Northern Arizona · September 10, 2026 · By Shannon Roberts
Sedona Is Open: What’s Still Closed After the Pocket Fire
Most of Sedona has reopened following the Pocket Fire. Here is the current, source-checked list of closed trails, access-limited hikes, creek areas and recreation sites—plus the popular hikes that are open.
Current status · Verified September 11, 2026
Sedona is open.
The Pocket Fire is no longer burning. Most trails, businesses and roads are open, with a smaller group of closures still in place because of post-fire flooding, debris and watershed hazards.
- Pocket Fire
- No active fire
- Open
- Most of Sedona
- Closed
- 6 trails and 7 recreation sites
- Limited access
- 4 creek-side trail approaches
Most of Sedona is open after the Pocket Fire. Five named trails remain under a Forest Service order through September 30, while West Fork Trail and drainage have a separate order through October 31. Most Oak Creek sites reopened September 17.
Updated September 28, 2026: The Pocket Fire is out and the broad Oak Creek closure lifted September 17. West Fork Trail No. 108 and its drainage are closed through October 31, 2026, unless the new order is rescinded. Call of the Canyon still shows a separate closure through September 30; check for a new order before planning a visit. Bear Sign, David Miller, Dry Creek, H-S Canyon and Secret Canyon remain under a separate order through September 30, unless rescinded. Slide Rock’s swim area is open. The park’s current page no longer carries its September 17 stay-out-of-water recommendation. Swimming is at your own risk, with no lifeguard; check current conditions.
Official sources checked September 28: West Fork extended order · five-trail Pocket Fire order · Call of the Canyon status · Slide Rock State Park
Last verified September 28, 2026
If you saw one of the giant Pocket Fire closure maps shared earlier this summer and assumed Sedona was basically off-limits, I have good news: it is not.
The Pocket Fire is not still burning. No part of the fire is burning. State Route 89A through Oak Creek Canyon is open. Hotels, restaurants, shops and tours are operating. Most Sedona trails are open too.
What remains closed is now very specific: six named trails, including West Fork, and the affected West Fork drainage. The broad Oak Creek corridor and developed-site closure lifted September 17.
The closure signs are not decorative. Burned slopes can send water, ash, rocks, branches and other debris into a drainage very quickly when it rains. Please do not make a closed gate part of your personal route-finding challenge.
I have opened enough Forest Service tabs for all of us. Here is the current list.
The quick answer: What is open and closed in Sedona?
Still closed in Sedona
These six Sedona trails are formally closed under two orders:
Bear Sign Trail #59
David Miller Trail #164
Dry Creek Trail #52
HS Canyon Trail #50
Secret Canyon Trail #121
West Fork Trail #108
Most of these developed sites reopened September 17; Call of the Canyon has a separate closure:
Banjo Bill Picnic Site
Bootlegger Picnic Site
Call of the Canyon Picnic Site
Encinoso Picnic Site
Grasshopper Point Picnic Site
Halfway Picnic Site
Manzanita Campground
The remaining closure includes National Forest land within 100 feet of the affected West Fork drainage corridor. The broad Oak Creek corridor closure lifted September 17.
The Pocket Fire trail order and West Fork extended order have different end dates: five Pocket Fire trails through September 30 and West Fork Trail and drainage through October 31. Check Call of the Canyon separately.
Creek access trails that reopened September 17
These trails are not named as fully closed in the current orders. Their normal lower access reopened September 17:
A.B. Young Trail #100: lower access through Bootlegger reopened September 17; verify posted conditions before crossing Oak Creek
North Wilson Trail #123: its direct lower trailhead at Encinoso reopened September 17
Casner Canyon Trail #11: the lower approach is no longer blocked by the broad closure, but the creek crossing may be unsafe after rain
Allen’s Bend Trail: access from Grasshopper Point reopened September 17; use it only when creek and trail conditions are safe
Those lower approaches are no longer blocked by the broad closure, but open access does not guarantee a safe creek crossing. Stay out of high, muddy, fast or debris-filled water.
Open in Sedona
Most other Sedona trails and visitor areas are open, including:
Devil’s Bridge and Dry Creek Vista
Boynton Canyon
Soldier Pass
Brins Mesa
Fay Canyon
Bear Mountain
Doe Mountain
Long Canyon
Mescal
Cathedral Rock
Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte
Little Horse
Broken Arrow
State Route 89A through Oak Creek Canyon
Cave Springs and Pine Flat campgrounds
Crescent Moon Picnic Site and Red Rock Crossing
“Open” means the location is not included in the current Pocket Fire closure orders. Weather, maintenance, parking rules and a full trailhead lot can still change your day. Sedona has never promised to cooperate with a perfectly color-coded itinerary.
