Eagle's Nest Overlook

Eagle's Nest Overlook is a hike-in viewpoint at Red Rock State Park's high point, with a broad look across Sedona's red-rock country. A common loop from the Miller Visitor Center is about 3 miles and climbs roughly 300 feet to the overlook. It's a rewarding stop if you want to get above the creekside trails and see the park's red-rock escarpment; it's not a quick roadside pullout.

The visitor-center route starts on Bunkhouse Trail, crosses Oak Creek on two wooden bridges, then follows Kisva beside the water before the Eagle's Nest switchbacks begin. The climb is the steepest part. Cottonwood, sycamore, willow and ash shade the creek corridor; higher up, the route opens into juniper and cactus country.

Before the climb, Kisva Trail meets the Armijo Ditch, an irrigation channel associated with Juan Armijo's homestead. It's a small piece of local history on the creekside approach, before the landscape opens onto the high red-rock slopes.

Two benches and geology panels make this a good place to pause after the climb. From the overlook you're looking across the park's red-rock escarpments and the green valley below. For a photo, use the opening in the low sandstone wall to frame the distant cliffs instead of aiming straight over the railing.

Start at the Miller Visitor Center, where restrooms are available before the hike. The viewpoint is reached on foot, and pets aren't allowed in the park. The route is part of a larger network of connected loops, so the walk you choose can be shorter or longer than the common visitor-center circuit.