark behind like this one in 1925. Thank goodness for preservationists.

There were tons of hieroglyphics painted and etched onto the red rock walls along with char marks from fires that warmed them and cooked their food. But I was most intrigued by the colors of the green cactus and trees against the red rock formations.

DEVIL’S BRIDGE

After that fun little adventure we hiked to Devil’s Bridge. When we made it to the top I was a little terrified to walk out onto it. So my husband braved it first. It ended up being much wider than it looked.

I linked our hiking boots HERE because we really liked them.

A nice man took this for us and didn’t steal my expensive camera (whew). The funny thing is there were actually people everywhere but everyone respected the fact that people wanted to take pictures and waited in line for their turn so it looks like we were all alone in that vast wilderness.

The vistas along the way are spectacular as well.

***TIP It was hard to find the trail head to this hike. We wasted quite a bit of time looking for it. I hope this saves you the trouble. Go HERE and you can see a map of the town. When on the 89A turn onto Dry Creek Rd heading north. You will see a fire service road to your right marked on the map as Vultee Arch/F.R.152. Turn right onto that road and there will be a parking lot where the pavement ends. From the map that I found you don’t need a Red Rock Pass to park there. Those things always change so please double check. The thing is that you have to walk on this service road almost a mile to get to the Devil’s bridge trailhead. There are a lot of all terrain vehicles passing you and many complain about the dust, unless of course you are the one driving the ATV, which also looked really fun. I kinda felt like the poor suckers that you pass when you’re in the carpool lane. If you want a more peaceful experience you can take the Chuck wagon trail. We didn’t do this but I wish we had. It does add distance to the trip though. To access that trail you pass the F.R. 152 continuing on Dry Creek Rd and turn right onto Long Canyon Rd where you will find the parking lot and trail head for Chuck Wagon trail.

We finished our hike just in time for happy hour at CREEKSIDE AMERICAN BISTRO

The view from the patio…

Then we rushed off to catch another sunset. We went to the top of Airport Rd where there is a paid parking lot and amazing views of the city. 

The haze in the sky made for an underwhelming sunset but it would have been hard to top this one anyway.

Can’t wait to show you where we headed next, but I already stayed up way past my bedtime. Time flies when you’re having fun. So until next time.