How to Visit Edge of the World near Sedona, AZ
Edge of the World is a beautiful cliffside location in the middle of the wilderness on the northwest side of Sedona, Arizona and features dramatic limestone cliffs, panoramic vistas, and cool rock formations (just like in Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock and the Courthouse Butte) in a very off-the-beaten-path location. This was honestly such a fun stop! We loved the pretty drive up and the great views at the end.
In this short guide, we’re sharing everything to know about visiting Edge of the World, how to get there, and what to expect.
Where Exactly is Edge of the World?
If you look at the pinned location for Edge of the World, it doesn’t look all that far from Sedona. However, it takes nearly 1.5 hours to get here, because you have to go up and around, and because a big section of the drive is on an unmaintained dirt road.
From Sedona, you will head up Highway 89a, going through the canyon, and then make a turnoff on County Road 535/Forest Service Road 535. Once you make this turnoff, it’s 19 miles to the overlook, but it takes a solid hour to get there, due to the bumpy dirt road that you will have to traverse.
This drive is through a pine forest and is very beautiful – you’ll pass a few meadows and fields, but generally just be driving through the open forest – we loved the views and the vibes.
You’ll regularly pass dispersed campsites (first-come, first-serve, no amenities, but also no neighbors or signs of civilization), and these sites looked incredible.
If you like more off-the-grid camping, this is the spot for you (and we were sore tempted to just pull over and claim one for ourselves).
We were there when the road was basically dry (except for one large puddle we had to go around near the meadow) and we had no problems doing it in our standard SUV. For the most part, we saw SUVs and trucks parked in campsites off the main road, but we did see one minivan that had made the trek in.
I think it would be more difficult, but not impossible, to do this drive in a sedan – there are some decent-sized rocks, bumps, and washboard sections. You’d definitely want to go slowly and carefully, and pick your way around the worst of the rocks and bumps.
If it’s rained recently and the road is muddy, I would be very hesitant to drive through – you run a much higher risk of getting stuck.
Navigating Country Road 535
If you put in directions to Edge of the World in Google Maps, it’s pretty straightforward to get here.
As discussed, you’ll turn onto Country Road 535 from Highway 89a. We had navigation going, and navigation talked about different turns we needed to take as we drove along, but whenever there was a “turn”, the alternate option was going down a little side path that was obviously not the actual road.
There’s one actual intersection you’ll come to, where you’ll make a sharp left turn onto County Road 231.
After that, the only tricky spot was arriving at the actual viewpoint. Technically, Edge of the World is right by a campsite (which would be an amazing place to camp), and the road to the overlook is the driveway to the campsite.
The official directions have you stop on the main road and walk in. When you get this ending spot on Google Maps, you’ll turn right into the side road and drive another 1-2 minutes until the road ends at the cliff.
Pro Tip: I’d recommend having offline maps downloaded for this drive. We actually had decent cell reception for a big portion of the drive, but it was spotty and you want to be able to navigate without losing service.
The Edge of the World
The viewpoint was incredible – rocky cliffs all around us and then ridges and mountain peak after mountain peak in the distance.
There aren’t any hiking trails here, but there are multiple spots where you can walk along the cliff edge for interesting views, or you can climb out to some of the rocks for a bit of adventure and even better canyon vistas.
In the distance, you can see Courthouse Butte and Cathedral Rock – two of the most distinctive mountains in Sedona (and are two of the funnest trails in the city – you should definitely go hike by Courthouse Butte and up Cathedral Rock)
We were here in May and controlled burns were going on around Sedona, so unfortunately the smoke covered up a lot of the mountain peaks in the distance. On a clearer day, the views would be even more incredible.
The famous rock formation here sits just a little bit off the edge of the cliff and is known as Lego Rock. You can totally see it – it does look like a mismatched stack of Legos!
You do need to be careful, since it is a cliffside, but you can walk/scramble out to the base of Lego Rock to stand underneath it. However, you cannot scale the rock – it’s just too big.
I have heard that it’s possible to get to the top using rock climbing equipment, but I would only attempt that if you’re an experienced climber – if you fall, it’s a looooong way down.
Here’s a quick photo guide of how we got from the cliffside down to Lego Rock – it’s not too hard, but there are a couple of tricky spots.
Start by heading toward the spot where the above picture was taken from. This large, prominent rock lines up with Lego Rock, and is one of the best and easiest spots for getting a good picture of the rock formation and canyon. It’s a good stopping point if you don’t feel like going all the way to Lego Rock.
Right before you get to this viewpoint, you’ll walk by these two boulders. Climbing onto the left rock takes you to the overlook pictured above. To go all the way, though, you’ll want to climb between these two rocks. You can either skootch through the gap underneath the rocks, or go up, over, and down the other side, still staying right in the crack.
Then you will scramble down these boulders:
Now, when you get down and see this view (picture below), you’ll naturally want to swing to the left to continue straight to Lego Rock.
However, the left path marked by the red arrow actually ends in a pretty tall drop with no hand or foot holds, and even my adventurous brothers were reluctant to go down that way.
You’ll want to go down this little crack on the right, at the blue arrow, and walk along the ledge underneath.
Which brings you right in front of Lego Rock!
If you want to go right up to/under the rock, you’ll have to jump over a small chasm. There’s probably a 12-15 foot drop in between, but it’s not very wide, and my brothers all easily made the jump across without issue and plenty of room to spare.
(Do what you feel comfortable with, though, and gauge your own abilities before attempting).
Personally, even though I knew I physically could make the leap, my vertigo was getting the better of me and I was happy to stay where I was.
If you do go across, you can walk all the way around the base of the rock and get even better views of the canyon:
The Wrap Up
Edge of the World one of the wildest, most rugged areas to explore in Sedona, and while it is a bit of a trek to get here, the views are worth it.
And the fact that you can explore to the extent you are comfortable adds some flexibility that makes it feel even more wild. If you’re looking for incredible views and scrambling, this spot needs to be on your Sedona adventure list.
Other Hikes to Do in Sedona
Check out my other Sedona hiking guides – these are all top bucket list hikes and experiences in Sedona:
