Sedona

 Our family visited Sedona for part of our spring break trip in April.  We had only one full day to spend there, so I had to carefully pick our hikes/itinerary.  Two hikes continued to stick out to me as I researched.  We chose to do Devil's Bridge via Mescal Trailhead and Cathedral Rock.  If I had it to do over again, I would likely still choose those same hikes.  They did not disappoint.  Click HERE to view the alltrails link for the Devil's Bridge hike.

Devil's Bridge

The hike begins at the Mescal trailhead.  We arrived early (7am) in order to get a parking spot.  I had read that parking could be an issue there.  There were still a number of spots available at 7 and that was on a Saturday.  

The beginning of the trail is pretty flat.  It's a 4 mile trail (2 miles out and 2 miles back), and the 500ish feet of elevation gain are mostly in the 2nd mile as you near the top.

The little hideouts in the rocks are fun.  We don't have rocks like these in the east!

The views begin to open up as you get near the last stretch to the top. The top has sweeping views of the whole area.  The bridge itself is a lot wider than it appears in pictures.  It was still a little nerve wrecking to me to cram all 6 of us on it.  The worst part of this hike was the 45 minutes we stood in line to get a picture.  I knew it would be that way and accounted for the time we would have to spend.  It was worth it to get such an iconic photo.

Cathedral Rock

Our legs were beginning to feel tired, but we were not done yet.  Our next hiking trail was Cathedral Rock.  We drove from Mescal trailhead back to the park and ride for the cathedral rock shuttle.  Unfortunately, the park and ride shuttle lot was full.  After a confusing conversation with the parking lot attendant, we attempted to drive as close to the trail head as we could.  Charlie let the kids and I out of the van and we walked the mile from blocked off entrance to the trail all the way to the trailhead.  Charlie drove around a bit and was eventually able to get a parking spot at the park and ride shuttle area.  The kids and I began our ascent and Charlie ended up meeting us at the top of Cathedral Rock.  Although it was a stressful start to the hike (the parking issue), it ended up being all 4 kids' favorite hike of the entire trip!  It's short but very steep and fun.  Check out the alltrails link HERE

views on the way up...I wish I had taken photos of the climb.  There were many points where you had to use your hands to climb up.

views from the top

After 2 hikes, we were exhausted.  We celebrated with Acai bowls from Berry Divine and some souvenir shopping in downtown Sedona.  We topped off the day with some pool and pickle ball time at our condo complex and take out dinner from Colt Grill BBQ in the Village of Oak Creek.