Hiking to Devil's Bridge: Why the Scenic Mescal Trailhead (Free Shuttle) Beats the 4x4 Dirt Road

Spanning a forested red-rock ravine in the Dry Creek basin at 1,400 metres elevation, Devil's Bridge is the largest natural sandstone arch in the Sedona area, a flat-topped bridge measuring 16 metres (54 feet) long and 15 metres (45 feet) high where you can walk across the middle for a canyon photo. Before setting out, know the route choice that separates happy hikers from dusty ones.

1. Choose the Right Starting Point: Mescal Trailhead vs Dry Creek Vista

Standard 2WD hire cars and low-clearance SUVs cannot drive up boulder-strewn Dry Creek Road (FR 152) to the inner 4x4 trailhead, leaving regular hikers two starting choices:

• The Better Choice: Start at Mescal Trailhead on Long Canyon Road (6.4 km / 4.0 Miles Round-Trip | 120m Gain | 2 Hours): instead of walking up a dusty Jeep track, starting at Mescal Trailhead puts you on a car-free singletrack trail hugging the red sandstone ledges of Mescal Mountain before connecting to the final 1.3 km Devil's Bridge climb. From Thursday to Sunday (and daily during peak weeks), park free at Posse Grounds Park & Ride in West Sedona and take the free Sedona Shuttle (Line 11) to Mescal Trailhead in 10 minutes.
• The Alternative: Start at Dry Creek Vista Trailhead (6.8 km / 4.2 Miles Round-Trip): reached via the Line 12 Shuttle or weekday parking, following the scenic Chuckwagon Trail rather than walking in the 4x4 ruts.

2. What to Expect on the Final Climb & Walking Onto the Arch

For the first 2.5 kilometres the trail is gentle; then, for the final 500 metres, you climb 100 vertical metres up a natural red-sandstone rock staircase, passing a wide slickrock terrace halfway up before rounding a corner to the arch:

• Wider Than It Looks in Photos: from the side camera angle, Devil's Bridge looks narrow, yet its flat top is actually 1.5 to 2 metres (5 to 7 feet) wide, about the width of a pavement.
• Beat the Photo Queue: from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, a polite single-file queue forms where the next hiker takes your photo with your phone. To walk straight onto the arch without waiting, take the first morning shuttle bus or hike in around dawn on a weekday.