Aug 22, 2025
I spent a couple of days in Cottonwood, AZ this week. I had a chance to do Schnebly Hill, Soldier Pass, and Broken Arrow. I thought I would post a couple of pictures and comments
It was August and it was warm. But my Bronco has great A/C. And by going mid-August, you don't have traffic jams in Sedona, you can find parking anywhere, the restaurants are not crowded, and you see either no one, or only Pink Jeeps on the trails. Personally, I thought it was a great trade off. I HATE Sedona crowds...
In any case, the Sedona red rocks are closer than the Moab red rocks. Sure Moab has more trails, and a couple of big rivers. But I think Sedona has a lot to give...
I went down Schnebly Hill. There are a few great views when you start down, but mostly, it is just really rocky. For me, I don't think I would do that one again. Not enough juice for the squeeze...
Soldier Pass can be tough to get a pass for, since they give out only 12 per day. But August is the slowest month, and getting a pass was easy.
The trail was not hard (a 3 maybe?) but the Devil's bathtub and the 7 Sacred Pools are worth going to see.
Finally, Broken Arrow. onX called it a 5, but only the Devil's Staircase is probably a 5. Trails Offroad said that mandatory only was a 3. (Adding the Optionals makes it a 6) But the only way to avoid the Staircase, is by turning back early. Either way, there are lots of obstacles on the 3 or 4 variety though. The views all along, and especially at Chicken Point make this trail worth the trouble. The only other rigs out there were the 4 Pink Jeeps I saw, and they were quite pleasant.
It was August and it was warm. But my Bronco has great A/C. And by going mid-August, you don't have traffic jams in Sedona, you can find parking anywhere, the restaurants are not crowded, and you see either no one, or only Pink Jeeps on the trails. Personally, I thought it was a great trade off. I HATE Sedona crowds...
In any case, the Sedona red rocks are closer than the Moab red rocks. Sure Moab has more trails, and a couple of big rivers. But I think Sedona has a lot to give...
I went down Schnebly Hill. There are a few great views when you start down, but mostly, it is just really rocky. For me, I don't think I would do that one again. Not enough juice for the squeeze...
Soldier Pass can be tough to get a pass for, since they give out only 12 per day. But August is the slowest month, and getting a pass was easy.
The trail was not hard (a 3 maybe?) but the Devil's bathtub and the 7 Sacred Pools are worth going to see.
Finally, Broken Arrow. onX called it a 5, but only the Devil's Staircase is probably a 5. Trails Offroad said that mandatory only was a 3. (Adding the Optionals makes it a 6) But the only way to avoid the Staircase, is by turning back early. Either way, there are lots of obstacles on the 3 or 4 variety though. The views all along, and especially at Chicken Point make this trail worth the trouble. The only other rigs out there were the 4 Pink Jeeps I saw, and they were quite pleasant.
TechnicalDisaster, Deano Bronc