Soldier Pass-Brins Mesa Loop

June 28, 2020 tarannosaurus

Epic Travel → North America → Mountain States → Arizona → Sedona Area → Soldier Pass-Brins Mesa Loop

Location: North of Sedona, Arizona

Distance: 5.5 mile loop

Elevation Gain/Loss: 800 feet

Time Required: 2-4 hours (include additional time at the Soldier Pass Arch/Cave)

Red Tape/Notes: Red Rock Pass required if leaving a vehicle at the trailhead ($5 per day/$15 per week) – information on where to buy one can be found here. Very busy/popular trail; start early to avoid most of the crowds (also note there is very limited parking at the Soldier Pass Trailhead, one of the reasons the loop trail is recommended). The Jordan Road Trailhead is open 24 hours a day, in all seasons. For more information on the Soldier Pass Trail, visit the Coconino National Forest website here.

What’s Nearby?: Devil’s Bridge Trail, Waterfall Trail on Fossil Creek, Montezuma Castle, Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

Most people hike Soldier Pass by itself, but I’d much rather do a loop whenever possible, and not doing a loop in this situation would be a total waste (in my opinion). You’ll have a much easier parking situation, since the Jordan Road Trailhead offers a lot more parking availability, you’ll avoid some of the crowds since most people hiking in this area are doing Soldier Pass as an out-and-back (and most only go to the cave and back), and you’ll get to enjoy more of that beautiful Mogollon Rim scenery. Definitely more bang for your buck!

Starting at the Jordan Road/Jim Thompson Trailhead, take the Cibola Pass trail (or the Jordan Trail, but it’s longer) west to the junction with the Jordan Trail, where you’ll continue west (the right fork) to the intersection with the Soldier Pass Trail near the Devil’s Kitchen Sinkhole, at about 1.3 miles. From this point, follow the Soldier Pass Trail north, and you’ll pass the Seven Sacred Pools on the left after another 0.25 miles. You’ll hardly notice these if it’s been dry, but they cascade into one another during the rainy season. After another 3/4 of a mile, you’ll pass a wilderness boundary sign where the trail forks. If you’re going to the instagram famous “secret” cave, you’ll take the right branch, which heads uphill for 0.25 miles towards a visible arch (the creatively named Soldier Pass Arch) in the cliff wall, passing through a wide open plateau before continuing up though the vegetation. The cave is accessed through an arch to the right of Soldier Pass Arch, which is difficult to see due to the angle of the rock and vegetation.

Chances are you won’t be here alone, but if you are (hooray!), go inside the arch on the right and there’s a relatively easy fourth class climb on the right side that provides access to the cave (and the small opening above the arch). You can see people queued up to access the cave in a photo below. While rather small and generally overrun with people, the cave does provide some nice photo opportunities and is a neat spot to visit (also a nice spot to cool off if it’s hot). Soldier Pass Arch to the left provides a nicely framed view of the landscape. From here, retrace your steps to get back to the Soldier Pass Trail and continue north towards Brins Mesa. The trail heads uphill for another mile before leveling out on Brins Mesa and connecting with the Brins Mesa Trail shortly after. From here, simply follow the Brins Mesa trail back to the Jordan Road Trailhead (taking the right fork, which heads east and south), enjoying the views and the easy downhill grade.

It is also possible to reach the Brins Mesa trail without retracing your steps back to the Soldier Pass Trail. A faint use trail leads along the cliff face past Soldier Pass Arch and if you continue working your way around, you can get across the ridge and up over onto the trail with a little scrambling. Not sure if it really saves much in terms of time and effort, though.