Broken Arrow Jeep Tour in Sedona: What It Is and How to Ride It

The only outfitter on the trail

Pink Jeep is the only Sedona off-road outfitter permitted to use the Broken Arrow trail. The company traces its jeep tours back to 1960 and bills itself as America's first jeep tour operator. That permit is why every Broken Arrow ride you can buy carries the Pink name.

What happens on the ride

The trail winds through remote parts of Coconino National Forest, where westerns including Jimmy Stewart's Broken Arrow (1950) were filmed. You stop to walk on Submarine Rock or Chicken Point, smooth domes of red rock with wide views. The finish is the one-way Road of No Return, a nearly vertical descent over a natural staircase of rock, ruts and roots.

Guides are certified in Smith System Driver Safety Training, and Pink Adventure Tours publishes a video gallery with a transcript if you want to preview the ride.

What the published figures show

The tour details on the operator page include no duration or price, so check those two points when you book rather than guessing. What is published is the trail itself. The Forest Service lists the Broken Arrow jeep route as 4 miles round trip.

The hiking trail to Chicken Point is 1.5 miles one way, about 3.5 miles round trip with the Submarine Rock side path, and takes about 1 hour one way on foot. A ride that covers the full jeep route with walking stops therefore sits somewhere around the length of those other Sedona rides, most of which run 2 to 3 hours.

What comparable Sedona jeep tours cost

The table lists the bookable Sedona jeep tours nearest to Broken Arrow in feel, with price, length and rating. The two Pink Jeep rides run on the same company's permits elsewhere in the red rocks.

See every option on sedona jeep tours.

Booking notes

All tours in the table offer free cancellation 24 hours ahead, so you can hold a seat while you decide. Every price is per person. If you want the Broken Arrow slick rock itself, the Diamondback Gulch Pink Jeep Tour at $147.21 is the closest rugged ride you can book here.

When it earns its price

Tripadvisor lists the Broken Arrow Jeep Tour as an off-roading adventure that is more rugged and challenging than standard 4WD rides, and reviewers back that up. No other operator can take you down this trail, so if rock crawling and the Road of No Return descent are the reason you came to Sedona, this is the only way to get them. Pink Adventure Tours sells 16 Sedona tours in total, so you can also step up to the Broken Arrow Scenic Rim Combo, which adds backcountry scenery to the rock crawling.

When to book something else

If you want gentle views and a calm ride, the operator itself does not recommend Broken Arrow for guests wanting a mild experience. A scenic option such as the Scenic Rim Pink Jeep Tour or a backcountry ride gives you red rock scenery with far less jolt, often at a lower price.

The themes travellers repeat

On Tripadvisor the tour is filed under off-roading, and the recurring praise is for the steep terrain, the walking stops on the slick rock domes and the Road of No Return finale. The operator brands the ride Sedona's Most Iconic Adventure and posts reviews on its own page alongside a video gallery. The single most common caution from the operator is that guests afraid of heights or after a mild experience should pick a different tour.

For comparison, the bookable Sedona jeep tours on this page carry ratings between 4.7 and 5, so review standards across the town's jeep tours are high across the board.

Stops and viewpoints

Submarine Rock sits on a short signed side path 0.5 mile before Chicken Point. Chicken Point ends the hiking trail at 1.5 miles and is one of the two walking stops on the jeep ride. Both are open domes of red rock with views over the forest and the red rock country around Sedona.

The Forest Service rates the hiking trail moderately easy, starting at 4,282 feet with 344 feet of elevation gain.

The Road of No Return

The ride ends on a one-way route called the Road of No Return, a natural staircase of rock, ruts and roots that drops nearly vertically. It is the moment most riders remember and the reason the tour is not recommended for anyone nervous about heights.

On the tour

The tour departs from the Pink Jeep Plaza in Uptown Sedona. Uptown sits on State Route 89A at the north end of town, within a short drive of Sedona's hotels and resorts. Arrive early enough to park, since Uptown fills up in high season.

On your own, by foot or bike

If you want to see the trail without a jeep, the Broken Arrow Trailhead is reached from State Route 179 south of the 89A junction. Turn east on Morgan Road after 1.4 miles, drive 0.6 miles to the end of the pavement, cross the cattle guard and park on the left after about 80 yards. The Forest Service notes the roads next to the trail are used by jeep tours and the trail begins across the jeep road from the signed trailhead.

The hike to Chicken Point is 1.5 miles and takes about 1 hour one way, and the trail is heavily used by mountain bikers, so watch for them. Without a car, Sedona Shuttle Connect runs an on-demand curb-to-curb service at $2 per ride, Thursday to Sunday from about 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. within a set service area. Sedona Jeep Rentals at 3009 W SR 89A, phone 928.282.8700, rents vehicles if you would rather drive the forest roads yourself.

Practical timing tips

The Forest Service road status page lists FR 179F, the Broken Arrow route, as Open, so the trail is currently drivable. Riding early or late keeps you out of the strongest sun on an open slick rock route, and Uptown Sedona departure points are busiest in the middle of the day. Book ahead in peak season, since the permit exclusivity means every visitor who wants this specific trail funnels through one operator.

Restrictions and safety

The rules come straight from the operator. No children under 2. No expecting guests.

Skip it if heights trouble you, because the Road of No Return descent is a long way down. Guides are certified in Smith System Driver Safety Training, which is the operator's safety framework for the rough sections. If anyone in your group falls into these categories, choose a calmer ride such as the Red Rock Backcountry Jeep Tour at $107.33 per person for 2 hours, or the Red Rock Range Pink Jeep Tour at $116 per person.

How to choose

For maximum rough stuff, Broken Arrow has no rival, and the operator calls it Sedona's most iconic adventure. For rock crawling plus wider backcountry views in one booking, the Broken Arrow Scenic Rim Combo adds backcountry scenery to the same trail. For scenery with less jolt, Pink's own Red Rock Range Pink Jeep Tour runs 2 hours at $116 per person, and the Scenic Rim Pink Jeep Tour runs 2.5 hours at $138 per person.

Compare all of them, including the other operators, on sedona jeep tours.