Have you ever wondered about the spindly spires of the Cockscomb formation west of Sedona and on the very edge of Red Rock Country? Then you need to spend an afternoon exploring Cockscomb Butte Trail. The trailhead sits near The Aerie housing development. The hike begins mildly enough, winding along relatively flat terrain and steadily heading toward the Cockscomb. You’ll cross a rocky, narrow streambed at mile 0.45 and then at mile 0.89 a wire fence shows up on your left. This fence marks the boundary between the national forest and the high-end housing development. It’s here that your views begin to open up – you’ll catch a glimpse of towering Capitol Butte and the spire that is Chimney Rock. Continue hiking, but keep your eye on the right side of the trail. At 1.03 miles, you’ll see a rock cairn and a narrow-but-well-traveled trail that peels off to the right. This is the steep trail that leads to the top of the Cockscomb.
Like all of the trails that climb to the tops of Sedona’s mesas, mountains and buttes, this one is steep and rocky, so watch your footing. It also provides great views the further you climb, but keep an eye out for the aforementioned cairns (small stacks or piles of rocks that mark the route) because it’s not difficult to get off-trail in this section. The trail soon becomes more technical and requires some moderate scrambling to reach the top of the butte. Just before you make your way up, look to the left for views of Cathedral Rock, Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock. After your short scramble, follow the trail on top to the right. At 1.47 miles from the trailhead, you’ll round a corner and have breathtaking views of the individual spires of the Cockscomb. Of course, you’ll have views of Sedona and the entire Verde Valley, but it was the unique aerial view of the spires and the surrounding deep crevices that captured our imagination.
The top of the butte is small with a few barren slabs of red rock (picnic spot alert), short gnarled junipers and lots of prickly pear cactus. We wandered the entire top of the butte, and our hike came in at 1.67 miles one way.
