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Sunday, 30 March 2014

Sterling Pass

Another Sedona hike turns out to be better and more unique than the rest.


Sedona has some of the best hikes around--better than the Grand Canyon in my opinion. No matter how busy or tired you might be, you will never regret hiking there. The weather is ideal year round, the trails all have their own adventurous flair, and the view at the top is always breathtaking.

Sterling Pass is one of my favorite trails to date. It begins on the side of the highway, but feels completely secluded about 15 minutes in, once you turn the corner into a forest. From there you are surrounded by trees and tall cliffs of rock until you reach a saddle, which is its highest point. It doesn't give you a view of Sedona as most hikes do, but there is beautiful scenery along the whole trail.




From there you go back down into a canyon. I'm sure would be an exciting place on a rainy day (seriously prone to flash floods). Keep hiking along the bottom of the Canyon, and you'll see a fork in the trail. If you follow that trail that goes Southeast, you'll scramble up to a natural bridge made of limestone rock. My friends and I joked about sleeping on the bridge during a warm summer night. We probably will. This is a perfect hike to hoist all your necessities on your back and camp for the night in the canyon on the other side of the mountain. It was what I found so exciting and unique about it.




Access: It's easy to miss, but the trail head is labeled, so you'll know when you've found it. It's on the West side of the Highway 89A north of Sedona. Going South on the 89A, it will be just past mile marker 380, going North on the 89A, it will be just past the Manzanita campgrounds. You can just park on the side of the road near the trail head




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