Little Horse Trail: Sedona's Best Walk-Up Route to Chicken Point

1.5 miles one way (about 3.0 miles round trip per the USFS), easy-moderate, 330 feet of gain off SR-179. Sandy slickrock to the same Chicken Point overlook that Pink Jeep tours reach — no permit, no lottery, no shuttle. Free parking at milepost 309.8; arrive early on weekends.

By The Lowdown Guide Editorial Team · Visited Spring 2026 · Updated May 2026

Trail Stats

  • Distance1.5 mi one way (~3.0 mi RT, USFS)
  • DifficultyEasy-Moderate
  • Elevation Gain330 ft (USFS)
  • Trail TypeOut-and-back
  • ParkingFree turnout at milepost 309.8; fills early weekends
  • Pass RequiredYes — Red Rock Pass
  • TrailheadLittle Horse TH, SR-179
  • Trail UseHikers Only
The Lowdown Verdict: Little Horse Trail is the answer to one of Sedona's most common visitor frustrations: wanting the Chicken Point payoff without the Broken Arrow permit headache. At 1.5 miles one way (about 3.0 miles round trip per the Coconino National Forest), the SR-179 Little Horse Trailhead route threads through pinyon-juniper on sandy slickrock terrain, offers views toward the Chapel of the Holy Cross, and climbs to the same wide slickrock overlook area that Pink Jeep tours and Broken Arrow hikers reach — with no vehicle permit, no lottery, and no shuttle required. The trailhead itself is a free paved turnout, a far simpler proposition than the 14-spot, $25/day Broken Arrow lot. Dogs welcome on leash. If you want a harder nearby challenge, Cathedral Rock Trail is 10 minutes north on SR-179.
What Little Horse Trail Is Not:
  • Not permit-free on the Broken Arrow side. Little Horse itself needs only a Red Rock Pass. But if you cross the Chicken Point saddle and descend into the Broken Arrow drainage, you are in the permit zone. Stay on the Little Horse route and return the same way.
  • Not a summit. Chicken Point is a wide slickrock bench, not an elevated peak. Views are lateral across the Lee Mountain and Submarine Rock corridor. Dramatic, but not vertical.
  • Not empty at midday. Pink Jeep tours reach Chicken Point by 10:30 AM. The overlook fills with tour vehicles and their passengers. Hike to be at Chicken Point before 10 AM or after 2 PM for a quieter experience.
  • Not a loop. The standard route is out-and-back. The Llama Trail offers an alternate return but adds distance and requires route-finding. First-timers should return the same way.

Trailhead and Parking: Little Horse on SR-179

Little Horse Trailhead is a paved turnout on SR-179 at milepost 309.8, approximately 3.6 miles south of the Sedona Y junction (the intersection of SR-179 and SR-89A) and about 0.2 miles south of the United Methodist Church entrance, per the Coconino National Forest. Parking is free; a Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful Pass is required to park.

A Red Rock Pass is required: $5 per day or covered by an America the Beautiful annual interagency pass. On spring and fall weekends, the lot fills between 9 and 9:30 AM. Arriving by 8 AM gives you comfortable odds. On high-traffic spring weekends (late March through mid-May), aim for 7:30 AM. Overflow parking on SR-179 is not permitted and is ticketed. The Bell Rock Pathway trailhead approximately 1.5 miles south has a larger lot and connects to the broader trail network if Little Horse is full.

Unlike Broken Arrow Trail, Little Horse requires no vehicle permit reservation. The trailhead is accessible by any passenger vehicle via SR-179, which is a paved state route. No high-clearance vehicle is necessary. The approach is direct from the main highway corridor, making it one of the most straightforward trailhead accesses in the Red Rock District.

