How to Hike Soldier Pass Trail and to Soldier Pass Cave in Sedona

PLANNING TO HIKE SOLDIER PASS TRAIL?

We’ve got all the info you need! We’ve been visiting Sedona since 2016 and one of our favorite hikes during our last visit was the Soldier Pass Trail. It is one of many great hiking trails in Sedona.

It is a very kid-friendly trail because it is pretty flat with the exception of the climb up to the Soldier Pass Cave if you go that far. This is a great hike for the average hikers like us!

There are also lots of fun things to see along the way like the Seven Sacred Pools, the Devils Kitchen sinkhole, and the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness. You can even extend the hike into the wilderness if you want to explore this beautiful area more. This is a great part of Arizona to explore and a short drive from Phoenix.

The only tricky part of the hike is finding parking. The Soldier Pass main trailhead has very limited parking but there are other trailhead options that meet up with the Soldier Pass trail. This is one of the most popular hikes. And like Sedona vortex tours, this hike is also one of the most popular things to do in Sedona.

Soldier Pass Trail in Sedona Stats

These trail statistics are for if you start and end your hike at the Soldier Pass trailhead. If you have to park somewhere else or add on the Brins Mesa loop, your hike will be longer.

This also includes climbing up into the cave which has quite a bit of elevation gain. If you are not hiking up into the cave, the trail has some little ups and downs but it is mostly level ground.

Distance: 4.4 miles
Total Elevation Gain: 780 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Route Type: Out and Back
Length of Hiking Time: 2.5 to 4 hours

How difficult is Soldier Pass Hike?

The majority of the Soldier Pass hike is really easy. There are some small ups and downs but overall, it is an easy trail. The elevation gain comes if you climb up into the cave. This has a moderate grade, but it is doable. My six-year-old twins hiked up into the cave without too much difficulty and some extra breaks. Make sure to bring plenty of water.

How Long Does it Take to Hike Soldiers Pass Trail?

Overall, I would plan on 2 to 3 hours to hike to Soldier Pass Cave if you aren’t hiking with kids in Sedona. We did take some extra breaks and had lunch at the cave so that made our hike a bit longer. It took us about 4 hours.

Soldier Pass Trail Map

SoldierS Pass Trailhead Parking

The Sedona Pass trailhead is just a few minutes, about 3 miles, from downtown Sedona. You will drive north on Soldier Pass Road for about 1.5 miles. Then you will turn right on Rim Shadows Drive through a residential area. The parking lot will be on your left on Forest Service 9904 Road. The parking lot gate is open from 8 am to 6 pm.

There is no overflow parking here because it is in a neighborhood. If you park on the side of the neighborhood roads in Rim Shadows your car will get towed. It is also important to know that you can’t wait on the street for a parking spot to open. If you are caught waiting on the street, you could get a ticket upwards of $200.

As I said above, the hardest part of this hike is finding a parking spot because of the small parking lot. At the Soldier Pass trailhead, the parking lot is really small. It only holds 14 vehicles and does not have space for larger vehicles. As this is a popular hiking trail in Sedona, the parking lot fills up quickly.

You do not need to have a Red Rock Pass to park here.

Best Time to Visit

The gates for parking open at 8 am and can fill up within a few minutes during the peak season. Some people get there about 15 minutes before the gates open to secure a spot.

We aren’t really a get up at the crack of dawn to go hiking family, so we tested our luck with trying to a parking spot later in the morning. I estimated that if people started their hike at 8 am when the gates opened, they would start getting back to their vehicles between 10:30 am and 12:00 pm.

This ended up working well for us. There were about three or four cars leaving when we got there around 10:30 am so we were able to park at the Soldier Pass Trailhead parking lot. It is just a luck of the draw whether there will be a parking spot there or not.

Our family hiking the Soldier Pass trail

The parking lot gates close here at 6:00 pm so make sure you can get back to your car. Otherwise, you will be locked in for the evening and could get a ticket. If you won’t be back my 6:00 pm you can park at the Jordan Road Trailhead.

Soldier Pass Trailhead Shuttle

While we were parking at the trailhead, there were some people using an individual offering shuttle service to the trailhead. We didn’t use this service so we can’t share our experience but there were quite a few people using it.

If you have a large group, you can drop everyone off at the trailhead and then meet the shuttle at the Posse Grounds Park, just a few minutes from the trailhead. You can also just meet her at the park and shuttle your entire group over.

