Doe Mountain Trail Hiking Guide
Doe Mountain is the best effort-to-view ratio in west Sedona. A short set of switchbacks lifts you about 400 feet onto a flat-topped mesa, and from there you can wander the rim and pick out half of Red Rock Country's landmarks. It's an easy add-on to Fay Canyon and a fine first hike on arrival day.
Permit: The shared Bear/Doe Mountain Trailhead on Forest Road 152C is a Red Rock Pass site: $5 daily, $15 weekly or $20 annual per vehicle, or an America the Beautiful pass.
Up the Switchbacks
From the parking lot the trail heads straight for the north face of the mesa and switchbacks up it. The Forest Service gives 0.7 mile to the top and 542 feet of elevation gain, which it calls moderately challenging, and suggests an hour and a half for the whole outing. AllTrails maps the plain out-and-back at 1.6 miles with 492 feet of gain. The final pitch to the cap rock is the steepest and rockiest part; the hard layer at the top is what gives Doe its table shape.
Walking the Rim
Once you're up, the agency describes 1.3 miles of wandering around the mesa edge, which you can do in full or in part, so your total depends on how much of the rim you take in. Landmarks on the list include Bear, Maroon and Wilson mountains, Loy, Boynton and Secret canyons, Chimney Rock and the Cockscomb, with Sedona to the east and Munds Mountain and Sycamore Pass to the south. Footing on top is flat but uneven, and the edges are unfenced cliff.
Trailhead and Parking
The trailhead is about five miles, or roughly 15 minutes, from Sedona on paved roads: Dry Creek Road north to the Boynton Canyon junction, then left on FR 152C for about a mile. Doe and Bear Mountain share the ample lot, and it requires a Red Rock Pass; if you don't already have one, the machine sells a $5 day pass, and an annual Red Rock or America the Beautiful pass covers the car too.
Shade, Light and Dogs
There's no real shade on the climb or the mesa top, which makes summer midday a poor choice; mornings or the last hours before sunset are kinder. If you stay up for sunset, bring a headlamp for the switchbacks down. Leashed dogs are allowed, and the short climb suits most fit dogs, though rock gets hot underfoot in warm months.
Hiking tips for Doe Mountain Trail
- Pack a headlamp if you're staying on top for sunset; the switchbacks are rocky in the dark.
- Walk at least part of the rim; the panorama only opens up once you leave the arrival point.
- Pair Doe with Fay Canyon, a few minutes away, for two short hikes on one Red Rock Pass.
- Keep kids and dogs well back from the cap-rock edges.
- In summer, go early in the morning; there's no shade on the climb or the mesa top.
Nearby trails to explore
- Bear Mountain Trail (Sedona)
- Fay Canyon Trail (Sedona)
- Boynton Canyon Trail
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Doe Mountain is short enough for an evening and better with company at the top. Use TrailMates to find Sedona hikers meeting at the Bear/Doe Mountain Trailhead for sunset. Download the TrailMates app to connect.