Hiking the Devil’s Bridge Trail via Dry Creek Road in Sedona, Arizona
Distance via Chuck Wagon Trail (One Way): 2.9 miles / 4.7 km
Distance via Dry Creek Road (One Way): 2.0 miles / 3.2 km
The Devil’s Bridge Trail in Sedona, Arizona, is one of the most iconic day hikes in the red rock country of the Coconino National Forest, and it’s one of the best all-around sunrise and sunset hikes—much like the nearby Doe Mountain Trail!
That said, there are several routes to reach the popular Devil’s Bridge Trail. The three most popular are the Mescal Trailhead, the Chuck Wagon Trail, and Dry Creek Road, with the latter two beginning from the same trailhead.
To learn more about these different routes, I highly recommend reading my detailed breakdown below, as distance alone is not the only factor to consider when deciding which route to hike the Devil’s Bridge Trail.
Dry Creek vs. Mescal Trailhead
As mentioned previously, the Devil’s Bridge Trail is most commonly accessed from one of two trailheads just north of Sedona: the Dry Creek Trailhead and the Mescal Trailhead, with both being nearly the exact same distance when comparing the Mescal Trailhead to Dry Creek Road—not the Chuck Wagon Trail.
Devil’s Bridge via Dry Creek
The Dry Creek Trailhead is the closest trailhead to Sedona, but it is also the most popular access point to get to Devil’s Bridge.
That being said, parking is very limited at Dry Creek, and there are strictly enforced parking laws for leaving a vehicle anywhere outside one of the designated stalls—even on the road before the trailhead. Therefore, my personal recommendation is to check the Dry Creek Trailhead first to see if you can get lucky with a parking spot. If not, drive down the road to the Mescal Trailhead, where it is generally a bit easier to find parking.
As for the hike itself, there are two different routes from the Dry Creek Trailhead to reach the Devil’s Bridge Trail. First, there is Dry Creek Road—the off-roading trail that begins where the pavement ends at the main parking lot—and second, there’s the Chuck Wagon Trail, which follows a more scenic but slightly longer route to Devil’s Bridge. Both of these can make for a great loop by taking one route on the way there and the other on the way back, which only adds about 0.9 miles (1.4 km) to the overall hike.
Devil’s Bridge via Mescal Trailhead
The Mescal Trailhead is truly just a different and easier access point to the Chuck Wagon Trail, as the hike to Devil’s Bridge shares a roughly 0.9-mile (1.4 km) portion with the route that begins from Dry Creek.
This means that only 0.25 miles (0.4 km) from the Mescal Trailhead to the Chuck Wagon Trail junction is unique to this route, and it’s the reason why I think beginning from the Mescal Trailhead comes down to finding a place to park more than anything else—especially since it’s the exact same distance as Dry Creek Road.
However, the main difference between the Mescal Trailhead and Dry Creek Road is shade, which certainly cannot be overstated during the hotter summer months in Sedona. This is to say: yes, there are significantly more places to find shade on the Mescal and Chuck Wagon Trails compared to Dry Creek Road, which can make it a better option if you are visiting Sedona from mid-May to mid-September.
Read My Separate Post: Devil’s Bridge Trail via Mescal Trailhead
Devil’s Bridge Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Devil’s Bridge Trail via Dry Creek is located in a small paved parking area adjacent to the Chuck Wagon Trail and at the end of the pavement where the off-road portion of Dry Creek Road begins.
However, those who have a high-clearance 4x4 vehicle can drive the 1.1-mile (1.8 km) off-road portion of Dry Creek Road to the true Devil’s Bridge Trailhead, which makes the total hike only 1.8 miles (2.9 km) roundtrip.
Before arriving, be aware that the most trailheads in Sedona are considered U.S. Fee Areas, meaning that hikers are required to pay to park or leave a valid federal recreation pass—like the ones commonly used for National Park entry—in the dash of your vehicle.
Google Maps Directions: Devil’s Bridge Trailhead (Dry Creek Road)
Southwest Hiking Checklist
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in the Southwest U.S.
Hiking the Devil’s Bridge Trail via Dry Creek
The Devil’s Bridge Trail via Dry Creek can either be reached by way of the Chuck Wagon Trail or Dry Creek Road, which begins just outside of the parking area.
That said, the first part of this article follows the Chuck Wagon Trail, but if you would prefer to take Dry Creek Road to the Devil’s Bridge Trail, click below to skip ahead.
To skip ahead to the beginning of Dry Creek Road, click here.
Chuck Wagon-Dry Creek Vista Junction
Immediately after beginning the hike to Devil’s Bridge on the Chuck Wagon Trail, go right to stay on the correct route.