This service usually runs Friday through Monday starting at 7:30 am but can vary because it is just an individual running a private shuttle. Pickup is usually every 20 minutes. The phone number for the shuttle is 728-592-2011.

Alternative Trailheads

If you aren’t able to snag a parking spot in the Soldier Pass Trailhead parking lot, there are some alternatives that will still get you to the trail. You’ll just have to walk a little bit farther.

Jim Thompson Trailhead

The Jim Thompson Trailhead parking lot, also used for the Brins Mesa Trailhead, is north of Uptown Sedona. There is parking space for about 50 cars, but you do have to have a Red Rock Pass to park here. You can use an America the Beautiful Pass here as well.

The parking lot does fill up throughout the day, but you have a better chance of finding a spot here because it is bigger. This parking lot does not close so you can hike later in the day as well if you start your hike here.

Once you have parked, the shortest way (about 1 mile one-way) to the Soldier Pass Cave is by the Cibola Pass Trail and Jordan Trail. The Cibola Trail meets up with the Jordan Trail which will connect you with the Soldier Pass Trail near Devil’s Kitchen.

After visiting the Soldier Pass Cave, you can take the Brins Mesa Trail around if you don’t want to come back the way you came. The overall length for this loop is just over 6 miles.

Soldier Pass 4×4 Trail

Another fun way to get to the highlights of the Soldier Pass hike is with a 4×4 vehicle. There is a high-clearance jeep trail and it is accessible through the Soldier Pass Trailhead parking lot.

Soldier Pass Trail Permit

You do need a permit to drive down the road. There are only 12 permits given out each day but every time I have looked there have been passes available, sometimes even a few days before you are wanting to go on the road.

You can apply for your permit at recreation.gov.

From this road, you can park really close to the Seven Sacred Pools and Devil’s Kitchen. From there, you can continue down the road where it dead ends. You can park here and then hike up to the cave.

Highlights of the Soldier Pass Trail

From the parking area, you will see a gated road. This is not the trail. This is the 4×4 road used by jeep tours and those with driving permits. The start of the trail is on the east side of the parking lot.

Devil’s Kitchen Sinkhole

The first thing to see along the trail is the Devil’s Kitchen Sinkhole. It is a short distance, about 0.25 miles, from the trailhead. The deep sinkhole is 150 feet wide and 50 feet deep.

It is a large sinkhole, collapsing in 1989 and then again in 1995. In 1989, it is estimated that about 40% of the sinkhole fell. This is a quick and easy stop along the trail, but it is interesting to see. You can walk around the sinkhole but be careful because there are not any guardrails.

There are also some interesting signs to read talking about the sinkhole and what causes them.

Seven Sacred Pools

After about another half-mile, you will get to the Seven Sacred Pools. They are a bunch of small pools of water that can cascade into each other depending on the rainfall. The tall red rocks behind the pools are so pretty!

This is a great place to take a break if your family needs one and let the kids climb around. My kids loved exploring the pools and climbing. It is also one of the best places to take pictures besides at Soldier Pass Cave. If you want to get a picture with all seven pools, you can take a picture from the 4×4 service road above.

We have visited the pools two different times and have found them filled with water each time. However, water in the pool does depend on rainfall so there is a chance they could be empty, especially if you are visiting during the summer.

Seven Sacred Pools along the Soldier Pass Trail

Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness

After passing the end of the 4×4 road you will reach the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness. This is a great area to extend your hike if you would like. There are so many small trails going through this area and the scenery is beautiful.

Soldier Pass Cave

Without a doubt, the highlight of this trail is Soldier Pass Cave. The cave is a two-story, rock cave that has beautiful views from a cave window. You can climb up into the cave to explore and enjoy the beautiful views.

You will need to take an offshoot from the main trail to get to the cave, but it isn’t difficult to find. When we hiked to the Birthing Cave, we needed the GPS coordinates to get there. The trail is really easy to follow to the Soldier Pass Cave.

How to Get to Soldier Pass Cave

To get to Soldier Pass Cave, you will hike by Devil’s Kitchen and the Seven Sacred Pools along the Soldier Pass hike. After about 1.2 miles of hiking from the Soldier Pass trailhead, there is a fork in the trail. This is just past the end of the 4×4 road.

From the fork in the road, there is a 0.5-mile walk to the cave. This half-mile is the hardest part of the hike and has a steep grade. There are some rocky sections where you may have to help your kids.

