Dry Creek Vista Parking (Devil's Bridge)
Lot and Route 11 open; confirm Dry Creek Trail status
The July 31 Pocket Fire order closed Dry Creek Trail No. 52 with a stated end of September 30. On October 12 the Forest Service no longer posted that order, and its current alerts listed no order for these trails. We found no explicit reopening notice, so confirm with the Red Rock Ranger Visitor Center at (928) 203-2900 before hiking them. Devil's Bridge, Mescal and Long Canyon trails were not named in that order.
The lot is open and Shuttle Route 11 is running. The Pocket Fire order that closed Dry Creek Trail No. 52 through September 30 was no longer posted on October 12; confirm that trail with the ranger station before hiking it. Devil's Bridge Trail, Mescal Trail and Long Canyon Trail were not named in that order. Obey posted signs.
A lot of guides claim private vehicles are banned here Thursday–Sunday. That claim isn't supported by any official source. The City of Sedona's shuttle FAQ names only Cathedral Rock and Soldier Pass as lots closed to private vehicles. Dry Creek Vista isn't one of them.
The lot is small and fills very early. That's a capacity problem, not a legal prohibition — and the difference matters if you're deciding whether it's worth driving out.
The facts
- Open right now?
- Open — confirm Dry Creek Trail No. 52 before hiking it
- Trails served
- Devil's Bridge (via Chuckwagon), Chuckwagon, Girdner, Bear Mountain and Doe Mountain trails
- Cost / pass
- Red Rock Pass ($5 day / $15 week / $20 year) or America the Beautiful
- Lot size
- Not published by the Forest Service
- Private vehicles
- Permitted — no official prohibition, despite widespread claims otherwise
- When it fills
- Reported by hikers as very early in peak season; no official data
- Overflow option
- Shuttle Route 11 from the West SR-89A Park & Ride
- Roadside parking
- Not officially addressed; Dry Creek and Long Canyon Roads are commonly reported as enforced
- Restrooms
- Not documented in official sources
Getting there
Get directions →The myth we're not going to repeat
Search for Dry Creek Vista parking and you'll find confident statements that the lot closes to private vehicles Thursday through Sunday, exactly like Cathedral Rock.
We went looking for the source of that. It isn't in the City of Sedona's shuttle FAQ, which is very specific about which lots close and names only Cathedral Rock and Soldier Pass. It isn't on the Forest Service's pages either.
Our read is that people are conflating "this lot is always full" with "this lot is legally closed," which is understandable but materially different. If you can get a space at 6:30am on a Saturday, nothing we could find says you can't use it.
We'd rather tell you the sourcing is thin than state a rule that isn't written down anywhere. If the Forest Service posts signage saying otherwise, that signage wins — and we'd like to know so we can correct this.
Getting to Devil's Bridge from here
Dry Creek Vista is the paved, sedan-accessible option, and it's the long way in: about 2.1 miles each way on the Chuckwagon connector before you even reach the Devil's Bridge trail, for roughly 5.8 miles round trip total.
The Mescal trailhead is the shorter paved alternative at about 4 miles round trip. The 1.6-mile figure everyone quotes requires the high-clearance Dry Creek Road (FR 152) trailhead.
This lot also serves Bear Mountain and Doe Mountain, so it draws traffic from several directions at once.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dry Creek Vista closed to private vehicles on weekends?
No official source says so. The City of Sedona's shuttle FAQ lists only Cathedral Rock and Soldier Pass as trailheads closed to private vehicles during shuttle hours. The widespread claim about Dry Creek Vista appears to confuse a lot that fills early with one that's legally closed.
Is the lot open right now?
Yes. The lot is open and Shuttle Route 11 is running. Dry Creek Trail No. 52 remains closed, so use only an open route and follow posted signs.
How many spaces does it have?
The Forest Service publishes no capacity figure for this lot. Hiker reports describe it as small and filling around 7am in peak season, but that's not official data.
Do I need a Red Rock Pass here?
Yes — a Red Rock Pass or a valid America the Beautiful pass, displayed on the dashboard.
Facts on this page last verified August 3, 2026. Fees, hours, and access rules change seasonally — confirm with the official source before a long drive.