Compared to Dry Creek Road, the Chuck Wagon Trail is undoubtedly more beautiful—not to mention more peaceful, as Dry Creek Road is a popular off-roading route used by tour companies out of Sedona.
To learn more, I recommend checking out some of the different Viator tours linked below, which I recommend because Viator has one of the best reserve-now-and-pay-later policies. As long as you’re booking more than three days in advance, you have the option to book ahead and cancel in the future if you change your mind.
As the Chuck Wagon Trail makes its way over this first hill, the views of the greater Verde Valley begin to open up!
These Pinyon Pine and Juniper trees are among the few places to find shade on the Devil’s Bridge Trail, which is certainly easier to come by on the Chuck Wagon Trail than Dry Creek Road.
Regardless, I highly recommend hiking in a hooded sun shirt—which is true for just about every day hike in the Sedona area—especially during the summer!
Chuck Wagon-Dry Creek Road Connector Junction
This first junction on the Chuck Wagon Trail is where hikers first have the option to link up with Dry Creek Road, essentially cutting out about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) of the hike compared to continuing further.
This, again, is why hiking Devil’s Bridge via Dry Creek Road is much shorter in comparison.
If you decide to stay on the Chuck Wagon Trail, the hike continues for another 1.4 miles (2.3 km) to the point where it meets up with Dry Creek Road and the true Devil’s Bridge Trailhead.
To skip ahead to the point where this short connector meets Dry Creek Road, click here.
Past the initial Dry Creek Road junction, the Chuck Wagon Trail continues for another 0.5 miles (0.8 km) until the Mescal Trail junction—the second most popular access point for Devil’s Bridge.
This section between the Mescal Trail and the Dry Creek Road junction mentioned above is almost entirely downhill, which is one reason I recommend making a loop out of the two routes from Dry Creek in this direction—the clockwise direction.
Chuck Wagon-Mescal Junction
At the 1.1-mile (1.8 km) mark, the Chuck Wagon Trail meets the Mescal Trail.
From this point on, both this article and my separate Devil’s Bridge article, accessed via the Mescal Trailhead, will mirror one another.
To learn more about beginning from the Mescal Trailhead—and why it’s significantly faster to reach this same point—I recommend checking out my separate post linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Devil’s Bridge Trail via Mescal Trailhead
This section of the Chuck Wagon Trail, from the Mescal junction to Dry Creek Road, stretches for roughly 0.9 miles (1.4 km).
This is the view looking out toward Soldier Heights, the peak in the distance, which will continue to get closer and closer until the Devil’s Bridge Trail begins to parallel the peak just below the arch.
This is not a split in the Chuck Wagon Trail.
Rather, it’s a very sharp turn following the short drainage that can be 'easy' to miss for hikers returning to either the Mescal Trailhead or Dry Creek Road Trailhead via Chuck Wagon.
I like this elevated spot above the trees because it’s one of the best places to see the area in all directions, which is nice because it allows for a great perspective on how far you’ve hiked and how much more there is to come!
Devil’s Bridge-Chuck Wagon Junction
Just prior to Dry Creek Road, the Chuck Wagon Trail officially meets the beginning of the Devil’s Bridge Trail, with the off-road parking area and main trailhead located shortly ahead on the far side of Dry Creek Road.
That said, go right (straight) here to reach Dry Creek Road, just 0.1 miles (0.2 km) away.
Devil’s Bridge-Dry Creek Road Junction
This junction at Dry Creek Road is where all three routes—from Dry Creek Road, the Chuck Wagon Trail, and the Mescal Trailhead—become one for the rest of the hike to Devil’s Bridge.
Here, go straight to continue to the off-road parking area and the main Devil’s Bridge Trailhead, just up the hill.
Devil’s Bridge Trail
From the off-road Devil’s Bridge parking lot, the true Devil’s Bridge Trail begins, gaining roughly 375 ft. (114 m) over 0.9 miles (1.4 km) to the natural arch at the end of the hike.
This final section of the hike to Devil’s Bridge will likely be the busiest portion of the entire trail, with sunrise being the least busy time overall.
This is one reason I mentioned at the beginning that the Devil’s Bridge Trail is one of the best sunrise and sunset hikes in Sedona, but what’s even more important is the beautiful colors at this time of day.
I’ll talk more about this below, but for either, be sure to bring a quality headlamp, which will certainly be useful here at Devil’s Bridge and on countless day hikes across Sedona, like the Cathedral Rock Trail.
This is Soldier Heights, the peak that I previously mentioned, which makes for a good landmark regarding how much further there is to hike to Devil’s Bridge.
I say this because once the Devil’s Bridge Trail reaches Soldier Heights, then turns away from it, the hike begins its final ascent up to the arch, with the steepest sections located at the very end.
