Bell Rock Vortex Trail Preview

Should you hike Bell Rock Vortex? What the film settles

The vortex visit is easy. It is not the flat pathway walk.

The film leaves the pathway early. At 3:15 a signed junction sends the vortex route off the wide Bell Rock Pathway, and by 6:00 you are at the base of the rock on the first slickrock. If you want the graded pathway and nothing else, the guide explains what the Pathway is and what it is not.

A short climb on bare rock. From 8:45 the route climbs a short, steady slickrock bench, then follows a level ledge below the cliff from 14:15. It is easy rock walking rather than scrambling, but it is bare rock, not path, and slickrock grips well dry and poorly wet.

The bench is where people sit. At 17:00 the film reaches the flat bench under the overhang at saddle level, where most people stop for the vortex visit; the open bench at 19:45 has the whole valley in view. The guide covers the vortex visit, practically.

Going around the rock adds step-downs. The film carries on along the ledge around Bell Rock from 22:30, and at 28:00 there is a stretch of broken rock where the hiker places a hand and a trekking pole on the step-downs. If anyone in your group needs even footing, turn back at the bench instead of going around.

If anyone in your group needs a graded path the whole way, stay on the pathway itself. Which Bell Rock are you here for?

What the full film shows, chapter by chapter

Timestamps read from the full 33:02 film. Owners can jump straight to any chapter.

1. 0:00 Bell Rock Pathway trailhead at dawn The kiosk and the wide path; about 4,350 ft.
2. 3:15 Junction sign on the pathway The signed split where the vortex route leaves the pathway (about 0.15 mi).
3. 6:00 The base of Bell Rock A second sign and the first slickrock (about 0.3 mi).
4. 8:45 Up the slickrock bench A short, steady climb on bare rock (0.4 mi, about 4,470 ft).
5. 11:30 The slope with the view north Courthouse Butte and the Village open up behind you (0.5 mi).
6. 14:15 Along the ledge below the cliff A level ledge walk at the base of the upper rock (0.6 mi).
7. 17:00 Under the overhang: the saddle-level bench The flat bench at about 4,500 ft where most people sit for the vortex visit (0.7 mi).
8. 19:45 The open bench Slickrock and cactus with the whole valley in view (0.8 mi).
9. 22:30 Ledge walk around the rock Following the cliff base around Bell Rock (0.9–1.0 mi, about 4,500 ft).
10. 28:00 Rocky step-downs Broken rock and a few hand-placements with the trekking pole (1.2 mi).
11. 32:30 End of the film 1.3–1.4 mi and 4,619 ft on the overlay; the walk back to the car is not shown.

Not in the film: the walk back to the trailhead, or the full Bell Rock Pathway.

Planning the real hike? Read the full Bell Rock Vortex trail guide for difficulty, parking, permits and route-finding details.