Ahhh, Sedona – a magical place widely regarded as one of Arizona’s most popular and beautiful spots. It’s a stunning area brimming with hiking trails and endless opportunities for exploration. Among the countless locations in Sedona, the Seven Sacred Pools and Soldier Pass Cave stand out as particularly well-known and sought-after. Their popularity has surged with the rise of social media, drawing countless visitors eager to experience these sites firsthand. However, for one of the spots, it’s important not to be misled by the often-exaggerated glamour presented online. 👍🏼

The Seven Sacred Pools and Soldier Pass Cave are both located along the Soldier Pass Trail. My experiences with them couldn’t have been any different. Soldier Pass Cave lived up to its social media hype with its stunning panoramic views; however, the Seven Sacred Pools were a letdown. In truth, the name “Seven Sacred Mud Holes” would be more fitting for most of the year. I was highly disappointed, given all the beautiful photos I’ve seen online of this iconic spot over the years. Almost every “must-see” list of Sedona includes the Seven Sacred Pools, often featuring images of clear, cascading water gracefully flowing over the rocks. While this might be true immediately after a rainfall or during snowmelt, it’s far from the reality most of the time.

You’ll often encounter smelly, muddy, stagnant pools of water infested with mosquitoes, flies, and other bugs. Also, due to its popularity, you’re unlikely to have the place to yourself despite the smell, bugs, and muddy conditions. Many hikers use this spot as an endpoint and turnaround point, making it a crowded destination. Additionally, off-road vehicles can access this area, so expect a mini parking lot during peak times.

To reach the Seven Sacred Pools, start at the Soldier Pass Trailhead, open daily from 8am to 6pm. The adjacent parking lot is small, with just 14 spots, filling up quickly. However, the lot might be completely closed, if you’re unlucky, as we were. In that case, you’ll need to park at one of the pay-to-park lots and hike about a mile along a main neighborhood road to reach the trailhead or wait for the complimentary shuttle.

To get to the trailhead from the junction of Routes 89A and 179, take 89A west for 1.2 miles to Soldier Pass Road on the right. Continue for 1.5 miles to Rim Shadows Drive, then go right for 0.2 miles (keeping straight where Rim Shadows branches left) to a gated entry road with trailhead parking on the left. The Seven Sacred Pools are 1.1 miles from the trailhead, and the hike is “moderately easy”. While there are some dips and small uphill sections, it’s relatively flat and easy to traverse – one of my easiest hikes. If you hike to just the Seven Sacred Pools and back to the trailhead, it takes about 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on your skill level and how long you hang out at the Seven Sacred Mud Holes.

Soldier Pass Cave offered us a much more magical experience, making the 4-mile out-and-back hike well worth it. Located near the middle section of Soldier Pass Trail and perched above the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness within the Coconino National Forest, it, too, is a popular destination for many. The cave features a “two-story” structure: a lower area that envelops you from three sides, offering a picture-frame-worthy view of the valley, and an upper area that takes you inside the rocks. While both levels are popular with hikers, the upper area attracts far more visitors. It is where the most iconic shots of Soldier Pass Cave are taken. Due to the crowd, we opted not to visit this section and relaxed in the lower area, which we had to ourselves for nearly 30 minutes. It was a wonderful experience to be by ourselves, sitting inside this centuries-old cave, gazing at the beautiful red mountains of Sedona. Despite the constant chatter of other hikers above us, it never detracted from the serenity.

To reach Soldier Pass Cave, continue past the Seven Sacred Pools for about another mile. The trail remains relatively easy with slight dips and eventually comes to a T-junction. Here, you must go right, not left. This will lead you to a man-made staircase, which, in my opinion, was the only challenging portion of this hike, aside from the final ascent into Soldier Pass Cave. While short and easy, the staircase will undoubtedly elevate your heart rate. After ascending the man-made staircase, you will walk across a beautiful, rocky, open mesa. From there, it’s only a few short minutes to the cave. This final stretch is where the trail becomes challenging, as it is uphill, rocky, and narrower. This is also where we encountered the most people, both coming and going, making it a delicate dance around other hikers on the narrow trail to avoid accidentally knocking one another over the rocky ledge. As always, it’s best to remain respectful of other hikers and allow others to pass when possible.

As an honorable mention, there’s another well-known geographical location along the Soldier Pass Trail: the Devil’s Kitchen sinkhole. It’s the first geographical wonder you’ll encounter, located approximately 0.25 miles from the trailhead on the right. It takes about 10 minutes to reach from the trailhead and is rated as “easy.” This large, active sinkhole collapsed in 1995 and is quite impressive at about 150 feet long and 50 feet deep. While there were no signs prohibiting entry into the sinkhole (that we saw), it’s probably not advisable, given that it is an active sinkhole. We didn’t see any hikers entering it, and it’s best to admire this natural wonder from the viewing point above.

Lastly, dogs are welcomed on the Soldiers Pass Trail but must always remain on a leash.

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Overall, Soldier Pass Trail is one of the best trails I’ve hiked in terms of both difficulty and beauty. I’ve hiked in Sedona three times (I Left my Heart and Soul in Sedona.), and while each visit has been magical and wonderful, I especially enjoyed this particular hike. Although the Seven Sacred Pools were a disappointment, it didn’t detract from the overall splendor and tranquility of the surrounding area. Sedona is mega-popular for an excellent reason – it’s a beautiful, mystical, and vibrant place. Many believe Sedona holds legitimate magical properties (research the four vortexes for more insight), and I can’t say I disagree. The combination of natural beauty, intriguing geological features, and the serene atmosphere makes Sedona and Soldier Pass Trail a must-visit for any hiking enthusiast. Soldier Pass Cave is a destination I’d be more than willing to hike to again, and even to the Seven Sacred Pools – although only after heavy rainfall, of course.