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Hiking the Sugarloaf Trail Sedona | Best Sunrise Hike Sedona
We came across Sugarloaf Mountain after researching places for epic sunrises in Sedona. After hiking the Sugarloaf Trail in Sedona, it’s safe to say, this may be the best and easiest sunrise hike with fantastic views.
Sugarloaf Trail Sedona is under two miles round trip and offers a peaceful escape from the other much more busy trails in Sedona. You’ll likely only run into a couple of other people on the trail, which is insane with how good the views are!
At the Sugarloaf Trail Summit, you’ll be greeted with 360-degree views of things like Airport Mesa, Chimney Rock, Steamboat Rock, and Capitol Butte (a.k.a. Thunder Mountain). And shoot, even if you can’t hike Sugarloaf for sunrise or sunset, the views of these red rock formations will still be worth the trek!
Sugarloaf Trail Sedona Fast Facts
Location | 34.876326, -111.794149
Parking | Free at Sugarloaf Trailhead | 34.87429, -111.796447
Duration | 1.52 miles
Elevation | 338 feet
Terrain | mixture of sand and red rock
Sugarloaf Trail Sedona FAQs
How long is the Sugarloaf Trail?
There are two different Sugarloaf Trails in Sedona. One trail leads to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain and is 1.52 miles round trip. The “Sugarloaf Loop Trail” just adds another bit of walking to the hike, and is a mix of the Sugarloaf Mountain trail and Teacup Trail.
We recommend hiking to the summit, and not adding in the extra loop, as the trail basically parallels the Teacup trail you hike in on.
How long does it take to walk the Sugarloaf?
To walk to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain and back to the trailhead takes 45 minutes.
The 45 minutes includes taking time at the top to soak in the views and take photos.
Is Sugarloaf Mountain an easy walk?
Most of Sugarloaf trail Sedona is an easy walk. However, hiking to the summit will get you. You climb about 300 feet of elevation all at one time to get to the summit of Sugarloaf, and that can be a bit difficult and leave you out of breath.
However, with the short distance of the trail, I would still consider Sugarloaf to be an easy walk in Sedona.
What’s the best time to hike Sugarloaf Mountain?
We hiked Sugarloaf for sunrise, and it was the perfect morning hike. It would be equally great for sunset, as the 360 views are just beautiful with the softer light.
There is little to no shade for Sugarloaf Mountain, so we wouldn’t recommend hiking it in the mid-day heat of summer.
Hiking The Sugarloaf Trail Sedona
While the trailhead is labeled, Sugarloaf Trailhead, it’s also the trailhead for Teacup Trail. And as with most trails in Sedona, the trail is not well marked at all. In fact, at the trailhead, you won’t even see signs of the Sugarloaf trail!
Don’t worry, you’re still in the right spot.
From the parking lot, follow the Teacup Trail walking away from the parking lot. You’ll soon run into your first trail junction, marked with a cairn (pile) of rocks.
At this junction, the trail T’s with Thunder Mountain Trail. Go right. (first image below)
Sugarloaf Mountain will stay to the right of you the entire time you hike, up until you start climbing to the summit.
After hanging a right at the first trail junction, you’ll soon run into another trail junction/rock cairn. This one has two signs, Sugar Loaf Loop and Summit. Take the summit trail to go, well, to the Sugarloaf summit. (second image below)
Adding In The Sugarloaf Loop Trail
We came down the summit and went back to the trailhead the same way we came. However, there is technically an entire loop around the Sugarloaf.
To do this loop, once you come down from the summit, instead of going left at the trail junction back to the car park, go right to continue the Sugarloaf Loop Trail.
The Sugarloaf Trail Sedona Hiking Details
Sugarloaf Trail is a relatively flat trail on a well-maintained path. This trail is fairly popular, so it’s wide and obvious where the actual trail is.
With that said, there are a lot of other trails in the same area, that are also just as wide and obvious. So be sure to follow the cairns, and keep Sugarloaf to your right.
