Devil's Bridge Trail
Closed right now — all three approaches
Devil's Bridge Trail No. 120 is closed under the Coconino National Forest Pocket Fire closure order (Order No. 03-04-00-26-004), effective July 13, 2026 through September 30, 2026 unless rescinded earlier.
This closes every way in: Dry Creek Trail No. 52, Mescal Trail No. 174C, and Long Canyon Trail No. 122 are all in the same order. Sedona Shuttle Route 11, which serves Dry Creek Vista and Mescal, is suspended as a result.
Everything below describes the trail under normal conditions. Check the official order before you travel.
Devil's Bridge is closed right now — and so is every approach to it, plus the shuttle route that serves them. Do not plan around it before October.
When it's open, the thing to understand is that "Devil's Bridge is 1.6 miles" is only true if you have a high-clearance vehicle. That official Forest Service figure measures from the Dry Creek Road (FR 152) trailhead, up a rough road the agency itself doesn't recommend in wet weather. From the paved lots most visitors can actually reach, it's roughly 4 miles round trip from Mescal or about 5.8 miles from Dry Creek Vista. That gap is why so many people are caught out.
The facts
- Open right now?
- CLOSED — Pocket Fire closure order, through Sept 30, 2026
- Forest Service trail
- Devil's Bridge Trail No. 120
- Distance
- 1.6 mi round trip from the high-clearance trailhead; ~4 mi from Mescal; ~5.8 mi from Dry Creek Vista
- Elevation gain
- 371 ft
- Difficulty (USFS)
- Moderate (USFS)
- Time needed
- About 2 hours from the short approach; longer from the paved lots
- Trailhead elevation
- 4,605 ft
- Pass required
- Red Rock Pass ($5 day / $15 week / $20 year) or America the Beautiful
- Sedona Shuttle
- Route 11 (Dry Creek Vista / Mescal) — currently suspended
- Parking
- Three options; only two are reachable in a normal car. Capacity not published by USFS.
- Dogs
- Leashed dogs permitted forest-wide (6 ft maximum)
- Restrooms
- Not documented at any of the three trailheads
- Shade
- Minimal — this is exposed high-desert trail
Getting there
Get directions →The three ways in, and what each really costs you
1. Dry Creek Road (FR 152) — the short one. 1.6 miles round trip, 371 feet of gain. This is the number you see quoted everywhere. Getting to this trailhead means driving roughly 1.3 miles up an unpaved forest road that the Forest Service describes as rough and explicitly does not recommend in wet weather. High clearance required. A rental sedan should not attempt it.
2. Mescal Trailhead — the practical choice. Paved road access, roughly 4 miles round trip via the Mescal–Chuckwagon connector. The Forest Service opened a newer, larger paved lot here in 2022.
3. Dry Creek Vista — the other paved option. Adds about 2.1 miles each way on the Chuckwagon connector, for roughly 5.8 miles round trip. Described as moderately easy rolling trail. This lot also serves Bear Mountain and Doe Mountain.
All three require a Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful pass on the dash.
The bridge itself
The final approach narrows and steepens into a genuine scramble — most people put a hand down at least once. The arch is a natural sandstone span roughly four to five feet wide and about 54 feet long, with no railing of any kind, and the drop on both sides is real.
There is no lighting. Do not do this at dusk to "beat the crowds" — the walk out in the dark on exposed rock is how people get hurt.
On crowds: this is the most-photographed hike in Sedona and there is usually a line to stand on the arch. Hiker reports put the wait anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes typically, with much worse during spring break and midday peaks. Those are crowdsourced observations, not an official metric — but the direction is consistent enough to plan around. Early morning is the answer.
The heat problem
Devil's Bridge has a documented pattern of heat-related rescues, and the reason is structural: it's short enough to look trivial, exposed enough to have almost no shade, and popular enough that people attempt it midday in summer with a single small water bottle.
Sedona summer highs regularly exceed 100°F. The Forest Service does not publish potable water at these trailheads, and we found no source confirming restrooms at any of the three. Carry more water than the mileage suggests, and treat 10am–4pm between May and September as off-limits rather than merely unpleasant.
Frequently asked questions
Is Devil's Bridge open right now?
No. As of July 28, 2026 it is closed under the Pocket Fire closure order, along with all three of its access trails, through at least September 30, 2026. Sedona Shuttle Route 11 is suspended for the same reason.
Can I drive a rental car to the Devil's Bridge trailhead?
Only to Mescal or Dry Creek Vista, both of which are paved. The closer Dry Creek Road (FR 152) trailhead that produces the famous 1.6-mile figure requires high clearance and is not recommended by the Forest Service in wet weather.
How long is the hike, really?
1.6 miles round trip only from the high-clearance trailhead. From Mescal it's about 4 miles round trip; from Dry Creek Vista, about 5.8 miles.
Is there a railing on the bridge?
No. The arch has no handrails and the drops on either side are significant.
Do I need a permit?
You need a Red Rock Pass ($5/day, $15/week, $20/year) or a valid America the Beautiful pass displayed on your dashboard. There's no separate hiking permit or lottery.
Facts on this page last verified July 28, 2026. Fees, hours, and access rules change seasonally — confirm with the official source before a long drive.