Seven Sacred Pools via Cibola Pass Trail

The Seven Sacred Pools are a natural work of art, with pastel-blue water trickling from one pool to the next over the layered red sandstone that lies between the Oak Creek Mountains and Sedona’s arid desert. This area is important both for human spirituality and for the needs of animals, who come to the pools to drink before venturing further into the dry surrounding landscape. A shield of juniper trees provides visual contrast and a reminder of how quickly the flora and fauna can change closer to a source of water in the desert.

The pools are at their best in the springtime when there’s been a bit more rain. Try visiting in April or May if you can. Visiting in the heat of summer may mean the pools are less obvious.

This area can be a touch confusing where the trail isn’t as obvious. We recommend downloading a GPS track ahead of time, especially if you plan to venture past the pools on Soldier Pass Trail.

Additionally, keep an eye out for mountain bike traffic, which frequents this route.

Beginning from the Cibola Pass Trailhead, head across the wash, staying straight through the first junction with Brins Mesa Trail and Jordan Trail.

Climb up out of the wash and continue with Morning Glory Spire and Cibola Mitten to your right. You’ll hike straight on until you hit Devil’s Kitchen. Take a second to appreciate the sinkhole, which was largely created in two collapses, the first in the early 1880s and the second in 1989.

From the sinkhole, keep right onto Soldier Pass Trail. From here, it’s a fairly quick journey, so take your time admiring the vibrant red earth beneath your feet, the agave and juniper growing alongside the trail, and the ever-present view of the surrounding mountains and buttes.

Hiking alongside Soldier Wash, it’s less than half a mine from the sinkhole to the pools. At the pools, you can snap a photo from the overlook point and spend some time watching the flow of the water. The pools were created naturally by the gradual erosion of the water, each trickling into the next over the course of many years.

You can either keep going on this trail to reach the Soldier Pass Cave or turn around and retrace your steps back to the Cibola Pass Trailhead.

Trail Highlights

Seven Sacred Pools

In the strikingly beautiful area between the Oak Creek Mountains and the arid desert of Sedona lies the Seven Sacred Pools, a series of natural pools that waterfall into one another over layers of deep ochre sandstone. These pools are both an important spiritual site for humans and an important source of water for desert wildlife.

Devil’s Kitchen

Devil’s Kitchen is a sinkhole in Sedona, Arizona. The collapse began prior to the presence of Westerners, and the hole was widened with a huge collapse in the early 1880s that left the sky filled with dust and created a crash loud enough for most residents to hear. Another collapse in 1989 left the hole about a third wider than it had previously been.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get to the Seven Sacred Pools in Sedona?

The easiest and most direct way to the pools is via Soldier Pass Trail, but a small parking lot can make this trip difficult. Cibola Pass Trail offers an alternative route.

Is Cibola Pass Trail hard?

Nope! This route is a quick, easy hike suitable for beginners.

Can you swim in the Seven Sacred Pools?

While you could theoretically swim in the pools, they’re rather small. We don’t recommend swimming as it can disturb the animals and insects that use the pools- you’d be sharing the water with tadpoles!