What changed after the Pocket Fire?
The Pocket Fire began on June 19 and ultimately burned approximately 27,393 acres north of Sedona. During the active fire response, a much larger portion of the Coconino National Forest was closed, State Route 89A was shut down through Oak Creek Canyon, and many popular West Sedona trails became inaccessible.
State Route 89A reopened on July 13. The Pocket Fire was declared 100% contained on July 30 and is no longer burning. The original broad forest closure was replaced by two much smaller closure areas beginning July 31.
If the map you found still shows Devil’s Bridge, Boynton Canyon, Fay Canyon, Soldier Pass, Bear Mountain or most of West Sedona as closed, it is an old map. The internet is very good at keeping dramatic information alive long after it stops being useful.
Two Forest Service orders cover five Pocket Fire trails through September 30 and West Fork Trail and drainage through October 31. The broad Oak Creek corridor and developed-site closure lifted September 17.
The part I want people to understand about Sedona right now
The Pocket Fire always felt under control to me, even when the situation itself felt scary. A wildfire above Oak Creek Canyon is not something any of us took lightly. The firefighters and emergency teams did an incredible job, and their updates were clear, steady and easy to find. That helped our community work with real information instead of whatever someone’s cousin heard in a parking lot.
People checked on neighbors, helped evacuees, shared accurate updates and found ways to support one another. Sedona can argue enthusiastically about almost anything on a normal Tuesday, but when this became serious, the community showed up.
The smoke, road closure and enormous early closure map also convinced a lot of visitors to stay away. For a while, Sedona felt like a ghost town. The road reopened and most trails followed, but visitors did not magically reappear with them. The city still has not fully recovered. I cannot remember tourism being this slow since before 2020.
The numbers back up what it looked like from the street. In a July survey presented to the Sedona City Council, roughly 90% of responding restaurants, attractions and retailers reported lower foot traffic after the fire began. Seventy-five percent called the decrease significant, and some businesses reported losing 30% to 40% of their revenue.
So I keep telling people the same thing: now is the time to visit Sedona.
Come while the roads are quieter. Stay in a local hotel. Eat somewhere you have been meaning to try. Browse the galleries, book a tour and choose from the hundreds of miles of trail that are open. You may even find a parking space without needing the strategy meeting normally required for one Sedona hike.
There is plenty to do here. Just enjoy what is open and give the burned areas the time they need.
The confusing one: Dry Creek Trail is closed, but Devil’s Bridge is open
This is the one most likely to ruin a perfectly good group chat.
Dry Creek Trail #52 is closed. Dry Creek Vista and Devil’s Bridge are open.
They are different trails and access points even though they share the words “Dry Creek.” The free Sedona Shuttle is serving Dry Creek Vista, which provides access to Devil’s Bridge.
Please do not tell people “the whole Dry Creek area is closed.” That is how six closed trails turn into half of Sedona before lunch.
Which Sedona trails are still closed?
Bear Sign Trail #59
Bear Sign Trail is closed for its full length, along with National Forest land within 100 feet of either side of the trail.
David Miller Trail #164
David Miller Trail is closed for its full length under the Pocket Fire temporary trail order.
Dry Creek Trail #52
Dry Creek Trail is closed. Dry Creek Vista and Devil’s Bridge are not.
HS Canyon Trail #50
HS Canyon Trail is closed for its full length.
Secret Canyon Trail #121
Secret Canyon Trail is closed. This does not mean every place with “Secret” in the name has been swept into the order. The Forest Service specifically names Secret Canyon Trail #121.
West Fork Trail #108
West Fork Trail and drainage are closed through October 31 under a new order. Call of the Canyon remains under a separate order shown through September 30; confirm its status before visiting.
West Fork is one of Sedona’s best-known fall-color hikes. The leaves will probably be gorgeous, and they will still be behind a closure sign. Please choose another trail until the Forest Service reopens it.
Which creek-access trails reopened September 17?
Here is the annoying footnote to a simple closure list: a trail can be absent from the order and still be impossible to reach from its normal lower trailhead.
A.B. Young Trail #100
A.B. Young can once again be accessed from the bottom. Its usual route begins at Bootlegger Picnic Area, drops to Oak Creek and crosses the water before reaching the trail. Bootlegger and the broad creek corridor reopened September 17. Check posted conditions before crossing the creek.
If your A.B. Young plan begins at Bootlegger, open access still does not make a high or muddy creek crossing safe.
