Very strenuous hike due to the elevation and incline but so worth it, it was a great, fun, and challenging hike with amazing views. It is definitely a hard hike so bring lots of water and something to eat. You can purchase the daily pass at the trail head and the machine does accept credit cards which makes that convenient. There are bathrooms there and parking is limited so go early. This wasnt a heavily trafficked trail but there are other trails around so thats how parking can get quickly filled. From the parking there is a sign that says Doe Mountain and Bear Mountain Trail head. However, Bear Mountain Trail is across the street from the parking lot. Trail is about 5 miles and it took me 4 hours. That includes time stopped for pictures and break once you reach the summit. There are quite a few saddles where you think youve reached the top but it wont be the summit until you see the End sign. Felt like wonder woman once I reached the top.

Strenuous hike but the views were incredible. Start early and be ready for approximately 2000 foot elevation gain in approximately 2.4 miles one way. I hiked this trail because it is one of the Peaks in the Arizona Six Pack of Peaks Challenge. Bring plenty of water and be ready for a steep but doable climb.

The real deal. If you think you have enough water, you don’t. Bring more. Hiking is an understatement. This is a vertical climb. Well worth it! Enjoy

Beautiful views from start to finish but to the novice and intermediate hikers, i would recommend a gallon of water minimum per person, good hiking shoes and stretching out. Its a tough trail with inclines for the majority of 2 miles and minimal shade. The reward is the End trail sign and the view from the top!

Long rough terrain hike. Definitely not for the newbie. Bring plenty of water as youll be exposed for the majority of this hike. Its a lot of elevation for a short distance so get your heart and lungs ready.

Amazing hike with beautiful views. We’ve done a handful of hikes in Sedona, this was the shortest in distance, but had the most vertical feet. A variety of terrain, all was very well marked (I was extremely appreciative of that!) and it felt safe (I would feel comfortable bringing my kids without -too much- fear of them falling off a cliff to their death). We hiked on a partly cloudy day, but if would get HOT in full sun! I hope to do it again someday, which I don’t say often!

Beautiful climb! Would highly recommend! Challenging for sure - lots of rock climbing when you get towards the top. Water and snacks recommended. Watch your footing!

5+ miles w almost 2000 ft elevation. Rocky steep steps. Really gets your heart pumping. Bring snack and water to enjoy at the End! If youre in shape, totally worth the 4.5+ hours.

My favorite, Bear Mtn is the toughest hike in Sedona. Pushing hard today in ideal chilly fall air, cranked out the round trip in 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Loved this hike! Took me about 3 hours to finish, but I tend to walk faster than most people. Definitely steeper and more strenuous than other popular trails around the area. There were white arrows painted on rocks to indicate the official trail. If you think you are lost, look for them.

The views are easily 10/10Quite difficult trail, it took me roughly 5 hours? from start to finish.It gets pretty easy to get lost. Just follow the markings on the ground.It is very deceptive though, youll think youre done but then theres another hill you have to go up, and then another one.I went with 1 other friend and we were the only ones on this trail the whole time.

I agree with many of these reviews – this is an excellent hike. It is moderate to hard / difficult although there is not really any technical climbing and only scaling large (4’) steps in a few places. We hiked this on our third day in town (after two previous hikes) and our legs were in shape. I liked that after several of the more vertical stretches there seemed to be a flat stretch to catch your breath. It took us just under 2 hours going up including plenty of breaks to take pictures. Definitely take a rest at the top and grab a snack and drink some more water. We descended in 90 minutes while stopping to take more pictures along the route. There are so many beautiful views you will lose count. Even though the parking lot was full (we got the last spot at 9am), the trail was not heavily trafficked.

GREAT HIKE, but definitely needs to be completed before the heat. Could be a 4 hour, in and out if you crushed it without a brake at the top.

Great hike. A little strenuous at times but doable. Started late around noon and got back down around 630. Lots of bees on this trail two weeks ago. Proper shoes and water is required. Worth the view at the top. Best hike in Sedona so far.

Difficult hike but well worth the views!

Its an amazing hike if youre up for a challenge. Took us about 3.5 hours round trip, including a 25 minute lunch break at the top.

One of my favorites. Easy trail.

Snow falling, slippery at top had to stop almost made it to the top! Fun and adventures! Ill def go back when snow is gone...

This is definitely one of those hikes that is straight incline until you reach the very end. I definitely recommend taking a couple breaks along the way to soak in the incredible views. It says the trail is 2.4 miles one way but it definitely feels longer! This is now my new favorite hike in Sedona and I couldn’t recommend it more!

Great hike. Beautiful views. Start a sunrise in the summer if youre not used to temps above 90. Bring a lot of water.

Challenging uphill hike, but it was worth it. Great views of the Sedona area.

My favorite hike of the 7 we did in Sedona. Definitely more on the difficult side, and if you do it in the winter bring grips for your shoes. Be prepared for awesome views!

Love hiking here, my dog loves walking here also... some of the best views in the Redrock Secret Mountain Wilderness

Quite challenging and immensely rewarding trail.When parking at the trailhead, cross the street for the actual Bear Mountain trail, the trail at the lot leads to doe mountain. Dont forget to get the ticket from the machine!Good hiking boots are required, and some parts will need the use of your hands. Definitely plan the way up outside of the hottest part of the day (1100-1400) and bring plenty of water, since there is none along the trail. The summit is amazing with grand views of the entire Sedona area. The trail is adequately marked with white diamonds painted on flat rock surfaces.Really an amazing hike.

