Little Horse Trail to Chicken Point

LITTLE HORSE TRAIL to CHICKEN POINT

View of Cathedral Rock from Little Horse Trail

There are myriad reasons why the Little Horse Trail No. 61 is one of the most popular hiking routes in Sedona.  

Cliff-rose emit a pungent fragrance April- Sept.

Epic vistas, connectivity with the Bell Rock Pathway system of trails, iconic rock formations and rich botanical diversity combine for a classic Red Rock Country trek.

Featherplume bloom March - June

 

Little Horse Trail culminates at Chicken Point

The well-known and heavily-travelled path in Coconino National Forest really draws the crowds and finding parking at the trailhead can be a challenge, especially on weekends. 

Fragrant cliff fendlerbush bloom March - June

The recently introduced Sedona Shuttle service offers a convenient solution to parking quagmires at many of Sedona’s most beloved trails, including this one. So, grab a seat and avoid the headaches as well as the trailhead parking fee.

Smell Gregg's ceanothus March - May

Springtime is the optimal window to experience Little Horse in its full-blown wildflower color storm.

Situated just outside of Munds Mountain Wilderness Area, the hike begins with a 0.3-mile walk on the wide Bell Rock Pathway where views of Cathedral Rock tower above vivid russet cliffs to the west. This sunny segment is fringed with globemallow, antelope horns, blackfoot daisies, sego lilies, evening primroses and fuzzy fleatherplume shrubs.  Head left at the signed Little Horse junction and follow the trail as is descends into a steep-walled drainage.

Evening primrose bloom April - September

 

Scenic point over a gorge on Little Horse Trail

Once through the stony corridor, the trail begins a steady uphill climb on staircase-like sandstone slabs, twisting among blooming cliff-rose shrubs that emit a pungent fragrance that most folks either love or hate. This polarizing aroma competes with the softer lilac notes of the Gregg’s ceanothus bush and the subtle orange bouquet of cliff fendlerbush. 

Antelope horns bloom April - August

Waxy yucca flowers blooms April - July

The desert blooms provide olfactory distractions worthy of taking a moment to breath in.   Ducking among pockets of cypress, pinon and fir, breaks in the tree cover frame views of Chapel of the Holy Cross plus the iconic Madonna and the Nuns, Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte rock formations before meeting the turnoff for an optional side trip up to Chicken Point.  The not to be missed spur path flanked by yucca and gangly agave stalks culminates on a rounded sandstone mound bolstered by striated, weather-worn spires and views that extend to the distant Bradshaw Mountains.

Sandstone spires surround Chicken Point

A stream of visitors doing handstands and yoga poses on a stone outcropping is the closing act at trail’s end. 

Globemallow color the trail April - September

Sego lilies can be white or pink and bloomApril - July

LENGTH: 3.6 miles roundtrip

RATING:  moderate

ELEVATION: 4,240 – 4,400 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 17 north of Camp Verde, take the Sedona-Oak Creek exit 298 for State Route 179. Continue on SR 179 to milepost 308.9 (3.6 miles south of the SR 179/89A traffic circle in Sedona)  and turn right into the Little Horse trailhead parking lot. There is a restroom at the trailhead. You can park either at the trailhead or at the North SR 179 Park & Ride and take the Sedona Shuttle for free.

FEE: A Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful Pass is required to park.

There is a self-serve permit kiosk at the trailhead.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/recarea/?recid=54892

INFO & MAPS:

COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recarea/?recid=55336

SEDONA SHUTTLE

https://sedonashuttle.com/

Little Horse Trail

LITTLE HORSE TRAIL

Water pools in a drainage on Little Horse Trail

When driving north on Interstate 17 toward Flagstaff, there comes a point when high-desert scrub gives way to Ponderosa pines.  

Deep woods on a ledgy section of Little Horse Trail

The vegetation transition begins on an uphill grade around milepost 311 and quicky evolves into full-blown high country pine forests.  This is a happy summer rite of passage for travelers looking to escape desert summer heat.  By the time the freeway reaches Munds Park, a mountain hamlet 20 miles south of Flagstaff that’s known for its abundant outdoor recreation opportunities, heat-weary travelers are ready to pull over and take a walk in the woods.

Hike begins at the Pinewood trailhead in Munds Park

Munds Park is a great place to do so.  The area is home to the Munds Park and Kelly OHV trail systems which combine for over 100 miles of hiker and shared-use trails, that debark from easy-to-reach trailheads.  A good start point for exploring this shady stretch of Coconino National Forest just west of Mormon Lake is the Little Horse Trail that begins at the Pinewood trailhead located just 2 miles from Interstate 17.

Nelson's larkspur grows in sunny meadows

The shared use route wanders through cool woodlands between Munds Park and Mormon Lake.

Simple and shaded, the hike follows a dirt path that’s open to hikers, equestrians, bikes and small motorized vehicles. 

Water and pines make for a cool summer hike

The first mile roughly traces Forest Road 240 where dispersed campsites fill up quickly in summer before swerving away from the road and onto ledges above a shallow canyon. 

There are over 100 miles of trails in the area

Over the barely noticeable 200-foot climb, the route passes through dense tree cover dominated by Ponderosa pines, Gamble oaks and New Mexico locust.  Two miles in, glimpses of the green

drainage area below, and if you have a sharp eye, communication towers on Mormon Mountain to the east peek through tree branches. 

