The Loy Canyon Trail in Sedona is one of our favorite hikes in Sedona. Picture yourself on a sandy trail leading deep into a canyon, with towering walls on both sides.. and it only gets better than that.
With social trails leading to things like one of the best intact cliff dwellings in Sedona and a wall of ancient rock art with hundreds of paintings, you not only get amazing scenery but history in the mix, too.
The Loy Canyon Trailhead is just over ten miles out of Sedona West, but don’t let that deter you! The drive to the trailhead is beautiful, and it’s actually really close to the free camping near Sedona.
Along the hike, time and time again, I just kept thinking this place can’t be real. It’s so beautiful, and away from the chaos of Sedona, making it a truly magical experience.
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Loy Canyon Trail Quick Facts
- Terrain | sandy flat hike until you climb up to the cliff dwelling
- Location | far west Sedona out Boynton Canyon Road
- Cliff Dwelling Coordinates | 34.946721, -111.927306
- Ancient Wall Art Coordinates | 34.941757, -111.918899
- Parking | free at Loy Canyon Trailhead | 34.932065, -111.925126
- Duration | 4 miles total, out and back (to the wall art and ruins) 10 miles total to end of trail and back
Making The Most Of This Guide
Pinnable Map App | We use maps.me, a free offline map app, to mark locations of things we want to see. In all our Sedona guides, we share coordinates for important things like parking, viewpoints, and trail markers.
You can pin these coordinates into the map, make notes on each pin, and thus create your own little trail guide to use offline while you do this hike!
What To Bring | When hiking in Sedona, it’s important to have grippy trail shoes! It’s equally as important to pack food and water!
We recommend a backpack like this that has a water bladder inside for hands-free drinking and hiking, and there’s plenty of room in the pack for snacks too!
Hiking The Loy Canyon Trail
There are three different hikes in Loy Canyon. Since we already had a long bike ride to the canyon and needed to return via bike after the hike, we chose to simply hike to the cliff dwelling and the wall art.
I think doing these two sections of the hike offer fantastic scenery and are well worth the drive out to Loy Canyon. However, if you’re up for a more full day hike, you can visit the dwellings, wall art, and hike to the top of the rim all in one day!
We recommend visiting the cliff dwellings first for better lighting.
Loy Canyon Trail Rim
- Difficulty | easy first three miles, then strenuous last two – then you return.
- Distance | 5 miles out, 5 miles return equalling 10 total
We did not do the entire Loy Canyon Trail, as we were super interested in hiking all the way to the rim. However, this hike follows the center of the canyon along the sandy path, originally used for livestock, all the way to the rock scramble up the cliff.
The first three miles are easy and relatively flat, but in the last two miles you climb almost all of the 1600+ feet of elevation to get to the top of the canyon!
Loy Canyon Cliff Dwellings
- Difficulty | moderate to difficult with trail finding and rock climbing involved
- Duration | 3 hours total, including stopping at wall art
- Cliff Dwelling Coordinates | 34.946721, -111.927306
- Coordinates For Leaving Main Trail | 34.944761, -111.924436
Starting at the Loy Canyon Trailhead, you’ll skirt around the Hancock Ranch along the fence line. Throughout this part of the trail, there is a lot of shade, and you’ll get glimpses of the red rock canyon around you every now and then.
About a mile into the hike, you’ll come across the tree in the image below. This is where you leave the main trail, heading left towards the cliffs…don’t worry the coordinates are listed above.
This is where we feel the hike gets a bit tricky. You have to do some major trail finding, but simply look for other footprints and take the path of least resistance up… there is a faint social trail here.
You’ll soon come to an area of slick red rock. This is a great place to take in the views all around, and we were actually able to see the cliff dwellings from here – the first sightings of them from the trail.
From the slick rock, looking towards the cliff dwellings, this should be in the red rock cliffs in front of you.. you simply start just going up. Again, trail finding your way up towards the cliff dwellings.
You know you’re in the right spot when you see the rock stack in the image below. Take care climbing this rock stack to the next level of red rock!
Getting up to the next level, we didn’t really find any signs of a real trail. Hiking on the slick rock, it’s hard to see any previous foot prints, but just continue going up. You’ll soon be climbing up a skinny rock crevasse. Yep, skinny is the best way to describe this.. check out the image below for what I mean!
Just when you think you’ve completed the hardest part, think again. I actually cried at this point.. not really due to the difficulty, but to my fear of heights.
After climbing up the rock crevasse, you have to traverse, across the slick rock. This is where grippy trail shoes come in handy!
I’m scared sh*tless in the image below.. but honestly, it looks more sketchy than it really is!
After traversing the edge of the cliff, you’ll be happy to see plants and a much easy hike the rest of the way to the cliff dwellings.
They’re super easy to see after you traverse the cliff, and you can sit and find rest right inside them!
