Doe Mountain Trail

Every year, the trail leading to the top of Doe Mountain seems to grow in popularity as more and more hikers seek out the mesa’s 360-degree views. It’s easy to see why so many flock to this trail. We’ve been enjoying this one for years and consider it to be a personal favorite. After a short and steep ascent and a quick jaunt around a mesa, you’re rewarded with those breathtaking views that so many seek out when in Sedona. The trail climbs 0.7 mile in a series of moderately steep, rocky switchbacks that afford views of Bear Mountain and the surrounding ranches. The last few feet of the climb require you to shimmy up a slick-rock chute, and then you are free to roam the flat expanse of the mesa top. The trail gains roughly 524 feet in elevation from the trailhead to the trail’s end.
A relatively easy-to-follow trail leads first to the northeast side of the mesa, winding around low-lying prickly pear cacti, tall stalks of blooming century plants and bushy juniper trees. Exploring the rim of Doe Mountain is definitely the most enjoyable part of the hike. Watch your footing and step to the edge for unobstructed, vertigo-inducing views of the forest far below. In front of you, Sedona’s most iconic formations stand tall – you’ll see Capitol Butte, Cathedral Rock, Airport Mesa, the Mogollon Rim and Courthouse Butte. Lizards scurried around us and a deft chipmunk skittered around red-rock boulders. We also spotted rabbits and birds nesting in the trees.

Above is a red rock formation sticking out in the sky on West Sedona’s Doe Mountain trail. Doe Mountain is a roughly 3.6-mile out-and-back hike that offers striking, 360-degree views of Sedona’s red rocks from the summit. After a steep 0.7-mile series of switchbacks to the top of a mesa, hikers will walk along the mesa to reach the end of the trail. Awaiting them there are breathtaking, unobstructed views of Red Rock Country.

As we made our way around the mesa, southern views included Sedona Red Rock High School and Schuerman Mountain. To the southwest, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome and Mingus Mountain came into view. On the morning when we last completed this hike, we even saw multiple hot air balloons scattered throughout the bright blue sky. Head here early in the morning to try to take in that majestic site. We also came upon a cluster of anchor bolts installed by rock climbers, though there were no climbers in the area during our hike.

The top of the mesa is large, and you can easily spend hours exploring its cracks, crevices, spires and views. There are some great ledges for picnicking on the south side of the mountain, but keep in mind that it’s almost always windy in the area, as evidenced by the gnarled tree trunks of the junipers that grow close to the mesa’s edge. Be careful on the ledge here too. There’s a drop off that’s several hundred feet. Return the way you came – being mindful of any loose rocks – for a hike that’s clocks in at about 3.6 miles total.