Rocky Mountain iris bloom in May -June

Right about where the route begins an easy dip into the drainage, a pool of residual water sits in a sunny clearing surrounded by a jagged rock wall and a moist swale where Rocky Mountain irises add blazes of purple in May and June.  

Woodhouse's phlox grows abundantly on the trail

A few yards east of the water, the trail crosses the drainage, heads up an embankment and meets Forest Road 700 F.  Up to this point, the trail seems to cater more to foot traffic and bikes, but once past FR700F, it’s an OHV paradise.  That’s why, for hikers, the road is a good turnaround point for an easy six-miler.

Watch for signs where the trail crosses a drainage

LENGTH: 6 miles roundtrip  to FR 700 F and back

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 6,781 – 7,008 feet

GETTING THERE:

Pinewood Trailhead

From Interstate 17, take the Munds Park exit #322 and continue 2 miles east on Pinewood Boulevard (Forest Road 240) to the parking area on the left.  Trail begins at the north end of the lot. Roads are paved with a short section of maintained dirt that's fine for all vehicles.

INFO & MAPS:

http://www.mundsparktrailstewards.com/

 

LLAMA TRAIL

LLAMA TRAIL

Sedona

Madonna and Two Nuns as seen from Llama Trail

Some of Arizona's most beautiful hiking trails reside miles beyond the vestiges of civilization along impossibly convoluted, tire-eating backroads. For those with a vehicle robust enough for the journey, the payoff is a kind of solitude unique to Arizona's remote regions. If you're driving a compact sedan, your destination options are more limited, but there are places where its possible to park at a groomed trailhead off a paved byway and still unplug from the masses. Once such destination departs from the heavily used Little Horse trailhead in Sedona.

Cathedral Rock on horizon

A quick assessment of the crowded parking lot might lead you to doubt the claim that peace and quite lie beyond the throngs of camera totting tourists and scampering kids. However, in less than a mile, the Llama Trail veers away from the mobs of hikers who mostly stick to the main routes leading to Chicken Point and Bell Rock. Originally blazed by mountain bikers, this alternative route covers much of the same territory as the big name trails but without the elbow-to-elbow traffic. It's still a major thruway for bikers, who relish the fast slick rock and wavy earth, so stay alert especially near blind turns. Although not entirely insulated from the hum of vehicles on Highway 179, Llama Trail rubs the boundary of Munds Mountain Wilderness and the plumb walls of Lee Mountain. It's just rough around the edges enough for a feral yet familiar ambiance. You'll never feel lost here because world famous rock formations visible throughout the hike help with orientation. Madonna and the Nuns plus Capitol Butte guard the north, while Courthouse and Bell Rocks anchor the southern horizon. To the west, the unmistakable spires of Cathedral Rock blush pink at sunset. There are several ways to tie the trail into a day hike. Here's one to try.

From the trailhead, follow Bell Rock Pathway 0.3 mile south and turn left onto Little Horse Trail. Hike 0.6 mile to the Llama Trail junction on the right. Hike 2.6 miles to Baby Bell Trail, turn right and go 0.2 mile back to Bell Rock Pathway and follow it 1.7 miles back to the trailhead.

Take this turn to bypass the crowds

LENGTH: 5.4 mile loop

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 4240' - 4400'

FEE: A Red Rock Pass is required to park.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino/home/?cid=stelprdb5416207

GETTING THERE:

From Phoenix, travel north on Interstate 17 to the Sedona-Oak Creek/State Route 179 exit 298. Head west (left) on SR179 and continue to the Little Horse trailhead on the right at milepost 308.9.

INFO: Coconino National Forest

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/ohv/recarea/?recid=74312&actid=50

LITTLE HORSE to CHICKEN POINT

LITTLE HORSE TRAIL

Oak Creek-Sedona

Approach to Chicken Point

You'll want to save your camera batteries for the last quarter-mile of this hike. That's because the final uphill scramble over slick rock lands hikers on Chicken Point--one of Sedona’s most photographed sites. From this rust-red perch, "fly-over" perspectives of Sedona's iconic Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte rival those seen from helicopter tours.  Located between busy SR179 and Munds Mountain Wilderness, this hike straddles the spheres of "been there" and "out there". In addition to views of the keynote landmarks, the Little Horse trail's soft substrate and simple route ambles among high desert vegetation on its climb to the scenic overlook where the trail connects with Broken Arrow and Chapel Trails as well as a popular Jeep tour road.

Photo moments on Chicken Point

LENGTH: 2.2 miles one way (include access path)

RATING: moderate

ELEVATION: 4280' - 4570'
FEE: a Red Rock Pass is required. There's a self-serve kiosk at the trailhead. Daily option is $5.
FACILITIES: restroom, map board

GETTING THERE:

From Phoenix, travel north on I17 to the Sedona-Oak Creek/SR179 exit 298.  Head west (left) on SR179 and continue to the Little Horse trailhead at milepost 308.9.

INFO: Red Rock Ranger District, Coconino National Forest, 928-203-2900

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=55336&actid=50

Chapel of the Holy Cross as seen from Little Horse Trail

MORE PHOTOS:

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