North Wilson Trail #123
North Wilson is not named in the remaining closure order, and its direct lower trailhead at Encinoso reopened September 17. North Wilson joins Wilson Mountain Trail higher on the mountain. Check current trail and weather conditions before starting.
Casner Canyon Trail #11
Casner Canyon is not named as a closed trail. The standard lower approach and the Grasshopper Point alternative are no longer blocked by the broad Oak Creek closure, but both depend on current creek and trail conditions. Do not cross high, muddy or fast water.
Allen’s Bend Trail
The Grasshopper Point entrance to Allen’s Bend reopened September 17. Allen’s Bend also connects with Huckaby; check posted conditions and avoid any creek-side section affected by high water or storm debris.
What about Sterling Pass?
Sterling Pass is close to Manzanita Campground, but close to a closure is not the same as inside one. The official directions place the trailhead on the west side of State Route 89A, about 100 yards north of the campground entrance. Sterling Pass is not named in either current closure order, and the Forest Service does not label it partially closed. I would not call it closed based on proximity alone. Check legal parking and the signs you find that day.
Why protecting Oak Creek is personal to me
Oak Creek is part of my family’s life. I serve on the Oak Creek Watershed Council board of directors, and I help however I can with the work of protecting the creek for the people and wildlife that depend on it.
It is also one of my children’s favorite places. We have been bringing them to Oak Creek since they were toddlers. We have floated, swum, explored, learned and made years of memories there. The old photo below probably explains my connection to this place faster than another paragraph could.
My children have also participated in the Council’s Tiny Wildlife program. They get to examine and identify the aquatic macroinvertebrates living among the rocks and pebbles in Oak Creek. Those tiny organisms help show us how healthy the creek is.
Nothing makes “protect the watershed” feel real to a child quite like discovering that an entire tiny world has been living under the rock next to their shoe.
Protecting Oak Creek does not mean keeping people away from it forever. It means enjoying the places that are open, following water and weather guidance, packing out what you bring and leaving a burned section alone when it is not ready for us yet.
I want Oak Creek to be here for weekend plans now and for other families making toddler-in-floaties memories years from now. We can manage both if we take care of it.
Which parts of Oak Creek are still closed?
Most Oak Creek public access and recreation sites reopened September 17. West Fork Trail No. 108 and its drainage are closed through October 31, 2026, unless the new order is rescinded. Call of the Canyon still shows a separate closure through September 30; check for a new order before planning a visit.
The broad Oak Creek corridor closure lifted September 17. These sites reopened:
Banjo Bill
Bootlegger
Encinoso
Grasshopper Point
Halfway
Manzanita Campground
State Route 89A through the canyon and most creek access sites are open. Follow posted signs and check the West Fork and Call of the Canyon orders before planning a stop.
Park legally and follow posted signs. Do not enter high, muddy, fast or debris-filled water just because a site is open.
Is Slide Rock State Park open?
Slide Rock State Park and its swim area are open. The park’s current page no longer carries the September 17 stay-out-of-water recommendation. Swimming is at your own risk, with no lifeguard.
You can visit and swim when conditions are suitable. The orchard and canyon scenery remain a good backup if the water looks unsafe.
Check Slide Rock State Park’s current alert before driving into the canyon. Parking, capacity and water conditions have their own opinions about your schedule.
Read my full Slide Rock State Park guide for parking, accessibility and planning details.
Are Cave Springs and Pine Flat campgrounds open?
Cave Springs and Pine Flat campgrounds are outside the affected section of the Oak Creek closure.
Current Recreation.gov guidance says registered campground guests may access the creek from those campgrounds when conditions are safe. The broader Oak Creek corridor reopened September 17.
Check availability and campground notices before you go. “Outside the closure” and “has an empty campsite waiting for me” are two completely different pieces of information.
Is Red Rock Crossing at Crescent Moon Ranch open?
Yes. Crescent Moon Picnic Site and Red Rock Crossing are open, and most canyon recreation sites joined them when the broad Oak Creek closure lifted September 17.
Most Oak Creek access reopened September 17. West Fork Trail and drainage are closed through October 31; Call of the Canyon still shows a separate September 30 order.
Crescent Moon is a developed day-use area near the base of Cathedral Rock. You can picnic, walk, photograph the red rocks and access Oak Creek under the current site rules. Check its status, weather, water conditions and fee before leaving home. An open creek site is not a promise that the water will behave nicely.
What popular Sedona hikes are open?
You still have a very long list of Sedona hikes to choose from.
