Devil’s Bridge
Since we are going to be hiking in the Grand Canyon in a couple of days, we wanted to do a shorter distance today – and something not too strenuous. We headed to the Devil’s Bridge trailhead only to find that the last mile of the road was unpaved dirt roads and the signs said “High Clearance Vehicles only”. We ended up parking at the Dry Creek Vista parking area. As the signs showed that the Chuck Wagon trail to the Devil’s Bridge trail was “strenuous”, we opted to hike up the dirt road. Once on the Devils Bridge trail, we began an uphill trek. In the beginning, the trail was wide and had a moderately gradual incline. As we got closer to the top, the trail narrowed and steepened. The last two sections of the trail were stair step rocks – very steep and very narrow. When it is busy and crowded, you must wait to climb up or down for people coming in the opposite direction.
Once at the top, the bridge is going to be on your left. It is very tempting to stop and begin taking pictures right away, but if you continue moving forward to the right hand side of the bridge, you will get a much better picture of the arch. Don’t forgo walking across the bridge – it is actually much wider than it appears from when you first see it!
Take a few extra minutes before heading back down to continue walking past the bridge. The trail follows around the top of the butte to another vista. The trail itself will eventually peter out, but again, the views are worth the extra walking.
On the way back down, the stair steps did not seem as steep as they did on the way up. Again, people waiting their turn in line on the narrow passages. Once back to the trailhead, most of the group opted to go back to the parking lot via the Chuckwagon Trail, while Mom and I walked back up the road.
After this short hike, we headed back to the hotel in Camp Verde. Several of the group stayed behind, while 5 of us went out geocaching in the area. We found 8 caches – including one that listed many “DNFs” and “went back agains”. I am proud to say that it was my eagle eye (and a really good clue) that helped me find it 🙂
Back to the hotel for a sit in the hot tub, and we will soon be heading out for dinner.