Soldier Pass
Description
Soldier Pass is the hike we would like to highlight next, located in Sedona, Arizona. You will see towering red rock cliffs, Seven Sacred Pools, and the Devil’s Kitchen sink hole. The beautiful Seven Sacred Pools is an excellent spot for photographs. Be sure to take the spur trail on your right that is approximately 1.3 miles from the trailhead. It will take you to Soldier Pass Cave. If you are feeling agile, you can even climb up inside the cave. Continue on the main trail to the overlook at the Brins Mesa trail intersection. This trail is one to definitely put on your list when you are visiting Sedona.
Tell Me More
Difficulty: Moderate related to distance and elevation gain, also moderate to strenuous to access the cave.
Trail Stats: 4.5 miles, out and back, 856 elevation gain.
Trail Finding: Relatively easy.
Conditions: Variety of paced dirt and rocks on the trail, some uneven scrambling to the cave.
Would I Repeat This: For sure.
Let’s Do This
Parking: You cannot park directly at the trailhead on certain days of the week. You must take the free shuttle on those days and you will park at the designated park and ride. There are clear maps and schedules online. Please be aware that the shuttles only run every 50 minutes at the time of this post. If you finish the hike and don’t want to wait for the return shuttle, you will add another 1.4 miles of walking to get to the shuttle parking lot, much of which is uphill.
Timing: We completed this hike in the early morning in December. We had the trail virtually to ourselves. There is shade intermittently. This is a popular trail though, try for an early departure.
Downloaded Map: Recommended. There is a spur trail to the cave and this is a longer trail, so we did reference the downloaded map several times.
Fees: Yes. You must purchase a Red Rocks Pass through the US Forest Service. You can do so online. There are daily passes, 7-day, and an annual pass option.
Nearby Fun
Trails: Boynton Canyon, Devil’s Bridge, Munds Wagon, Birthing Cave, and Bell Rock Loop are all great trails in the Sedona area.
More Photos
