Broken Arrow & Submarine Rock: The Hike on the Jeep Trail
Broken Arrow is most famous as the Pink Jeep Tours route, but it is also a legitimate hike — a 4.4-mile out-and-back on a wide jeep road that climbs through some of the most dramatic slickrock terrain in Sedona, with Submarine Rock and Chicken Point as the showpiece destinations. Expect to share the road with jeeps; expect the views to be worth it.
Trail overview
The Broken Arrow hike follows the Broken Arrow jeep road from the Morgan Road trailhead to Chicken Point, a slickrock overlook 2.2 miles up the route. The total round-trip is 4.4 miles with about 500 feet of elevation gain. Submarine Rock (a long, narrow sandstone formation roughly half a mile shy of Chicken Point) is the other natural turnaround if you want a slightly shorter hike. The road is open to high-clearance 4WD vehicles and Pink Jeep tour groups, so plan for traffic — most groups pass to one side and let the jeeps through, which works fine as long as you are not on a narrow ledge.
What to expect
The hike opens on a sandy two-track and quickly climbs onto slickrock benches with views of the surrounding red rock. Submarine Rock is reached by a short signed spur off the main road — a 200-yard walk to the top of a long, narrow sandstone ridge that earned its name from the conning-tower-shaped feature at one end. It is one of the most photogenic features on the route. Continuing on the main road, you climb steadily to Chicken Point, a wide slickrock terrace with 360-degree views of the back side of Cathedral Rock, Twin Buttes, and the entire Sedona skyline. Chicken Point is the natural turnaround for hikers.
The Pink Jeep Broken Arrow tour passes you on this same road; the jeeps are operated professionally and yield to hikers in narrow sections. Wave, smile, step aside. The tours are a 90-minute round-trip from Uptown Sedona — if you have not done one with the kids, see our Pink Jeep guide.
Permits + parking
The hike starts at the Morgan Road trailhead in South Sedona, off SR-179. A Red Rock Pass is required ($5 day). The Morgan Road lot is small and fills quickly; overflow parking is along Morgan Road shoulder where legal.
Best time to go
Spring and fall are ideal. Summer afternoons on the exposed slickrock are brutal — start by 7 AM in June through September or skip the hike. Winter mornings are excellent if no snow. The jeep tours run year-round; expect more traffic on weekends.
Difficulty + safety
Moderate. The 500-foot climb is steady but never steep; the road tread is solid throughout. Carry 1.5-2 litres of water per person. Dogs welcome on-leash but the heat on the slickrock surface makes summer hikes hard on paws — bring booties or skip the hike in hot weather. Stay aware of jeep traffic; the operators are courteous but you cannot assume a jeep will see you around a blind corner.
Hike or jeep tour?
Owner take: do the jeep tour at least once. The Pink Jeep Broken Arrow guides know the geology, the history, and the route in a way that walking it solo will not give you, and the famous "Devil\'s Staircase" descent is something you simply cannot do on foot. Then come back and hike the route on your own a day or two later — you will see the slickrock through different eyes. The hike-only version is excellent for groups who prefer self-paced movement or who want to avoid the cost of the tour; the tour-only version is best for first-time visitors and families with kids who want the high-energy guided experience.
Stay nearby
The Morgan Road trailhead is a ten-minute drive from our Village of Oak Creek rentals. See our Sedona vacation rentals for properties within easy reach, and check Visit Sedona for current trail conditions.