Pink Jeep Timing: How to Own Chicken Point

Chicken Point is the shared endpoint of Little Horse Trail on foot and Pink Jeep Broken Arrow Tours by vehicle. The tours run continuously from approximately 8 AM and arrive at the overlook in predictable waves: around 10:30 AM, 12 PM, and 2 PM on weekdays and weekends. Each wave brings 4 to 8 vehicles carrying 12 to 30 people. The overlook is large enough to accommodate both hikers and tour groups simultaneously, but the atmosphere shifts significantly when a full tour wave arrives — it becomes a guided narration event rather than a quiet backcountry moment.

The optimal window for hikers is to be at Chicken Point before 10:15 AM or to arrive in the gap between the 10:30 and 12 PM waves (roughly 11:15 to 11:45 AM). The early window is achievable if you leave the trailhead by 8 AM and hike at a moderate pace. The midday gap is tighter and less reliable. The 2 PM wave is followed by fewer additional tours, making the late-afternoon window (after 2:45 PM) reliably quiet — and it has the best light if you want west-facing photographs of Lee Mountain and Submarine Rock.

For trail conditions before you go, check the current Sedona trail conditions report. Chicken Point slickrock becomes dangerously slippery when wet. The Coconino National Forest recommends avoiding the trail 24 to 48 hours after any significant rainfall, and that applies doubly to the final pitch to the overlook.

Trail Breakdown: Mile by Mile

0–0.3 mi

Trailhead into Pinyon-Juniper

Gentle sandy trail departing the roadside turnout, heading south-southwest through open pinyon-juniper. The Chapel of the Holy Cross is visible to the north. The trail is wide and well-worn with minor grade.

0.3–0.7 mi

Bear Wallow Corridor

Trail enters the Bear Wallow drainage corridor, a wider sandy wash flanked by red sandstone outcrops. The grade begins to climb gently. Terrain alternates between packed sand and small slickrock crossings. Views of the red rock formations to the south open progressively.

0.7–1.1 mi

Open Slickrock Benches

The trail emerges onto open slickrock benches with the widest views of the hike. Lee Mountain rises to the south. Submarine Rock and the Broken Arrow drainage are visible to the southeast. Follow cairns across the smooth red rock.

1.1–1.5 mi

Final Pitch to Chicken Point

The steepest section of the hike: a short slickrock pitch near the end of the trail's 1.5-mile one-way length. Hands may be useful on the final push. No ropes or technical gear required for a healthy adult. The trail reaches the base of the Chicken Point knobs — a broad slickrock area with wide views across the Lee Mountain, Submarine Rock, and Twin Buttes corridor.

Return

Return via Same Route

Return the same way for the standard round trip, about 3.0 miles total per the USFS. The Llama Trail offers an alternate return looping north back to the trailhead but adds distance and requires some route-finding. Recommended for experienced hikers only on the first visit.

Best Season and Nearby Trails

Little Horse Trail is open year-round. The best windows are October through April, when temperatures stay under 75°F and the open slickrock sections are comfortable. May and September are doable with early starts — at the trailhead by 6:30 AM. June through August, the full-sun exposure on the slickrock benches creates heat-trap conditions; midday rock surface temperatures exceed 130°F. Dogs should not be taken on slickrock in summer midday heat regardless of air temperature. If you are visiting in summer, the forested sections between miles 0 and 0.9 provide some morning shade.

The SR-179 corridor has several natural pairings. Bell Rock Trail (1.8 mi RT, easy) is 1.5 miles south on SR-179 with a large lot that rarely fills before 9:30 AM — a good warm-up or cool-down option. Courthouse Butte Loop (4.0 mi, easy-moderate) adjoins Bell Rock and gives a full half-day if you want more mileage than Little Horse delivers. For the area's hardest option, Cathedral Rock Trail (2.1 mi RT, hard) is north on SR-179 and involves genuine scrambling on exposed slickrock.

Red Rock Pass logistics: see the permits and passes guide for purchase options including the America the Beautiful annual pass (covers all Coconino NF trailheads and replaces individual daily passes). If you are hiking more than two days in the Red Rock District, the annual pass pays for itself.

Pink Jeep and Chicken Point Tours from Sedona

If you want to experience Chicken Point with a local guide narrating the geology and formations, Pink Jeep and competing Sedona jeep operators offer tours covering the Broken Arrow corridor. Viator lists available departure times and current pricing. Tours handle all logistics including the vehicle permit for the Broken Arrow vehicle zone.

Find Sedona Pink Jeep Tours on Viator →

Affiliate link — we earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Editorial note: Trail researched Spring 2026 by The Lowdown Guide editorial team. Distance (1.5 mi one way), elevation gain (330 ft), and trailhead location (milepost 309.8) confirmed against the Coconino National Forest's official trail page for Little Horse Trail No. 61. Pink Jeep tour wave timing confirmed from operator schedules and field observation. Interior mile-marker terrain descriptions are field observations, not USFS-published data. Broken Arrow permit comparison sourced from Coconino National Forest recreation.gov listings.

Frequently Asked Questions

How hard is Little Horse Trail in Sedona? +
Little Horse Trail is rated easy-moderate. Per the Coconino National Forest, the trail is 1.5 miles one way (about 3.0 miles round trip) and gains 330 feet across sandy slickrock terrain with no technical scrambling or cliff exposure. The surface is packed sand and grippy red slickrock throughout. Fit adults complete the round trip in about 1.5 to 2 hours. It is one of the better family hikes in the SR-179 corridor because the grade is gentle and the turnaround near Chicken Point is obvious and rewarding. Dogs are permitted on leash and the sandy surface is forgiving on paws outside of summer heat.
Where do you park for Little Horse Trail in Sedona? +
Little Horse Trail starts at the Little Horse Trailhead off SR-179, at milepost 309.8, approximately 3.6 miles south of the Sedona Y junction and about 0.2 miles south of the United Methodist Church entrance. Parking at the trailhead is free. A Red Rock Pass is required: $5 per day or covered by an America the Beautiful annual interagency pass. Arrive early on spring and fall weekends, when SR-179 corridor trailheads fill fastest. Unlike Broken Arrow Trail, there is no shuttle requirement or permit lottery for this trailhead.
What is Chicken Point and how do you reach it from Little Horse Trail? +
Chicken Point is a wide slickrock overlook near the end of Little Horse Trail, close to mile 1.4 of the trail's 1.5-mile one-way length per the Coconino National Forest. It sits above the Lee Mountain corridor with views of Submarine Rock and Twin Buttes to the south. The same overlook is the destination of Pink Jeep tours and the Broken Arrow Trail route, but Little Horse reaches it from the north via a hiking-only approach with no vehicle traffic. The final approach involves a short steep slickrock pitch. Pink Jeep tours arrive at the overlook in waves around 10:30 AM, 12 PM, and 2 PM on weekdays and weekends.
Is Little Horse Trail dog friendly? +
Little Horse Trail is dog friendly. Dogs are permitted on leash throughout. The sandy and slickrock surface is comfortable for most dogs outside of summer midday heat. There are no water sources on trail, so carry at least 1.5 liters per dog on warm days. The trail has no cliff exposure that would endanger a leashed dog. On weekends, expect other dogs on trail and moderate foot traffic, particularly in the first mile near the trailhead. The Chicken Point overlook is wide and flat, giving dogs plenty of room to rest while you take in the views.
How does Little Horse Trail compare to Broken Arrow Trail? +
Both trails reach Chicken Point, but they differ significantly in access. Broken Arrow Trail requires a vehicle permit ($25/day, sold in advance) at the Soldier Pass area trailhead, which has only 14 permit spaces and sells out weeks ahead in peak season. Little Horse Trailhead requires only a Red Rock Pass ($5/day) and free parking. The hiking distance is similar (Little Horse is 1.5 miles one way / 3.0 miles round trip per the USFS, versus roughly 3.0 miles for Broken Arrow), and both trails deliver the same Chicken Point payoff. Little Horse is the walk-up alternative for visitors who did not plan ahead or did not secure a Broken Arrow permit.