West Sedona
Devil’s Bridge, Boynton Canyon, Fay Canyon, Bear Mountain, Doe Mountain, Soldier Pass, Brins Mesa, Mescal and Long Canyon are not included in the current closure orders.
The Sedona Shuttle currently serves Soldier Pass, Dry Creek Vista and Mescal. Check the parking rules while the shuttle is running. A technically open trail is not very useful if the car has nowhere legal to go.
State Route 179 and the Village of Oak Creek
Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, Little Horse, Llama and other popular south-side trails are outside the Pocket Fire closure areas.
These are good choices if you want classic red-rock scenery without heading into the affected northern drainages.
Uptown and central Sedona
Huckaby, Jim Thompson and the open portions of the central Sedona trail system are not named in the current orders. Confirm the exact trailhead and parking before you leave, especially when the plan depends on a tiny roadside lot somehow having room for one more car.
For help choosing an open trail that fits the weather and your group, read How to Choose a Sedona Hike.
Why are areas still closed if the Pocket Fire is no longer burning?
The fire is out. The watershed has not magically put itself back together.
The remaining closures are not for active flames. They are for the conditions the fire left behind: unstable soil, damaged trees and narrow drainages that can become dangerous when it rains.
After a severe fire, vegetation and ground cover may no longer slow water moving downhill. A storm over the burned area can send runoff, ash, rocks, branches and other debris into canyons and creek corridors very quickly—even when the sky above your trailhead looks perfectly innocent.
That is why so many of the remaining closures follow drainages and canyon trails. The flames are gone. The landscape is still dealing with what they left behind.
What should you do if your planned trail is closed?
Do not invent a detour around a closed trail or try to sneak in from another direction. Choose an open trail that gives you the kind of day you wanted.
If you planned West Fork for canyon scenery, consider Boynton Canyon or Fay Canyon.
If you wanted a challenging climb, consider Bear Mountain or Doe Mountain.
If you wanted a classic first-time Sedona experience, consider Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte or Cathedral Rock.
If you planned Devil’s Bridge, you can still go—Devil’s Bridge is open.
If you wanted an easier day, use my guide to what to do in Sedona without hiking.
If the closure changes your morning plans, start with my Sedona breakfast and coffee guide and let everyone become more reasonable before choosing Plan B.
These are alternatives, not identical replacements. Choose for the weather, your ability and the actual humans getting out of the car—not the most athletic version of everyone that existed while planning the trip.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sedona open right now?
Yes. Sedona is open. State Route 89A through Oak Creek Canyon is open, businesses are operating and most trails are accessible. Six trails remain temporarily closed; most Oak Creek recreation sites reopened September 17.
Is Devil’s Bridge open?
Yes. Devil’s Bridge and Dry Creek Vista are open. Dry Creek Trail #52 is closed. Similar name, different trail.
Is A.B. Young Trail open?
The lower access through Bootlegger reopened September 17, so A.B. Young is no longer limited to the approach from above the rim. Check posted conditions and do not cross Oak Creek when it is high, muddy or fast.
Are North Wilson and Casner Canyon open?
Neither trail is named in the remaining closure order. North Wilson’s Encinoso trailhead and the lower approaches to Casner Canyon reopened September 17, but creek crossings may still be unsafe after rain.
Is West Fork Trail open?
No. West Fork Trail #108 and drainage are closed through October 31, 2026, unless rescinded. Call of the Canyon shows a separate order through September 30; check for any change.
Can you swim in Oak Creek?
Swimming and wading are allowed at open public sites when conditions are safe. Slide Rock’s swim area is open and its current page no longer carries the September 17 stay-out-of-water recommendation. Avoid high or debris-filled water.
When will the Sedona trails reopen?
The five-trail Pocket Fire order runs through September 30, unless rescinded. West Fork Trail and drainage have a separate order through October 31. Neither end date guarantees reopening.
Is the Pocket Fire still burning?
No. The Pocket Fire is not still burning, and no part of the fire is currently burning. It was declared 100% contained on July 30. The remaining closures are for post-fire flooding, debris and watershed hazards—not active fire.
Before you leave
Check the official notices again on the day of your trip. Closures, weather and roads can change much faster than an old search result gets corrected.
I last verified this guide on September 28, 2026. Use current Forest Service orders instead of undated screenshots as your legal trail map.
Sedona is open, beautiful and worth visiting. It is also a living landscape recovering from a major fire.
Come enjoy what is open. Support the community. Respect what is not ready for us yet. Your trip will still count, even if Plan B is the hike you end up loving.
