Brins Mesa Trail: A Magical Sedona Loop Trail with Panoramic Views
Brins Mesa Trail is a lesser known trail in Sedona, but that doesn’t mean the views are any less than stunning. The trail includes Soldiers Pass Trail, a very popular trail, and continues further into the red rock wilderness. It winds through a forest of pines, some of Sedona’s iconic landmarks, and has 360 views atop the mesa. You don’t want to miss it!
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WHY SHOULD I HIKE BRINS MESA TRAIL?
You should hike Brins Mesa Trail if you’re looking to get away from the crowds, at least for part of the hike. It’s moderate in difficulty and has amazing views. The amazing part about Sedona is the endless amount of hikes. I’ve been to Sedona 20+ times, and I didn’t hike Brins Mesa Trail until just recently. Every new view of the red rocks feels like my first. This trail is stunning- take it from me.
WHERE IS BRINS MESA TRAIL?
Brins Mesa Trail is only a few miles West of Uptown Sedona. If you’re visiting from out of state, the red rock paradise of Sedona is located about 2 hours north of Phoenix, Arizona. Because Brins Mesa Trail is so close to everything in Sedona, it’s a popular area. It also shares trails with Soldiers Pass, one of the most popular hiking and OHV trails.
GETTING TO BRINS MESA TRAIL
There are TWO ways/locations to start Brins Mesa Trail. You can either park or shuttle to the Soldiers Pass Trailhead OR park at Jordan Trailhead.
1. START AT SOLDIERS PASS TRAIL: If you choose to start at Soldiers Pass, you can park there Monday-Wednesday. The biggest limiting factor currently for parking is that Sedona now has a Shuttle that prevents you from parking at popular trailheads on every Thursday to Sunday. One of these Shuttle Stops includes the Soldier’s Pass Trail. I understand why they do it- because these areas get so busy and they are trying to protect the privacy of the residents, but it sometimes makes logistics difficult.
The Shuttle runs from 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM. Per the national forest, the trailhead is closed between 6pm- 8am except by shuttle. I don’t like this- it makes sunset and sunrise inaccessible. Pets are allowed on the shuttle- but have to be wearing a muzzle. The Posse Grounds Park and Ride (20 Carruth Dr) will get you to Soldier’s Pass.
source: Sedona Shuttle
2. START AT JORDAN TRAILHEAD: An alternative to this would be to park at the Jordan Trailhead, slightly more northeast. This parking lot fits MANY MORE CARS than the Soldiers Pass Trailhead AND there’s no shuttle. I will mention, the road in is ROUGH. Not long, but ROUGH. But there are parking spots earlier for cars that aren’t made for driving over big rocks.
START HIKING BRINS MESA TRAIL
TAKE THE SEDONA CARES PLEDGE
BEFORE HIKING- it’s important to remember how lucky we are to be able to recreate on this public land. Sedona created a pledge of important LEAVE NO TRACE principles that we all need to follow. Pledge yourself HERE.
- The rocks are red and the silence is golden. I vow to respect the natural quiet of Sedona’s open spaces and neighborhoods.
- I will be mindful of Sedona’s arid environment by minimizing my water and energy use and I will be extremely careful with fire.
- I’ll make my own memories, but not my own trails.
- I won’t risk life or limb (human or sapling) for more likes. I won’t get killed for a killer photo.
- When playing outside, I’ll be ready for rapid changes in weather and random episodes of magic.
- Leave No Trace and pack out trash – that includes TP and pup poo!
- I will discover art in Sedona’s galleries rather than making my own. Carving on trees or rocks, stacking stones, or defacing the environment diminishes nature’s art.
- If I can’t find a parking spot, I will not invent my own. I will go with the traffic flow, using my turn signal often and my car horn seldom.
- I’ll be caring and considerate wherever I go, because that’s the Sedona way.
Let’s start on your hiking adventure on Brins Mesa Loop. Whether you start at Soldiers Pass Trailhead or Jordan Pass Trailhead, you can choose to hike clockwise or counter-clockwise. You can also choose to add on side trails to the Soldiers Pass Cave or Brins Mesa Summit.
We decided to start hiking from Jordan Trailhead to avoid the shuttle. We chose to hike clockwise to hit the cave during daytime and be on the side of Brins Mesa to enjoy sunset. We started at 3pm when sunrise was at 6:45. That gave us plenty of time to enjoy each landmark. You could also choose to go counter clockwise and see Seven Sacred Pools at sunset, but it’s hard to photograph because of the backlighting.
BRINS MESA TRAIL STATS
You can see the fork in the trail here after starting Brins Mesa Trail. We went left, so clockwise (starting at 6pm if you think of a clock). From here, its 1 mile of a slow incline until you meet the soldiers pass junction. This part of the hike isn’t anything crazy, but Sedona is always beautiful. It was 95 degrees when we started our hike, so I didn’t care to take too many photos LOL.
SOLDIERS PASS SECTION
After you hit the junction (on your right), you’ll get to see Devil’s Kitchen, Seven Sacred Pools, and even the Soliders Pass Cave if you’re up for it. I won’t go into too many details here because I have a detailed blog post on this (below).
WANT TO KNOW HOW TO FIND THE SOLDIERS PASS CAVE?
Read my post here: Soldier’s Pass Trail Review
BRINS MESA AND SOLDIERS PASS JUNCTION
Whether you decide to make a side stop to the Soldiers Pass Cave or not, after you hit this area you’ll make a steep incline up to the Soldiers Pass- Brins Mesa Trail junction. I was too tired to look behind me most of the time, but the canyon views are incredible.
You’ve done most of the incline once you’ve gotten to this point, but you do still have a moderate incline to get to the top of Brins Mesa. There is a trail to the right that is a social trail to the top of Brins Butte, but we didn’t do this trail. I loved the 360 views back here. We didn’t see anyone on the trail, which was so refreshing.
Once you’re at the point where the incline stops, the views are amazing. We stopped here for sunset photos. The glow on the red rock was incredible, and after that it was all downhill for the last mile. This was my favorite part of the hike!
NEED SOMEWHERE TO CAMP??
I’ve created a FORTY PAGE GUIDE outlining all the best free and paid campsites in Northern Arizona, including Sedona.
It can be hard to spend hours researching campsites, trying to figure out were they’re located, what they look like, the price, and the amenities. With my guide, those days are over! I give you everything you need to know, with links to my Google Maps AND it’s in a PDF so you can access it any time!
FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT BRINS MESA TRAIL
Brins Mesa Trail was amazing. My favorite part was how quiet it was- but that could have been due to the heat, haha. The views are amazing, the incline isn’t too bad, and you’re surrounded 360 by red rock. Highly recommend.
WANT TO CHECK OUT A FEW OTHER HIKES WHILE IN SEDONA?
Sedona is full of beautiful hikes, none of which that are too long!
Check out my post: The Subway Cave (Boynton Canyon Trail)
Off-the-beaten path: How to Find Keyhole Cave
A Sedona Classic: Cathedral Rock
A Quiet Hike: Doe Mountain
