Soldier Pass History
The Soldier Pass jeep Trail in Sedona, Arizona is a short 4×4 dirt road in the heart of Red Rock Country. The Sinagua people were the first to inhabit this area. They lived in the area from around 500 CE to around 1300 CE and ruins can still be located today. The name “Soldier Pass” is connected to Arizona’s wild west history and the unfortunate confrontations between Native Americans in the area, western settlers, and the US Army. The US army was brought in to “manage” and move Native Americans. They used this pass between buttes and mesas to move from camp and other locations in the Verde Valley.
Today, the Soldier Pass area is know for the recreation opportunities provided among stunning red rock formations like Coffeepot Rock and the Sphinx. The other famous Sedona formations in area are the Devil’s Kitchen sinkhole, the Seven Sacred Pools, and Soldier Pass Cave. Many will come to Soldier Pass and explore by foot, but those with the appropriate vehicle for conquering off-road obstacles will come to explore by 4WD. If you’re interested in exploring more of Sedona or aren’t quite ready to take on Soldier Pass 4×4 trail, check out our Sedona Itinerary where you can build your own trip with tips from us on where to hike, eat, stay, and explore.
Leave No Trace + Tread Lightly
Please remember to Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly when exploring. Pack out all trash and plan ahead. Check out our hiking tips for more information.
The 5 principles of Tread Lightly
1) Travel Responsibly on land by staying on designated roads, trails and area.
2) Respect The Rights of Others including private property owners, all recreational trail users, campers and others so they can enjoy their recreational activities undisturbed. Leave gates as you found them.
3) Educate Yourself prior to your trip by obtaining travel maps and regulations from public agencies. Plan for your trip, take recreation skills classes and know how to operate your equipment safely.
4) Avoid Sensitive Areas on land such as meadows, lake shores, wetlands and streams. Always ride with caution any time water is present. Wet soils are more susceptible to damage.
5) Do Your Part by modeling appropriate behavior, leaving the area better than you found it, properly disposing of waste, minimizing the use of fire, avoiding the spread of invasive species and repairing degraded areas.
Getting Access to the Soldier Pass Jeep Trail
Soldier Pass Road is managed by the Coconino National Forest and daily access is limited. The National Forest allows 12 permits, one per a vehicle to enter daily. All the details to purchasing and using your permit can be found at Recreation.gov. You’ll notice the parking lot at Soldier Pass Trailhead is empty; the City of Sedona has a shuttle bus that will drop off and pick up hikers at the trailhead. Permit holders are not allowed to park and hike from the trailhead.
What to Expect on Soldier Pass Road
After airing down our tires, unlocking and then relocking the gate, we were on our way. Overall, we traveled about 2 miles out and back and averaged 2.5 miles per hour. Shortly after starting you’ll see a right turn onto Forest Road 9904B. This little road is also part of the Tea Cup hiking trail, also labeled on OnX Offroad. Teacup trail eventually turns right to head south towards the sinkhole. This section is probably the most technical of the trail and overall about 0.2 miles. We were in 4-Low with our stabilizer disconnected. Near the Devil’s Kitchen there is a short climb on some steep rock that has been slightly smoothed out by previous tires. On our first attempt without lockers on, we did not make it. However, after activating our differential lockers we easily climbed the hill.
At the sinkhole we turned around and continued back to the main Soldier Pass Road. Further down the road we made another right turn and and drove out to the 7 Sacred Pools area. There we got out and took some photos before getting back in the Jeep and continuing down the road.
Continuing north on Soldier Pass road, there is a little fork in the road and in this direction, to the right is near a cliff edge. We stayed left and rock crawled through the section. We were soon near the end of the road where you can turn around. There are a few spots to park and hike to Soldier Pass Cave, but not enough for 12 vehicles if everyone was there at once. We turned around and came back. This time we stayed to the left at the fork and took the path near the edge. This section is a little more nerve racking, because of the roll angle it puts the vehicle in, but overall it’s not too bad. From almost the beginning of the trail where things got a little techincal over boulders we stayed in 4-Low, but we did not need lockers again.
