Schnebly Hill Road is one of the most popular off-roading Jeep trails in Sedona. It’s a bumpy 5.7-mile road that twists, turns and climbs up a red rock cliff before ending at a spectacular viewpoint overlooking Oak Creek Canyon. The route is officially rated as easy in technical difficulty, but after driving 9 of Sedona’s Jeep trails ourselves, we think Schnebly Hill is definitely a moderately challenging trail.
In this guide we walk you through everything you need to know about driving Schnebly Hill Road OHV Trail in Sedona, based on our experience.
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Trail Details
- Road: Forest Road (FR) 153
- Distance: 11.4 miles roundtrip
- Elevation Gain: 1,800 feet
- Difficulty: Easy / Moderate
- Time Required: 3 hours
- Optional: Volcanic Rim Loop
Schnebly Hill Road is the only Jeep trail in Sedona on which you’ll gain significant elevation to reach a summit turnaround point. At the summit, you can optionally continue beyond Schnebly Hill Vista Overlook to drive the Volcanic Rim Loop, which we’ll discuss later in the guide. We didn’t do the additional loop because it was getting dark and we had to get back down the hill!
A few words of warning before you decide to drive this trail:
- The drive is very rugged, bouncy and slow going throughout
- It’s a fun route overall, but there are some narrow sections with sheer drops near the top
- You’ll be sharing this trail with lots of Jeep tour groups
Hiring A Jeep
In order to drive Schnebly Hill Road and many other exciting off-road trails in Sedona, you’ll need to either have your own high clearance vehicle or you’ll have to rent a Jeep in town.
We hired a Jeep for 3 days with Barlow Adventures because they had excellent reviews and the vehicles on display looked spotless. From start to finish we were very impressed with the entire service, from customer service to help with planning which trails to drive.
Our maroon Jeep (Amy) turned out to be fantastic. We were able to explore the hidden gems of Sedona, get away from the crowds and drive amazing off-roading trails like Broken Arrow Trail (our favorite) and Diamondback Gulch Trail.
Bu it’s important to know that hiring a Jeep isn’t cheap. We were lucky to get a big discount because we visited in December which is considered as low season, although it didn’t feel like it was particularly quiet! We paid $500 for 3 days, which sounds a lot but it turned out to be the best decision we made on our first visit to Sedona.
Schnebly Hill Jeep Trail Walkthrough
Once you have your Jeep or high clearance vehicle ready, it’s time to hit the trail. Next, we’re going to show you how to drive Schnebly Hill Road Trail.
1. Drive To Schnebly Hill Road Trailhead
Schnebly Hill Road Trail officially begins at Munds Wagon hiking trailhead. There’s a small car park at the trailhead, but only 4WD vehicles should attempt going further up Schnebly Hill beyond the parking lot. It’s a very obvious starting point for the Jeep because the tarmac road ends and it turns to dirt road.
From Uptown Sedona, head south on AZ-179 and turn left at the first roundabout onto Schnebly Hill Road. You’ll arrive at the 4×4 road after 1 mile. Here’s the exact Google Maps location for Munds Wagon trailhead so you can set your GPS directions to the start of the off-roading trail.
2. The Bouncing Begins
Reset your trip odometer to 0 before you begin and shift into 4H. You only need 4H for Schnebly Hill because it’s reasonably flat, with no large boulders or technical aspects to consider. You’ll quickly realize that it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
The trail gradually gains elevation as it twists, turns and bounces relentlessly. Keep your speed below 10mph and watch for drivers on the other side of the road. Take things easier on narrower sections and sharp corners in case you have to stop to let another vehicle pass.
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3. Cow Pies
Look to your right side at 2.6 miles to spot Rock Art on a canyon wall located near a U-bend in the road. At 2.8 miles you’ll reach a parking area on the right side of the road. Park up and jump out of your Jeep, cross the road and take Cow Pies Trail.
Take a left turn up and onto a huge flat expanse made up of large circular red rock formations. Keep an eye out for groups of small black stones, which are actually shards of lava. You could hike a longer loop called Hangover Trail if you have lots of time, otherwise head straight back to your Jeep.
Note: If you park your Jeep and leave it to hike a trail, you need to display a Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful Pass.
4. Merry Go Round
At 4 miles exactly you’ll reach Merry Go Round, which is a favorite stop for tour groups to make on the drive up Schnebly Hill Road. Chances are high that there’ll be a few groups already at Merry Go Round when you arrive.
Park on the left side of the road which can fit around 3 vehicles, or park in a single space on the right if those spaces are full. Walk out onto a cone-shaped rock formation for fantastic views looking down over Sedona. Wedding shoots are popular here close to sunset when the light is soft.
