Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 34.87630°N / 111.7934°W
Activities Activities: Hiking
Seasons Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Additional Information Elevation: 4911 ft / 1497 m
Sign the Climber's Log

Overview

Difficulty: Easy Class 1
Distance: 2.2 miles round-trip
Elevation Gain: 580 feet

Hiking to the top of Sugarloaf is a great and easy way to see nice close up views of nearby Capitol Butte, Coffeepot Rock and Chimney Rock as well as distant views of Sedona’s other prominent red rock formations. The climb consists of an easy class one trail that gradually climbs to the top. There are some tempting scrambles, however, along the side that could take you right up to the top but please stay on the designated trail. Parking is only available for about 6-10 cars so if you intend to do this particular trail, I recommend getting an early start as it can fill up pretty fast.

 
Excellent views of Capitol Butte
Capitol Butte as seen from the Sugarloaf trail
 
Looking at Coffeepot Rock
Coffeepot Rock from Sugarloaf
 
Chimney Rock
Chimney Rock from Sugarloaf

Getting There

From 89A heading South:

Once you reach the intersection of Highway 179 and 89A continue south along 89A for about 1.9 miles until you reach Coffee Pot Drive. Take a right here and follow it for about 0.6 miles and then turn left onto Sanborn. Follow Sanborn for about another 0.1 mile and then turn right on Little Elf Drive. Go another 0.2 miles and then take a right onto Buena Vista Drive. The parking lot will be obvious, park in it and start the ascent.

From Phoenix

Follow I-17 North until you reach Exit # 298 (AZ-179). Follow this exit towards Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon. Right after taking this exit, take a left onto AZ-179 for 14.5 miles. Then turn right onto AZ-89A towards the town of Sedona. From this point you will take a left on Coffee Pot Drive and then follow the above directions to the trailhead.

Red Tape

You will need a Red Rock pass, which are actually excellent deals.

One Day Pass - $5.00
Weekly Pass - $15.00
Annual Pass - $20.00

Weekly and Annual passes can be purchased online here

Rather than creating a very huge list of where you can buy passes either in person or by phone, I will just add a link with all of those details. Click here to see that list.

Camping

No camping allowed on the mountain.

When to Climb

Sugarloaf can generally be climbed anytime of the year. During winter months, Sedona does get snow occasionally, but I wouldn't foresee that as a problem on this trail. Spring and fall would be great times to climb, and in the summer just be very cautious of afternoon thunderstorms and the heat, as it can reach 100 degrees.

<i> Shiver before the Beautiful </i>
My wife braves the muddy trail in winter 2016.

Weather Conditions

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/satellite/


Children

Children

Children refers to the set of objects that logically fall under a given object. For example, the Aconcagua mountain page is a child of the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits.' The Aconcagua mountain itself has many routes, photos, and trip reports as children.