As we mentioned before, most trails in Sedona are not very well marked, and the Sugarloaf Trail is no exception to this.
Occasionally, you’ll see white painted marks on the rocks, and you’ll have two different cairns to point you in the right direction. However, honestly, you’re more on your own here.
Again, when you do this hike, just make sure Sugarloaf Mountain is to the right of you the entire way. The only time it won’t be to the right of you is when you’re actually hiking up the mountain summit!
The app, maps.me, is a fantastic free app to use while hiking in Sedona. It has a lot of the social, “secret” trails on the map, and works without having internet service after downloading the Sedona region.
READ MORE | Top Two Offline Travel Apps
What We Recommend For The Sugarloaf Hike Sedona
Starting the day on the trail for sunrise is a must for any trip in Sedona. With the easy of the Sugarloaf hike, this is a perfect sunrise hike in Sedona.
It’s especially good for sunrise because the trail is short and not too difficult, so that’s a major plus when hiking in the dark!
After hiking Sugarloaf Trail for sunrise, take on Keyhole Cave. This is one of our favorite caves in Sedona, and we have a complete guide to finding the cave here.
From there, we suggest heading to a different area of Sedona to explore more caves, and then catch the sunset over Cathedral Rock.
We have a super epic one-day itinerary for Sedona that goes into detail with all the above mentioned things. And we even add in where we recommend to eat breakfast and lunch too.
READ MORE | Epic Sunrise-to-Sunset Sedona, Arizona Itinerary Here.
Sugarloaf Trailhead Sedona Parking
The parking area at Sugarloaf Trailhead is very limited. There are only 14 spots in this parking lot, and there is no alternative street parking in this area.
This is one of only a handful of parking lots at Sedona trailhead that is actually free to use, so you don’t need to worry about a Red Rock Pass or National Park Pass here.
When we hiked Sugarloaf for sunrise, we were the only ones in the parking lot. However, after our mid-morning hike to Keyhole Cave, the lot was completely full and people were queuing up to find parking.
With that said, we’d recommend arriving extra early if you plan to hike Sugarloaf Trail Sedona for a sunset hike. Check out nearby hikes, listed below, for ways to kill time while you wait for sunset.
Hikes Near Sugarloaf Loop Trail Sedona
Keyhole Cave
This is one of our favorite cave hikes in Sedona. It’s pretty easy to get to the cave, but getting up inside the cave is a different story.
Check out our complete guide to Keyhole Cave here!
Teacup Trail
The Teacup Trail is actually the trail that you walk on to get to Sugarloaf Mountain. This trail is a popular trail for both runners and cyclist.
It’s pretty flat, offering a meandering stroll beneath the famous red rock formations in West Sedona. You can take this trail to Coffee Pot for a more challenging hike.
Coffee Pot Trail
Coffee Pot Rock is a famous rock formation that looks like a coffee pot. I personally thought it looked more like a percolator, but I suppose that could count as a coffee pot too.
This trail leads up to the base of Coffee Pot Rock, and though we didn’t hike it, I presume you can do some rock scrambling and get up onto the rock for some cool views.
Thunder Mountain / Capitol Butte
Thunder Mountain is the massive red rock formation that is the backdrop to West Sedona. Thunder Mountain is also known as Capitol Butte. Whichever name you want to call it, it’s massive.
If you look on Google, you’ll see the Thunder Mountain Trail, and the Capitol Butte South Scramble, linked here.
Rock scrambles in Sedona are fun, though can be dangerous. Be sure you watch for rattlesnakes in the warmer temps, and enjoy feeling like a kid scrambling up the rocks!
More On Sedona!
We spent a month in Sedona finding the best hikes, sunset locations, sunrise spots, and more. We even made complete guides for each trail that wasn’t so easy to find.
Sunset Hikes | 7 BEST Sunset Hikes in Sedona
Sunset Sedona | 31 Sedona Sunset Locations with tags + map
Airport Mesa | The Ultimate Guide to The Airport Mesa Vortex
Recommended Gear For Sedona
Check out our complete guide to what to pack for Sedona here.