The Long Climb to the Vultee Arch with the Dogies

December 20, 2024

On a recent cold November morning, the Dogie group of Sedona Westerners met up in West Sedona for our hike to the Vultee Arch in the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness. The hikers were bundled up in jackets - which only a week or two earlier were probably still in summer storage. The construction signal on Dry Creek Road nearly derailed the clockwork start of our Jeep Caravan as two of our expected drivers darted in with little time to spare.

We passed many trailheads leading to points of interest on the drive down the rough and tumble unpaved section of Dry Creek Road/FR 152 including Devil’s Bridge, the Van Deren Cabin, Brins Mesa, and Secret Canyon. Our hike started at the Vultee Arch trailhead located at the end of the long dirt road, a road which seems to get more challenging to our Jeeps each time we drive it.

The day’s hike was led by a pair of Jims: Jim Kemper and myself. Having a tendency for hiking too fast uphill in the cold, I deferred to Jim Kemper to lead on the way in. He set a good pace, so we were able to enjoy the scenery and keep up our conversations while still getting in a good cardio workout. Beginning with a flat, fairly easy stroll among Arizona cypress trees, the Vultee Arch Trail was carpeted in a smattering of pine needles and leaves. Meanwhile we were intermittently shadowed by the evergreens and what remained of the green, yellow, orange, and red leaves clinging to the branches of the deciduous trees heading towards their winter dormancy. If not for the clue of partially and fully burnt trees still standing, and stories from a long-time resident of Sedona who joined the hike, I would never have known how devastated this area was during the 1996 Arch Fire. 

Hiking trails in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness area tend to be less populated and feel more remote than some of the more well-known trails in Sedona, and the Vultee Arch trail was no exception. We only encountered one hiker braving the cool crisp morning. In talking with him, we found out he was vacationing from North Dakota, so we imagined he thought it was quite warm. He told us that he had hiked up on Sterling Pass from Highway 89A in Oak Creek Canyon. The trailhead there offers an alternate way to reach the Vultee Arch – but trades the strenuous driving for strenuous hiking. With big climbs on each side of the pass, that route exceeds our group’s difficulty guidelines, which is why we took the route we did. 

Shortly before hitting the 2-mile mark, the Vultee Arch trail intersected with the Sterling Pass trail. A left turn at the junction kept us on the Vultee Arch trail, heading toward the sandstone arch for which the trail is named. Within a few feet of the junction the arch came into view. 

The Vultee Arch is not as large as the Devil’s Bridge, but it more than made up for that by the fact that it was not continuously populated with people taking selfies from sunrise to sunset. Instead, we were able to take photos at will. 

Nearby we encountered a plaque that was erected in September 1969 by the Sedona Westerners and Vultee Club of CA which read, “This plaque is dedicated to the memory of Gerard “Jerry” Vultee, pioneer aviation developer, and his wife Sylvia, who lost their lives in the crash of their airplane near this site on 29 Jan 1938.” The Vultees had taken off that morning from Winslow, AZ on their way to California, and encountered winter storm conditions that contributed to the crash. The actual site of the crash is not at Vultee Arch, but rather farther north and at a higher elevation in Oak Creek Canyon.

After a short break to warm up in the sun and eat a quick snack, we retraced our steps to the trail junction then turned left to climb the Sterling Pass trail to the saddle. As we started to gain elevation, we encountered a series of switchbacks for which we were truly grateful. While we all know that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, when traveling on foot - and those two points are separated by almost 1,000 feet in elevation - we were more than happy to put in a little extra mileage in exchange for a relatively more gradual climb. Even then, there were times when it felt quite steep. I counted the switchbacks as we went knowing that each one ticked off brought us ever closer to the end of the climb. 

The views along this section of Sterling Pass trail are almost otherworldly. Surrounded by ponderosa pine and oak trees, we walked on a trail carpeted with pine needles and fallen leaves. There were various rock outcroppings along the trail, and we could see the walls of Sterling Canyon above and through the leafy canopy. 

Upon reaching the saddle, we paused to ponder our accomplishment while noting that the trees had not yet lost enough leaves to provide us with a clear view either towards the direction from which we came, or to the opposite side, into Oak Creek Canyon. A cold wind cut through the pass making our stay there less than desirable, so I led our group in retreat to a rock outcropping we had passed one switchback earlier. There we were offered both a respite from the wind and a glorious view of Sterling Canyon, and thus, a marvelous place to have our lunch break.  

Finished with lunch and well rested, we began the remainder of our descent back down into Sterling Canyon thankful that the hard work of hiking up to the saddle was now rewarded with an easy return trip back down to our Jeeps. 

On the morning ride to the trailhead, we had the road practically to ourselves, but on the ride back we shared the road with both Devils Bridge hikers and various commercial Jeep tours. The road was narrow in spots, and everyone did their best to make room to accommodate their fellow travelers, but our vehicles were under frequent threat of earning the dreaded “Arizona Pinstripes” – potential damage from encounters with the manzanita bushes and scrub oak lining the road. Happily, our vehicles emerged mostly unscathed, and we enjoyed the smooth, paved, roads that returned us back to our morning meet up site. 

It was a beautiful day, and we all agreed that the opportunity for time spent on the roads and trails less traveled is one of the many priceless gifts that Sedona has to offer.

To find out more about the Sedona Westerners, visit our website at SedonaWesterners.org. We have six new hikes planned for the coming holiday week, including a hike to another arch. Joining is easy, and only costs $30 for the season. Have wonderful holiday week, and we hope to see you on one of our upcoming hikes.