Today I’m grateful that neither of us have a fear of edges or heights, because it would have been  a shame to miss out on the spectacular view from the top of Devil’s Bridge.  The trailhead for Devil’s Bridge Trail starts at about 4,600 feet with an elevation gain of 400 feet on the hike.

The natural sandstone arch, the largest in Sedona, is 50 feet high.  Luckily we took the advice of other reviewers and got an early start.  When we arrived at the top there were just two other people there, giving us plenty of time to sit and soak up the view in a peaceful environment.  From our perch on the bridge we could see for miles thanks to a beautiful clear day. This is a strong contrast to the heavily wooded hike on West Fork Trail just yesterday.

Powerful natural forces began their work 350 million years ago creating marvels of nature.  Like a giant layer cake each layer was deposited in its own geologic era.  Some layers were deposited in shallow seas, some in river deltas and flood plains. Some layers are hardened sand dunes.  The red color found in most of the layers is iron oxide. We learned an interesting tidbit from a park ranger: the white layers show that animal life was present in the waters during that time.  Bones = calcium = band of white in the rock layers!

When I look at the bands of color in the rock I see not only incredible natural beauty, but I think of it in terms of time, layers of time.  What was this planet like when that layer was formed and what event produced it? Who walked here when that layer was created?

More things to see today, so we gave up our spot and made our way down – passing a steady stream of hikers, tour groups, and the ubiquitous Pink Jeep Tours.  Thank goodness we got an early start to the day before the flood of traffic!

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