Yavapai Vista Trail

Yavapai Vista Trail

After visiting the Grand Canyon and on the way to Phoenix I just had to stop in Sedona one more time. I did learn that Sedona is much busier on the weekend than during the week and I had to stop at 4 trailheads before I finally found parking at Yavapai Vista Trail. Luck was on my side because this short and easier hike was nothing but great views.

Getting Started

If you are lucky enough to find some parking at the trailhead the trail itself is pretty easy. There are a series of several trails that all intertwine the area including the Coconino Trail, Kaibab Trail, and Yavapai Trail. At the trailhead check the signs to make sure you are following the Yavapai. Throughout the hike the trails will intersect with other trails as well so keeping an eye on the signs is important.

I got a little off track as some of the trail is hard to follow. At points it was hard to differentiate between trail and just empty ground. I was distracted as well by views like this.

The Views

The trail isn’t very hard to handle and is a really nice easy hike. There is a little bit of walking on the boulders themselves but they are mostly flat so almost everyone should be able to enjoy this trail. The views are pretty amazing and are the reason to do this hike.

At the end of the hike are a series of pancake rocks that you can sit on and just take it all in. I am sure this would be a wonderful place to watch a sunset or sunrise as well.

I couldn’t get enough of this spot. The hike to the spot is only about 15 minutes and I think I was sitting here looking at it all for another 15 minutes as well.

Again not an overly technical write up but I am learning that in Sedona some of the best hikes are the ones you end up sitting down instead of walking. So much natural beauty completely surrounding the area. Don’t forget to check the full gallery at the bottom of this post!

Elevation and Distance

If you don’t have the AllTrails app you might want to check it out, I really love mine. It records your progress and is a great way to search for hikes that are nearby and gives you difficulty measurements. According to AllTrails today’s hike was around .66 miles and had a total elevation gain of about 85 feet including undulations. That put the high point at around 4,472 feet. I was also moving for a total of 17 minutes.

I am a Pro member of Alltrails and love it. If you are interested in the platform, please consider using my affiliate link for AllTrails. It gives me a small commission with no extra cost to you.

Effort

This is a pretty easy hike that has a short distance. There is some walking on top of rocks and boulders so you will have to be comfortable with that. Here is the step count from my Fitbit.

Terrain

This trail is mostly a hard packed dirt trail with a few moments of walking on boulders. They aren’t too challenging but towards the end there is about a 15% grade while walking on a boulder. I would recommend some shoes with good traction. This is also a very popular with bikes so make sure you keep an eye out for them as well.

Access

The trailhead for Yavapai Vista is off of highway 179 south of the city of Sedona. The parking area has room for about 20 cars. There is a fee to park at the trailhead which can be a $5 day pass or Red Rock Pass. The day pass can be purchased at the trail through an automated machine. There are also pit toilets at the trailhead.

Wrapping up Yavapai Vista Trail

So there really isn’t much to the hiking portion of this hike but the views are un-matched. A nice short easy hike that almost all should be able to enjoy. As this was just a quick stop on a long day of driving on the Great Southwestern Road Trip, it turned out to an amazing hike. I was completely recharged after sitting and looking at these views.

After doing a few hikes in Sedona I concluded that each one had amazing views and it really is a remarkable place and I can’t wait to head back at some point soon.

I have added this hike and all of my hikes to the interactive map page you can find here. If you have any suggestions for hikes or comments feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com. You can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!