Devil's Bridge Trail in Sedona

It's a spooky name for a heavenly hike. But I suppose whenever you walk across a sandstone bridge that's open on all sides, weathered, trodden and cracked, soaring many feet over a canyon, there's a sense you're letting the devil - or at least a madman - take the wheel.

Devil's Bridge Trail (Trail 120 in Sedona) is actually a relatively easy hike with a modest elevation change. It's only steep in a few, short sections as you climb to both the bridge and several amazing overlooks. Natural but seemingly carved or stacked steps make it a steady and manageable ascent. The biggest obstacle (or maybe it's a blessing) is the almost impassable forest road that lead to the trailhead. It's FR 152, off of Dry Creek Road, and it's steep, rocky and rutted. Like many hikers, I finally gave up the idea of driving to the trailhead and parked my not-quite-high-clearance-enough 4Runner to hoof it instead. In this case, it almost doubled the hike's distance.

Not counting the road trek, it's less than two miles round trip to reach the Bridge. In constant view are red rocks, red sand, prickly pear cacti, various yuccas, along with juniper and pinyon trees. A few scrub jays squawked, but on this relatively warm September afternoon the only wildlife on view was the couple of ATV enthusiasts who celebrated their mountaineering with Bud Lights.

In the end, the famous red sandstone landscapes are a continuous reminder that you're in a magical country of breathtaking vistas. Devil's Bridge is a mystifyingly dizzying - but safe! - natural vantage point to witness them.