This is where the final ascent up to Devil’s Bridge starts to become more significant.
Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness Boundary
Just before the end of the hike, the trail enters the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness.
This is important to highlight because wilderness areas in the United States carry specific regulations, which most commonly applies to hikers when it comes to drones.
Yes, drones are banned here and in all wilderness areas across the country, and those caught flying drones may be cited at Devil’s Bridge.
These steps just below Devil’s Bridge mark the beginning of the steepest part of the hike, where the trail climbs about 115 ft. (35 m) in only 0.1 miles (0.2 km) to the top.
This open area, about halfway up, is a great place to take a break before continuing on to the next steep section.
Finally, the steep ascent levels out significantly for the rest of the hike to Devil’s Bridge.
Devil’s Bridge
The end of the Devil’s Bridge Trail is the point where the trail meets the top of the 54-ft. (16.5 m) natural sandstone arch that is the Devil’s Bridge!
Here, hikers can make their way out onto the bridge, which makes for some of the most iconic photos in all of Sedona—especially at sunrise and sunset!
That being said, I often consider Devil’s Bridge as a sunrise and sunset hike only, as this is when the surrounding landscape lights up best for photos—not to mention the trail is significantly less busy!
Now, all this goes without mentioning that the Devil’s Bridge—from both the trail side and the bridge itself—features some very dangerous and exposed cliffs that have unfortunately taken the lives of hikers in the past. I don’t say this to discourage anyone from walking out on the bridge, but to encourage safety—especially when hiking with young kids! This becomes even more true during the colder winter months, when micro-spikes may be necessary to safely make it to the end of the trail.
What is the Best Time of Day to Hike the Devil’s Bridge Trail?
The answer to this question is easy: sunrise or sunset, with my personal preference leaning toward sunset.
I’m strictly saying this in terms of what I think makes for the best photos, as sunrise will always be the least crowded time to enjoy Devil’s Bridge and take photos without having to be courteous of other visitors.
As for golden hour itself, sunrise is beautiful because the light comes from the right side of the bridge, from where photos are most commonly taken, which lights up the arch beneath the bridge much better than sunset.
However, sunset is my preferred time to hike to the Devil’s Bridge Trail overall, because the entire scene, including the greater valley behind the arch, is best lit up at this hour, creating a sort of dreamy effect as the sun sets to the far left from where most photos are taken.
All this to say, neither sunrise nor sunset is best seen directly from the end of the Devil’s Bridge Trail, but what makes both times such a favorite is how the bridge and the landscape uniquely light up compared to other times throughout the day!
Dry Creek Road
The Devil’s Bridge Trail via Dry Creek Road is the shortest and most direct route from this joint trailhead to the off-road Devil’s Bridge Trailhead, located about 1.1 miles (1.8 km) from the end of the pavement.
However, I think it’s important to mention that while Dry Creek Road is often considered the fastest route to Devil’s Bridge, it is also the most exposed in terms of shade—not to mention it‘s easily the least scenic.
For these reasons, I recommend hiking Devil’s Bridge via Dry Creek Road at either sunrise or sunset—when getting to the bridge itself is more important than enjoying the hike. This timing also helps mitigate the strong sun exposure in Sedona, which makes Dry Creek Road less than ideal during the hottest parts of the day.
For the most part, Dry Creek Road is nothing more than a long, straight, and mostly exposed access road to the Devil’s Bridge Trailhead, which is why I continually recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt here—and for countless different day hikes across the Sedona area.
Dry Creek Road-Chuck Wagon Connector Junction
At about 0.4 miles (0.6 km), from the end of the pavement, Dry Creek Road meets a short connector with the Chuck Wagon Trail.
That said, if you’ve already chosen to hike on the road over the trail, I personally think it doesn’t make sense to switch over to the Chuck Wagon Trail, as that is best for hikers more interested in taking their time on the way out to Devil’s Bridge.
To skip back to the point where this short connector meets the Chuck Wagon Trail, click here.
I hope these photos make it clear that driving Dry Creek Road to the true Devil’s Bridge trailhead is not suitable for low-clearance, 2WD vehicles—especially after it has recently rained!
If you are interested in learning more about Sedona’s off-road tours on Dry Creek Road and countless other areas throughout the Coconino National Forest, I recommend checking out some of the options linked below.
Devil’s Bridge-Dry Creek Road Junction
This is the point where all three routes—including the Mescal Trailhead, the Chuck Wagon Trail, and Dry Creek Road—meet, which also coincides with the off-road Devil’s Bridge Trailhead.
From here, go right to find the 4x4 parking lot and the Devil’s Bridge Trailhead immediately following.
To skip back to this same junction, click here.
