Wilson Mountain Summit - South Overlook

Ever wanted to see Sedona from a bird’s eye view? Sure, you could spring for a helicopter tour. Or…you could hike Wilson Mountain Summit! No other location in Sedona will offer you a view that is so expansive and so breathtaking (and one where you are actually looking DOWN on the helicopters giving tours). Granted, no other hike in Sedona is as breathtaking either — literally, this hike will take your breath away. Wilson Mountain Summit is probably the most difficult hike in the area, but honestly, the work is well worth the reward. The view from the top is truly spectacular. 

The 4.75 mile (one-way) journey takes you through an elevation gain of about 2600’. It is a pretty steady climb for the first three miles, after which you’ll reach a short plateau (about .1 miles) before hiking steadily upwards once again. You will travel through some dense oak groves for a bit, before you reach another plateau with classic ponderosa forest landscape (very reminiscent of hiking in Flagstaff – I think of Wilson Mountain as a “Flagstaff Sky Island”). This plateau won’t last long either before you make your final ascent. All together, the hike took my group about 2 hours one way. 

The hike is best in spring or early summer. Fall will start to get chilly (the top of the mountain is at 7,122’), but if you dress appropriately it could be fine. We visited in early June, and had an amazing breeze accompanying us along the way. In fact, in the afternoon we were worried that that “breeze” was going to blow us off the trail! I’m joking, of course. Sort of.

The trailhead is located off of Route 89A, about 22 miles south of Flagstaff and 2 miles north of Sedona. The parking lot is just north of Midgley Bridge on the north side of the road. Parking is very limited. The lot might fit 20 cars if all the visitors are conscientious and you are a bit liberal in your definition of “parking space”. This parking area is quite popular and the lot can be crowded, especially since there are a few popular hikes that originate from this location. If the lot is overflowing and you simply can’t park, you could always try the North Wilson Mountain Trail, a few miles north along Route 89A (I do not think the views along the way up are as good from the North trail, but it does meet up with the south trail for the last ~1.5 miles of the hike).