April 24, 2016 (Sunday)

Day 8:  After days of urban exploration, we finally were able to get a hike in.  There are plenty of great hikes in the area, and today we chose Devil’s Bridge. It is a popular spot in the Sedona area, and many of the Jeep tours come this way. To get to the trailhead you can either park in the nearby lot, and walk the road to Devil’s Bridge Trailhead, or park at one of the nearby trailheads and connect to Devil’s Bridge. The advantage to parking elsewhere is that there is plenty of parking, and you can avoid all of the ATV and Jeep tours that drive by on the main road. We chose to start at the Mescal Trailhead, which added a an easy mile through the partially shaded desert. Once you connect with the Devil’s Bridge trail, the hike heads uphill for a more strenuous 0.8 mile hike. There is a fork in the path as you approach the bridge, and you can choose to go below the bridge for a nice photo op, or up to the bridge itself. Get there early, or plan on having others in the photo with you. We asked a fellow hiker to snap a picture of us from the vantage point before you walk out on the bridge, and they were happy to do so. Round trip was around 3.5 miles with about 600 feet of elevation gain, including the Mescal trail that we took. Highly recommend.

The trail head at Mescal, where we parked.

At the end of the Mescal you hit the gravel road and you will see this sign.  Just cross the street.  Do not stay on the gravel road.

Kevin walking across Devil’s Bridge!