Sunrises & Sunsets in Sedona

Sunrise on Devil's Bridge

Visiting Sedona has always been on my list of places to visit, and this past October Ryan and I were able to sneak away for a long weekend to do someday hiking and soak in the sunshine of the Sonoran Desert.

FAVORITE DAY HIKES

We set out to complete a few sunrise and sunset hikes, and I highly recommend these if you are in the area!

Devil's Bridge

Since sunrise was supposed to be around 6:45 am, we set out early the first morning to be at the trailhead and on trail by 5:30 am (which we did). There are a couple of ways to access the trails for this hike, we decided to park at the Dry Creek Vista trailhead and access the Devi's Bridge via the Chuck Wagon Trail. This makes the hike about 6 miles round-trip. We hike for about the first 45 minutes or so in the dark with headlamps, and the fading night turned into a soft morning sky just as we were ascending the last bit of elevation to get to the Devil's Bridge. We thought we might have been the first hikers there, but we quickly spied 3 other hikers out on the bridge when we arrived, making us #3 and #4 there at around 6:30 am. Shortly thereafter, a steady stream of other early bird hikers like us emerged from trail and a queue started to build for photo ops on the bridge. This is quite a popular hike, so we were very happy with ourselves for getting up around 5 am to do this hike before it got really busy! While the bridge is narrow where we stood for our photos, I didn't find it scary to walk out on, although we did see plenty of other hikers on their hands and knees to make it out to the photo spot!

This is how you get that famous photo spot, seen here as Ryan takes the photo while sitting on the edge for the couple who previously took our photo in the same spot!

Cathedral Rock

After Devils Bridge, the next most famous hike is uo to Cathedral Rock, which we chose to do for sunset after siesta nap early that afternoon following our sunrise hike to Devil's Bridge. This is also an extremely popular hike, and the primary trailhead for this in Sedona can only be accessed via a shuttle bus that runs from around 7:30 am-5:30 pm each day. Since we planned on staying through sunset, which was about 5:45 pm that day, we had to find another way to get to this trail. We decided to drive about 30 minutes south of Sedona to the Village of Oak Creek, where there is an accessible parking lot and trail to access Cathedral Rock via Baldwin Trail. This hike is about 4 miles round-trip, and mostly flat until you approach Cathedral Rock, where the 0.5 miles approach is very steep and technical and requires a fair bit of bouldering and rock scrambling. We hit the trail about 4:30 pm and made it to the top viewing area about 5:15 pm.

We hung around with a handful of folks like us who were waiting to see the last rays of sunshine disappear as the sun set behind the mountains. Then it was time to put out headlamps back on and back-track down the trail to our car in the dark!

Bell Rock

We got up again before sunrise to climb Bell Rock, another popular landmark in the Sedona area. We started this hike in the dark again, which was an easy stroll until you reach the base of the rock formations that make Bell Tower. While this hike is an easy out-and-back hike of less than 3 miles, we choose to do some bouldering and rock climbing to secure a nice vantage spot to watch the sunrise again. We made it up near the base of the pinnacles, and the morning views were just breathtaking!

In lieu of an afternoon hike, we elected to do a 4x4 Jeep Tour of Soldier Pass. This as another great way to see some of the popular rock formations. Our guide, and his parakeet partner Pippen, took us on a 2-hour bumpy drive to see the Seven Sacred Pools and the Devils Kitchen. This was a fun way of exploring this area, and 2 hours was just about enough time for me to grow tired of being jostled around in the jeep, although we did enjoy some nail-biting climbs over large boulders and rocks! Pippen was also a bit of a photo hog every time we stopped to get a photo together. :)

WHERE TO EAT

Of course, not only is Sedona known for its beautiful scenery but also is great dining. We did eat a few fabulous places, so if you are ever in the area, I highly recommend stopping in here:

Rascal: We had brunch here after our hike to Devils Bridge, which is located in the Wilde Hotel & Spa. Their chilaquiles and mimosas hit the spot after a chilly morning hike!

Elote: I managed to secure a last-minute reservation the day before we left for Sedona, and while our reservation wasn't until 8:15 PM, it was perfect for our sunset hike to Cathedral Rock. This place books out about a month in advance, so get your reservation in early if you can. It is clearly one of the top restaurants in Sedona, and now I know why. This was my favorite place to eat--highly recommend!

Sedona Beer Company: This place was literally 2 blocks away from our AirB&B, and so we stopped in here both afternoons for a great beer selection (and wine!) and some truffle fries. We also got some great tips on hiking from the wait staff there too. Great location, food and ambiance. We liked it so much we went there twice!

The Vault Uptown: We ate here for dinner one evening as well, and it has a beautiful outdoor eating area that is a great place to view the sunset and enjoy some great food and drinks as well.