5. Schnebly Hill Vista Overlook
The road turns rougher and even more bouncy between Merry Go Round and Schnebly Hill Road Vista Overlook. You won’t need 4L but prepare to be rocked about in the Jeep. Another thing to note here is the drop off to your left side which becomes more significant and there are no barriers for protection. Drive slowly and safely, especially if passing.
Once the road finally flattens at the top, lookout for a pretty obvious parking area. Next, follow the sign for Schnebly Hill Vista and then all you have to do is enjoy the exceptional west facing views. After getting sick of the constant bouncing, we did think it was ultimately worth it for the views at the summit and at Merry Go Round.
6. Optional Extra And Return Journey
You have a decision to make between three options once you summit the hill:
- Drive straight back down the way you came up on Schnebly Hill Road.
- Continue in the direction you ascended to take a less bouncy and headache inducing route down. You’ll join I-17 and have to drive around to Sedona.
- Take on Volcanic Rim Loop, a very rough 3 mile loop requiring use of 4L that starts very close to the parking (closed Dec 15-Apr 1). It’s slow going and will add on a ton of time but the scenery is even better than what you’ve seen so far. Afterwards you still have to descend via one of the two routes listed above.
We were getting very close to dusk and we knew it would take quite a long time to get down the hill, so we didn’t do the additional loop. To be honest, by that point we both had headaches from the relentless bouncing anyway!
Pros And Cons
Pros:
✅ Sensational views from the top
✅ Good starter trail to learn how to handle the Jeep
✅ Great stops for hikers and photographers
Cons:
❌ Exceptionally bouncy trail
❌ Lots of tours passing and stopping
❌ Not the most adventurous of Sedona’s trails
Schnebly Hill Road Map
We created the map above so you can see exactly what to expect when you drive Schnebly Hill Road Jeep Trail in Sedona. The red dots mark important points along the route, including the trailhead, hike, viewpoint locations, additional loop trail and optional return route via I-17.
Driving Your Jeep In Sedona
Sedona’s off road trails are awesome. But they are very different to driving your every day car and there are a few things you need to know:
- You’ll frequently shift into 4L and 4H. Instructions on which gears to use on specific trails will be given to you upon hiring the vehicle and it’s important to follow them.
- You must respect the Jeep, the trails and other drivers on the trails. Enjoy driving but be courteous and considerate.
- Watch out for ATV’s flying by and kicking back loose stones which might hit your Jeep windshield. There’s not much you can do, just pull over to the side and let them pass.
- You will get mud and dust on your Jeep. The key is to have a blast but at the same time be safe and respectful of the vehicle. The place you rent from will know how you treat the Jeep with one look.
Schnebly Hill Road Jeep Tour
An alternative way of experiencing Schnebly Hill Road is to take a Jeep tour. We don’t often recommend tours but off road Jeep tours are a big deal in Sedona. In fact, if you hire a Jeep, you’ll pass by far more tour groups than you will other hired Jeeps.
Schnebly Hill is one of the better trails to take a tour because it leads up into towering mountains to the east of Sedona. As the view opens up, you can sit back, relax and soak up the vistas because someone else is driving the rough road.
Take a look at this Scenic Rim Tour and this private Old Bear Wallow tour to see more information, read previous reviews and check prices.
Best Time To Drive It
Sunrise would be the perfect time to drive Schnebly Hill Road because tour groups won’t arrive until mid-morning and you can look down over Sedona glowing with light as the sun rises directly behind you.
We drove Schnebly Hill Road late in the afternoon, stopping to hike Cow Pies and Hangover Loop, and to grab photos at Merry Go Round and the summit vista overloook. The sun was beginning to set as we descended because we visited Sedona in December when daylight hours are shorter. It was just about getting to dusk as we arrived back onto paved road at Munds Wagon trailhead.
Spring and fall are the two busiest seasons in Sedona. More people in town means more Jeeps and more tours on the trails. Plus, prices for Jeeps are going to be at peak. Summer is slightly quieter and winter is a much quieter. There are very few instances during the calendar year in which Jeep prices are temporarily slashed to accommodate for low seasons, but if you can catch one you’ll save a lot of money.
Considering we drove Schnebly Hill Road on a weekday afternoon in December, we were surprised at how many tour groups we saw. So we can only imagine what it would be like in spring and fall.
We hope our Schnebly Hill Road Trail guide help with planning your visit to Sedona!
Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen spent 6 years traveling the world, visiting over 40 countries across 4 continents and more than 30 US states. They created Where Are Those Morgans in 2018 to help others plan the best possible vacations by writing authentic travel and hiking guides based on their real experiences.
Since the arrival of baby Maya in late 2024, Mark and Kristen’s extensive travels have slowed down but they still take plenty of trips. Where Are Those Morgans now helps millions of travelers each year to visit new places and hike new trails through information-packed blog posts and expert travel guidebooks. Read more about Mark and Kristen.