Having never been to Dead Horse State Park, I did not know what to expect and was therefore pleasantly surprised when we hiked the Lime Kiln trail. The beginning of the trail is the most interesting part, with a cool bridge, a kiln (which we never found), a park and ducks on a pond. The kiln was built into the white hills by the Willard Boys for the purpose of creating lime for mortar to build homes. The trail became popular with settlers to the Verde Valley as a shorter alternative to the main road. It was abandoned when the automobile became popular.
The trails are heavily used by the mountain bike set, of which we saw many during our hike. It is also popular with horse riders, especially during the Winter Visitor season. Once you clear the trees, it is possible to see Jerome perched near the top of Mingus Mountain in the West; just look for the large white “J”. The Lime Kiln trail is part of an historic wagon trail that moved goods and people between Jerome and Sedona. If you have the time, you can actually take the Lime Kiln trail from Dead Horse State Park to Red Rock State Park south of Sedona. It is a 15 mile long trek, so I suggest taking two cars and parking one at either end.
- Distance: 15 – 18 miles one way
- Elevation Gain: 1,381 ft
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
- Additional Information: This hike has many access points including Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Bill Grey Road, Hwy 89A, Deer Pass Road, Lower Red Rock Loop Road and Red Rock State Park.
- Usage: Light for hikers, but heavy for mountain bikes
- Best hiked in the late fall to early spring when the temperatures are mild and the monsoons have passed.
- To see a video of our hike click here.