Turnoff for Soldier’s Pass Cave

There is a fork in the trail that you need to look out for. If you are coming from the Seven Sacred Pools, the right fork will take you up to Soldier Pass Cave. This spur trail is much more noticeable and apparent. You can also keep an eye out for the wilderness boundary marker.

The left side of the fork is a smaller trail and is a continuation of the Soldier Pass Trail. This trail continues on to the Brins Mesa Trail. This is the alternative way back to the Jordan Road Trailhead if you are wanting to hike the 6-mile loop.

If you are coming from the Seven Sacred Pools and find a yellow sign for the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness, you have missed the turnoff. You’ll need to retrace your steps to find the fork in the trail.

Exploring Soldier Pass Cave

The cave looks like a large arch in the rocks with a deeper hole above it. The outside of the cave is a fun place to take pictures because of this large arch. There is also an additional large arch just to the left of the main one.

Once you have arrived, you can relax, eat some lunch and then climb up into the cave. You will need to climb up a pile of rocks to get into the cave, but this wasn’t very challenging. It can be harder to climb back down out of the cave. We found it easier to climb down facing out so you can see better where you are putting your feet. There is some scrambling up rocks like on the Cathedral Rock trail.

If you’re really daring, there is a way you can climb into the top window from the outside. If you are looking at the cave, on the right-hand side there is a small ledge you can climb along into the top open archway. We didn’t do this but there were a couple of people who did this while we were there. You can climb up this way and then come down on the rock stairs.

Once you are inside the cave, you get the fun part of exploring. You do need to be careful in the cave because there is some slant to the floor. You can take pictures and be sure to check out the archway window looking out of the cave for great views. It is so pretty inside.

While we were there, everyone was just exploring the cave together but other times there is a line to get into the cave for pictures.

If you’re looking for other Sedona caves to visit, be sure to hike to the Birthing Cave next!

Returning to the Trailhead

After you have finished exploring Soldier Pass Cave, you can either extend your hike or come back the way you came. If you would like to extend your hike, head right off the offshoot trail to keep going on the Soldier Pass trail in Sedona. Eventually, you will get to the Brins Mesa trail looping back to the beginning of the Solider Pass trail.

We chose to head back to the original trailhead after spending time in the cave. We walked back on the 4×4 road because we were tired and ready to get back to the car. If you do walk back on the road, you will need to keep an eye out for vehicles driving on the road.

You can also walk back in on the trail that you came in on. Either way will get you back to the parking lot.

Looking for some other Sedona hikes? Check out Bell Rock and Devil’s Bridge!

Where to Stay in Sedona

We have stayed in hotels in Sedona as well as camped in our RV. There are lots of great dispersed camping spots in Sedona as well as great campgrounds.

The Bell Rock Inn is a great place to stay near Devil's Bridge

If you are wanting to stay in a hotel, we recommend Bell Rock Inn by Diamond Resorts. We have stayed there before, and it is a great place to stay. In our studio, we had a full-size fridge and hot plate which made it really easy to cook meals and save some money on eating out.

The staff was very helpful and accommodating. Plus, they have two awesome outdoor pools and a hot tub. They even heat the pools in the winter to around 80F so you can enjoy them year-round. My kids loved getting to swim every night after our hiking. They also have a gym on-site and a BBQ area.

Check Prices for Bell Rock Inn Here!

Conclusion: Soldier Pass Trail in Sedona

We hope you found this article helpful in planning your hike on the beautiful Soldier Pass Trail in Sedona. It is a great hike for families and the average hiker. There are so many fun things to see along the way to the Soldier Pass Cave that it really is a fun trail to explore. We just love all of the things to see in Northern Arizona like Antelope Canyon and the scenery in Sedona.

Our six-year-old twins did great on the Soldier Pass trail and overall it was a fun way to experience the beautiful Sedona desert. If you’re just up visiting for the day, this is one of the best outdoor things to do in Phoenix.

If you have any questions about hiking Soldier Pass, please let us know in the comments below or you can reach out to us on Instagram.

Additional Sedona Travel Blogs

Sedona is such a magical place to visit. Every time we find ourselves in Arizona, we stop by, even if it is just for a couple of days. The beautiful scenery and amazing hiking trails make it a great place to visit. It is also a great place to drive through if you are heading out on a road trip through the American Southwest.

If you’re looking for more info on traveling to Sedona, Arizona, check out these additional Sedona travel guides: