Hike: Adobe Jack Trail to Ant Hill Loop to Grand Central Trail to Crusty Trail – Sedona 2017

Adobe Jack and the Soldier Wash Trail System

According to my AllTrails.com recording of this hike (April 30, 2017), it was:

Distance: 4.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 486 feet
Moving Time: 1 hours 53 minutes
Total Elapsed Time: 2 hours 3 minutes
Average Speed: 2.6 mph

Shortly after arriving in Sedona on my 2017 trip there, I noticed a trailhead sign for a trail I hadn’t heard of before: Adobe Jack Trail. This was my third straight year going to Sedona. I had done a fair amount of research on hiking trails there already, but somehow it didn’t ring a bell.

After a bit more research, I realized why: Adobe Jack, along with several other trails connected to it, was relatively new. Soldier Wash Trail System was completed in 2012 and consists of seven new trails for hiking and mountain biking:

Crusty
Grand Central
Coyote
Powerline Plunge
Javelina
Ant Hill Loop
Adobe Jack

There are probably dozens of combinations you can do with the Soldier Wash Trail System and the adjacent network of trails that make up the Brins Mesa/Soldier Pass Loop, which I did my trip there. There are also several trailheads where you can enter the system as well. After studying the maps for a while, I decided to do Adobe Jack Trail to Jordan Pass Trail (which connects Soldier Pass to Cibola Pass) to Ant Hill Loop to Grand Central Trail to Crusty Trail.

As far as hikes go, this was relatively easy. There were some gentle hills, but nothing terribly challenging. But the views were phenomenal, especially as you head north away from the city. The uphill climb did get significantly steeper when getting to the peak of Ant Hill while on Grand Central Trail, but you get a full 360-degree view of Sedona and the surrounding mountains, which was breathtaking.