Brins Mesa

The Brins Mesa Trail offers great scenery and a nice, moderate workout — for those who can find parking. Parking at the trailhead is indeed the hardest part of this hike. You may be better off just parking down the road or even making the hike a bit longer by walking in downtown Sedona.

The spaces near this popular trailhead fill up quickly, and the narrow road to it has signs all along the right side banning parking. The other side of the road, on the other hand, had no signs, and a few vehicles were parked there, so our Arizona Trailblazers group parked there, as did many other vehicles. But after the hike we were all tagged with bright orange warnings that there was no parking there, either.

Brins Mesa Trail is a six-mile moderate hike that climbs about 700 feet. Some of the climb can be in the sun, making it a bit more challenging in the heat.

We considered making this a seven-mile hike and adding 100 feet of elevation by going up Cibola Pass first, because it can link up with Brins Mesa Trail. But this would have required some bushwhacking, which we decided against as we set out.

From the beginning you’re surrounded by red rocks, and the views of them get better with every step. The red-dirt path, typical of Sedona trails, has natural rock stairs leading hikers to the trail rim.

The views from the top of Brins Mesa are spectacular, and hikers can walk along the rim section of the trail among plenty of boulders that go right up to the edge, creating perfect spots for lunch as well. Just as the trail appears to end, we spotted a cave, and some of us braved the thick brush to enjoy a visit there.

As you near the top of the Brins Mesa Trail there’s a right turn, and on the way back, instead of heading back down, you can extend the hike by going to the right and hiking Soldier Pass and other connecting trails.

Brins Mesa is on an old jeep trail, an open plateau between Mt. Wilson Mountain and Brins Ridge. The trail offers unobstructed views of the Sedona area. It’s is part of the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness, one of Arizona’s 90 designated wilderness areas.

The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines wilderness as an area of undeveloped federal land that appears “to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprints of mans’ work substantially unnoticeable.” Unlike national parks, wildlife refuges and monuments, wilderness designation by Congress provides the highest level of natural-resource protection in the world.

Any portion of a park, refuge, or monument can be designated wilderness. Potential wilderness includes those wild areas that we have yet to crisscross with roads or alter with development. Wilderness is our antidote to the sprawl that consumes our open space.

Hunting, fishing, hiking, backpacking, photography, rafting, canoeing, bird watching — all traditional uses that rely on non-mechanized access — are allowed in wilderness. Wheelchair access is available where terrain permits.

Activities and facilities such as commercial enterprises, road building, use of motorized vehicles or equipment, power lines and other permanent structures are prohibited in wilderness areas.