When looking across the street from the parking lot, the peak is way in the background. As the hike starts, you wander through a very pleasant valley floor with plenty of ground animal burrows. Then its a steep climb which may require hands to get over the red rock beauties in the foreground, as viewed from the parking lot. You are rewarded first here, and over and over again throughout the hike. From here I think it was two slick rock peaks with short down runs on the backsides, with a final asscent to the top. Spectacular, near 360 view. Took us 3.5 hours round trip in 60 degrees, but we started late around 2pm so we were moving quickly. Highly recommend it!

Pretty tough hike, couple hours up and 1.5 down if you are fit. I was chasing my college kids.

Great views with an aggressive hike. Love the sedimentary rocks.

One of the best hikes I have ever done

As others have written, it is strenuous to the top, but totally worth the work! Don’t let the sign at the beginning of the trail deter you, stating a five hour minimum round-trip. We completed the hike in approximately three hours, at a moderate pace including some stops for pictures and a quick rest. Our stay at the top was about 10-15 mins. Another advantage of this hike is it is less crowded then many of the other local hiking areas.

Great hike, not far, but lots, and lots of elevation. This one will blow out the cobwebs for sure.

Great beautiful challenging hike. Just be careful. If theres too much sand on the flat rocks you can loose traction

Parts were difficult but totally worth it

One of our favorite hikes in Sedona!!

Intense hike but well worth it! Expect to take 5 - 6 hours and bring lots of water!!

This was a great hike in December and we didnt have any snow! We still used up every bit of our water so make sure to bring some with you along with snacks. If you do this in the summer (or any time really) bring exposure protection because there isnt a ton of shade for the whole trail. This hike offers great views of the surrounding areas like us down in the other uploaded pictures.

Definitely need to be in shape for this hike!! GORGEOUS views make it worth it. Start early in the morning, bring lots of water and sunscreen, and follow the white trail markers.

Wear an ankle brace and bring your first aid kit. Very beautiful once you reach the top! Scenic viewing plus Selfie once you are at the top of the halfway point!!

Beautiful hike

Great hike. Pretty steep, but great views

Made it to the Bear Mountain, Sedona early spring - a 5 mile round trip. The hike was organized to bid farewell to one of our friend & a experienced hiking club member who is headed to India. The mountain is steep enough and 5 miles apparently feels 12 or a 13 mile hike, henceforth. It comprises of two plateaus after steep climbs and offers a great deal of views worth a preserve. The red-rock canyons are incredibly beautiful when seen from the elevation these plateaus offer. On reaching the summit, the immediate thing I saw was the end of the trail sign board. However, whats interesting is that, the next immediate thing that I observed was the snow-capped Humphreys summit, maybe I love these that much that they reflect everywhere I go these days. Hopefully Im not hallucinating. I know, the only remedy for this is to make it to the 12 dot some grand elevation and cherish the views!

Very difficult. 2000 elevation gain in 2.5 miles up. Worth the views.

Not the easiest, bring you trail shoes

Awful trail, highly recommend staying away.

Challenging but views and experience are worth it. My 26 week pregnant wife made it so you can do it.

The views are amazing

A bear of a trail. Tough and stunning!

Difficult trail due to steep, rocky sections. Several awesome viewpoints along the way in addition to the view from the top. I measured close to 6 mi round trip and it took me about 5 hours moving at a moderate pace

Great hike.

Challenging but rewarding trail. Beautiful views of Sedona and surrounding scape from the first rim and from the end of the trail. The white rock towards the end of the trail has embedded marine fossils (seashells).

Good hike made on New Years day 2016. Great view of Humphreys peak from the top.

Awesome workout. Very steep trail but worth the hard work when you see the views at the end.

Sunset hike

Always a great workout of the body and mind. If intimidation is your first reaction... Then you MUST conquer this!!!

Steep and steeper. Lots of false summits before the tippy top.

Great hike with amazing views. Really steep and Rocky so dont underestimate the difficulty just based on distance.

Great trail. Can be challenging at times.

Tough! But worth it!

Very strenuous trail with a amazing views

More like a 6 mile hike.

Beautiful, difficult hike

Best trail in Sedona!

This hike is deceiving in distance and difficulties.

Beautiful

Best mountain to hike!

Excellent hike, great views the entire length of the trail. 3 hours 40 minutes to complete with lots of photos and videos along the way. Stick to the white arrows and footprints to stay on course. Trail has multiple false summits just keep going until you see the end of trail marker which is towards the west side of the summit. At the top there are lots of bushes and trails leading through them. We walked around for a few minutes before we found the end of trail sign. Great time to start hike for us was 1pm in early December in 65 degree weather. Also, the parking lot for the trail is the same lot as the Doe Messa trail you just walk across the road to get to the start of the Bear Mountain trail. Surprisingly lots of couples with small dogs and people from many different age groups. Not many shady parts along the trail so its a good idea to bring a hat or bandana to protect from the sun. Two small water bottles and a cliff bar were plenty for us in this weather. Be sure to bring good hiking shoes as there are lots of sand covered rocks which can be slippery.