Ranch Loop

RANCH LOOP

Bear Mountain in Sedona seen from FR 761B

Sedona’s back roads provide pleasantly uncrowded alternatives to traditional hiking trails. 

Wildlife water hole along FR 761B

Open to motorized use, the Ranch Loop circuit west of town is also a great place to camp and walk in the high desert. 

Route briefly parallels the Lime Kiln Trail

Situated between the iconic red rock formations of Sedona and the broad skyline of the Bradshaw Mountains, Ranch Loop uses Forest Roads 525, 761B, 761, 525A, and 525C for a striking hike through rangeland and creek courses. While the route sounds complicated on paper, it’s not difficult to follow.

Ranch Loop is easy to follow

Bright sign posts mark the way throughout. Beginning at the signed juncture of FR 525 and 761B, the route winds through sun baked Coconino National Forest grasslands with mountain views all around.

Cottonwoods & willows line Coffee Creek

  On the northwest horizon, the hulking silhouette  of Bear Mountain rises over golden fields while the western front is  filled with the hazy forms of Mingus and Woodchute mountains in Prescott National Forest.  In the south, the elongated slope of House Mountain volcano paint a haunting backdrop.

Great mountain vistas seen throughout the hike

Mostly treeless and exposed to mountain crosswinds, the route changes its colors where it passes by a wildlife water hole and crosses the courses of Spring and Cherry Creeks. The pebble-strewn channels and the pond which is contained by an earthen dam, are cluttered with thick stands of willows, cottonwoods and mesquite trees.  Where the route briefly parallels the cairn-marked Lime Kiln Trail, a smattering of roadside ranch relics begin popping up. 

Spring Creek bisects the route

Rustic fencing, barbed wire and a metal tub stand among tangles of cactus and cat claw. 

Cattle guard at the base of a limestone knoll

House Mountain volcano viewed from the trail

The forest service describes the Ranch Loop as a 6.5 mile trip, but that distance doesn’t include the 2.5-mile leg on FR 525c/525 needed to close up the loop.

Mingus Mountain rises over juniper-dotted plains

 

Rock spires of Sedona on the horizon

The tie-up leg comes just beyond the Windmill Ranch site (private property) where the route meets Forest Road 525C, where hikers must head right (east), hike a half-mile to FR 525, then turn right again for the final 2-mile walk back to the trailhead.

An earthen dam contains this water hole

Pronghorn bolt across an open pasture

LENGTH: 9 miles

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION:  3,768 – 4,100 feet

GETTING THERE:

From the State Route 179/89A traffic circle in uptown Sedona, go 9.7 miles west (left toward Cottonwood) on SR89A to Forest Road 525 (Loy Butte Road) on the right. Turn onto FR525 and go 0.5-mile to the Ranch Loop sign at Forest Road 761E.  There are two designated parking areas before the Ranch loop sign. There are many new dispersed camping sites in the area. Please park, stage and camp only in these designated areas.

INFO & MAP:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=82742