Alltrails is a must for us, helped keep us on the trail for the Soldiers Pass.
1. We really liked the West Fork Trail it was a really easy meandering trail with multiple water crossings. It was 6.5 miles total, but you can decide how much you want to do. There is a separate entrance fee and parking lot fills up fast
2. The Devils Bridge was not an easy hike for me. I would consider it moderate(+). There are two areas with a vertical scramble and there is a wait for pictures. We started at the Mescal trailhead and it is over 4 miles. If you have a high clearance 4X4 its 2 miles round trip.
3. Airport Mesa Loop trail is pretty scenic you can see Thunder Mountain and we like going up to the Airport Mesa for Sunset. Great location for sunset pictures against Thunder Mountain. We usually follow it up with dinner at Mesa Grill
4. Fay Canyon trail is a low key hike. You can venture off a side path and there is an arch. At the end of the trail you can scramble up some of the rocks over the tree line for a nice view.
5. Not a hike, but head to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The church was built into the red rocks. Great pictures.
6. Take a drive on the 179 Red Rock Scenic Byway. Stop and take pictures of Bell Rock, Couthouse Butte, Cathedral Rock
7. I was unimpressed by Soldiers Pass Trail which included Devils Kitchen, Seven Sacred Pools, Soldier Pass Cave. The parking for this trail head is closed if the shuttle is running as it is in a neighborhood with 14 spots. No bathrooms here. If the shuttle is running there is another parking lot and you have to walk in about 1-1.5 miles to trail head.
8. Next time we go we've talked about taking the train from Williams, AZ to the Grand Canyon.
9. Make dinner reservations early the popular restaurants book up fast. Don't sleep on Rascal's Diner we had a great dinner here.
Thanks for adding more info. I was waiting for people to arrive for book club and someone showed up early so I had to wrap up my list.
I had to chuckle about the Devils Bridge difficulty level. You are absolutely right - I was going by recollection which is always spotty and I had forgotten about that scramble which was indeed tricky. In my brain a hike is "easy" if it was relatively flat and less than 5 miles. Apparently my brain chose to forget about anything unpleasant aside from waiting an hour for the photo. Come to think of it, having a one hour break in the middle of that hike also made it seem easy since we weren't hiking the whole time. I am pretty afraid of heights and looking at the bridge for an hour definitely stressed me out - pushing myself past that fear was way worse than the hike for sure.
Some other trails that we have done and enjoyed:
Slim Shady Trail - nice views of the valley but shared with mountain bikes so traffic can be an issue.
Courthouse Butte Trail - about 4 miles, not much elevation gain. Lots of families. Parking is the biggest issue here as the trail is very popular.
Oak Creek Canyon - we did this one in October during the fall colors and it was stunning. I have read that it has become extremely popular so of course parking is the issue. It was a really fun "trail". The creek level was pretty low (I assume, since it was Oct), and there were multiple creek crossings that we made by walking on stones in the water. We haven't gotten around to doing this one again but if I were going to Sedona for the first time, this would be near the top of my to do list.
Red Rocks State Park has a nice trail system. We have done a couple of trails here (can't remember which specific trails)
https://azstateparks.com/red-rock/things-to-do/trails This page has google earth previews of some of the trails which is really cool.
If you are staying near the Sedona Summit resort, there are a lot of unnamed trails nearby within walking distance. We went here and watched a sunset, but if you looking for some short easy walks, this is a good option. According to google maps, you will find the parking area called Cultural Park Trailhead. Google maps also shows some named trails: Centennial Trail and Girdner Trail. Having well maintained trails so close to the resort is an added plus for Sedona Summit. They are kind of trails to nowhere - just turn around when you have had enough. My brain says they were easy but who knows how accurate that is
Most of the areas require a Red Rocks Pass to park and to use the trails, but if you have an America the Beautiful pass, that will work.
https://visitsedona.com/trip-planning/red-rock-pass-program-qa/
