Quick take
Teacup Trail starts out as an easy climb from the edge of a quiet Sedona neighborhood. In less than a mile, you’ll traverse the captivating red rock landscape to the base of Coffee Pot Rock.
Keep going another mile past the coffee pot and you’ll connect to Soldiers Pass Trail. From here you can hike on to Devil’s Kitchen sinkhole and Seven Sacred Pools.
One summer, my wife and I spent a whole week in Sedona, hiking an average two trails per day. We literally stumbled onto this cool trail while trying to find a vantage point to photograph Coffee Pot Rock up close.
Hike summary:
- Length: 2 miles one way, 4 miles round trip
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Highlights: Coffee Pot Rock, Thunder Mountain, Soldiers Pass
- Precautions: Rugged shoes recommended
- Trailhead: Teacup aka Sugarloaf
- Pass/permit required: Red Rocks Pass
Note: 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers
Local’s tip: When the main Soldiers Pass trailhead parking lot is full or closed, Teacup Trail is a secret path to one of Sedona’s most popular trails.
Video: What you’ll experience on this hike
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How to get to Tea Cup Trail (seriously):
- Take Hwy 89A into West Sedona
- When you get to Coffee Pot Way, go north (toward the red rocks)
- Continue past Grounds Road
- Take a left on Maxwell House Drive
- Go right on Caswell Road to the end and park in the lot
Be careful. With all the coffee- and tea-themed streets in the neighborhood, you might be tempted to turn on Coffee Cup, Lipton or Hills Drive. Stick to the steps above and you’ll get to the trail.
You’ll know you’ve taken a wrong turn if you find yourself on Nescafe, Farmer Brothers, Sanborn or Arbuckle (four classic coffee brands). If you end up on Del Monte or Little Elf Drive, you definitely have some backtracking to do. Just get yourself to Caswell and head north (toward the red rocks).
Map to Teacup Trailhead aka Sugarloaf
Whether you use Teacup Trail the get to Soldiers Pass, hike out for a short jaunt and back, or link up to one of the connecting trails to create a loop, I’m sure you’ll agree it’s worth your while to explore the back roads of Sedona to find this trail.
