Soldier Pass & Seven Sacred Pools: The In-Town Adventure
Soldier Pass is the rare Sedona trail you can walk to from a residential neighbourhood — and the only one that delivers a sinkhole, a series of natural rock pools, an arch, and a cave on a single 4.5-mile route. Parking is the trick; the Forest Service shuttle is now the only practical access during peak hours.
Trail overview
The Soldier Pass Trail is a 4.5-mile out-and-back climbing roughly 800 feet through three distinct features: Devil\'s Kitchen sinkhole (a 100-foot-deep collapse maybe a quarter mile from the trailhead), the Seven Sacred Pools (a chain of natural sandstone basins that hold water after rains), and the Soldier Pass Arch and Cave at the high point of the route. The full trail continues over the pass to connect with Brins Mesa, but most hikers turn around at the cave for the 4.5-mile round-trip.
What to expect
The trail starts on the sandy old jeep road and reaches Devil\'s Kitchen sinkhole within ten minutes — a striking feature that opened with audible cracking in 1989 (an earlier collapse happened in 1880). Keep dogs and children well back from the unfenced rim. From there the trail wanders up a shallow drainage to the Seven Sacred Pools, which photograph beautifully in spring when they are full. The pools are most reliably wet from January through May; by July they are usually dry sandstone basins.
Beyond the pools the trail climbs more aggressively to the Soldier Pass Cave — a wide overhang with a small natural arch above. The cave is on the right (east) side of the trail and you have to leave the main path and scramble up about 50 feet to reach the entrance. Inside, the alcove is large enough for a dozen people; the arch is visible from the cave floor looking up.
Permits + parking (shuttle required in season)
Since 2022, the Forest Service runs a shuttle service from the Posse Grounds Park-and-Ride to the Soldier Pass trailhead from roughly March through November, 8 AM to 5 PM. Private vehicles cannot use the Soldier Pass parking lot during shuttle hours. Bring a Red Rock Pass for the Posse Grounds lot. Outside shuttle hours (and outside shuttle season) the small Soldier Pass lot opens at the end of Rim Shadows Drive in West Sedona — it holds about fifteen vehicles, time-limited, and fills within 30 minutes of opening.
Best time to go
Early morning. The trail faces east and lights up nicely in the first hour; the sinkhole and pools are best photographed in soft early light. Spring (March-May) is ideal because the Seven Sacred Pools are reliably full. Summer afternoons are exposed and hot. Winter mornings are excellent if the higher trail is not icy.
Difficulty + safety
Moderate. The 800-foot climb to the cave is the only sustained effort; the rest is rolling. Carry 1.5 litres of water per person. The sinkhole has no railing — keep children within arm\'s reach near the rim. The cave scramble is short but loose; sturdy trail shoes recommended. Dogs allowed on-leash; this is a popular dog hike but the cave scramble is awkward for larger dogs.
Stay nearby
Soldier Pass starts a five-minute drive from our West Sedona properties (or a short shuttle ride from the Posse Grounds lot). See our Sedona vacation rentals for properties within easy reach, and check Visit Sedona\'s Soldier Pass guide for the current shuttle schedule.
