Soldier Pass & Brins Mesa Loop, Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness, Sedona, Arizona
Sunset on the Fin
I did this loop as a trail run from our rental house, but had I parked at a trailhead, I would have started at the Soldiers Pass Trailhead (Southernmost). I set out on a 4x4 road, made a quick right, and then a quick left onto the hiking trail that brings one to the Seven Sacred Pools. There were several people here taking pictures. I took a few of my own and continued along, planning to take a detour to Soldier Pass Cave. Unsurprisingly, there were about 10 other people also at the cave. It was a neat cave to check out, but the crowd did ruin it a little. I was ready to get out into the wilderness so I headed back to the loop and continued towards Soldier Pass. From this point onward I saw only a few people.
When I made it to the top of Soldier Pass, I turned right to go on Brins Mesa Trail which would take me around Brins Butte. These were some of my favorite views of the hike, particularly when I started descending towards the town. The views of the Fin were pretty cool. I took my time going down. When I started getting toward the bottom I ran into a pack of javelinas. At first I thought it was just a few crossing the trail, but the line of javelinas never seemed to end and they kept coming out of the forest. After quite a few minutes, there was a break in the javelina train and I was able to continue on my run.
When I made it to Brins Mesa Trailhead I turned right to head back to the Soldier Pass Trailhead. I started seeing more hikers and some mountain bikers so I knew I was getting close to the trailhead. I really enjoyed this loop. It provided quite an array of sights and views of the area were terrific. If I lived in Sedona, I would make this a frequent trail run.
Total stats from trailhead: 5.5 miles, 1200 vert.