These cliff dwellings were the most intact cliff dwellings we visiting in Sedona. I would argue they’re even better then the ones at the heritage sites nearby, and you can walk right into them.
The views from the cliff dwellings are amazing, and if you keep wandering around the edge of them, you’ll come across the famous Warrior’s Wall… what’s believed to be a barricade put up to stop intruders.
After you finish taking in the scenery and picturing what life must have been like to live in these cliff dwellings, head back down the way you came up.. taking a short and easy detour to the Wall of Ancient Rock Art.
Wall Of The Ancient Rock Art
- Difficulty | easy, simple trail finding – though with coordinates and maps.me, super easy!
- Duration | 1 hour, 2 miles round trip
- Wall Art Coordinates | 34.941757, -111.918899
- Coordinates For Leaving Main Trail | 34.939789, -111.924547
The Wall of Ancient Rock Art is a much easier social trail to find and do compared to that going to the cliff dwellings!
Getting back on the main Loy Canyon trail from the cliff dwellings, the turn off for the wall art is .4 miles back towards the trailhead.
This turn off to the left when facing the trailhead, opposite side of the canyon as the ruins, at the following coordinates, 34.939789, -111.924547, and it will likely have a huge pile of sticks all across the pathway.
Don’t worry.. we found that most social trails had piles of sticks across the path.. it’s the local’s way of keeping other people out — and we’re not about that.. Just walk right on over them!
This trail is very easy to follow. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see a white forest service sign stating to not take any archeological artifacts from the area.
Follow the trail for about a half a mile, you’ll cross over a dry creek, and then you’ll be right in the wall art!
We were amazed at how much wall art was in this area. It’s all protected from the weather, being on the underside of an overhang, and there’s loads of it!
Wander all around this area to find all sorts of different wall art, in all different colors!
The different colors are thought to be from different people coming through the area. It’s believed this wall art is a collection of all tribes that have come through the Verde Valley.
Protecting the Land
It’s your responsibility as a visitor to be respectful of the land you’re visiting. It is illegal to take any artifacts from the archeological sites in Sedona, or to damage the area.
There are trail cameras to help keep vandalism at bay.
Do you part by simply looking with your eyes, not marking or moving anything around, and packing out everything that you pack in.
Getting To The Loy Canyon Trailhead
- Coordinates | 34.932065, -111.925126
We were camping at the nearby Nolan Campground when we hiked Loy Canyon, so we actually rode our bikes to the trailhead. However, this makes for a really long day!
You can drive to the trailhead, but it’s a pretty rough dirt road for about 10 miles. The road is frequented by off-roaders and jeeps driving a bit too fast, causing more damage to the road than good.
Driving to the trailhead, take your time, and pull over for vehicles hoping to pass you. Watching for rocks and soft spots in the road as you go.
While it’s doable in a 2WD low-clearance vehicle, I would recommend higher clearance AWD if you have a choice!
Loy Canyon FAQs
Can my dog hike with me?
Your furry friends can hike with you on the main Loy Canyon Trail, but if you plan to visit either the Wall of Ancient Rock Art or the ruins, they cannot… as pets aren’t allowed at any ruins or archeological sites.
Do I have to pay to park?
No, you do not have to pay. It is further out than most trails though, so be prepared for a drive.
What else can I do near Loy Canyon Trailhead?
There are two heritage sites in the area. In fact, you’ll be following the signs to Honanki Heritage Site on your way here. Honanki can be visited with reservations, but the road there is extremely rough. Palatki Ruins and Heritage Site require reservations and are well worth a visit!
How long is the Loy Canyon hike?
You should plan for about 5-6 hours including driving time to get out to Loy Canyon Trailhead. However, the hike itself to both the wall art and the ruins can be done in about three hours.. with plenty of time to really enjoy them both.
What’s the best time to hike Loy Canyon?
You can do this hike year-round, just be weary of the heat if attempting it in the summer. For photography and lighting purposes, if you want light in the cliff dwellings, you need to hike in the morning to early afternoon.
We suggest hiking to the cliff dwellings first and then going to the Wall of Ancient Wall Art on your return.
Are there bathrooms at the trailhead?
No, there are no bathrooms or trash services at this trailhead. Pack out everything you pack in, including used toilet paper and food scraps. If you don’t know how to properly use the bathroom outdoors, be sure to read this guide before doing this hike.
The closest bathooms, water, and trash, are at Palatki Heritage Site.
What To Pack For Sedona Hikes
Complete Packing Guide | Check out the best hiking shoes for Sedona and what else to pack, including layers, headlamps, and more.
Sun Protection | The sun is strong in Sedona! Consider a lightweight sunshirt to protect your skin.. especially if completing the entire Loy Canyon Trail.
Backpack for Hands Free Hiking | Remember, you’re hiking in the desert, be sure to pack extra water! We loved hiking with our water bladder inside a hiking day pack so we could use our hands for scrambling! We also suggest packing snacks and even lunch in you pack for this hike!
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