Top Things to do in Sedona, Arizona

I love Arizona. This isn’t a secret if you’ve creeped my Instagram. I’m sure someday I’ll deep dive into my favorite places like the Grand Canyon and hiking Havasupai, to the ghost town of Jerome and its copper mines, and so much more. But today we’re focusing on Sedona, the stunning, artsy town located just north of Pheonix, and known as Red Rock Country. Taking my favorite route from Los Angeles to Sedona takes a little more than seven hours and has you going through the city of Kingman and down the beautifully scenic Highway 89A.

Sedona is known for its incredible geology. Its unique landscape--the red rocks surrounding the city--are truly majestic and sort of surreal in that picture-perfect sort of way. As you enter you'll be treated with the breathtaking sight of tall red and orange sandstone buttes all around you, which are only found in Sedona. The city is great at all angles, but especially during sunrise or sunset, when it glows.

Sedona also has a bustling art scene, a chill eccentricity to it, a love of new age and holistic medicine, and for being the perfect outdoor playground for nature enthusiasts.

We take an annual trip to Arizona, usually around December, enjoying the cooler weather and the possibility of getting a dusting of snow. Sedona is also filled with amazing light displays throughout the downtown area during the holidays, giving a winter trip a little touch of magic. It’s become a tradition to do our holiday gift exchange out there and holds a lot of memories for us.

Here Are Some Travel Tips & My Sedona Favorites:

Getting There:

Whichever way you’re coming from, do yourself a favor and enter through highway 89A. It’s known for being one of the most scenic drives in America, twisting down into a valley and traversing through Oak Creek Canyon. We like to stop at one of the parking lots to hike around a bit, enjoy the crisp fresh air and full foliage. You can hear the stream nearby, and it always makes me always want to return during warmer months. Oak Creek Canyon is super popular in the summer for camping, hiking and some river swimming. Going south, the highway drops you right into the red rocks of Sedona, greeting you with a stunning transition of the Oak Creek Canyon cliffs right into the glowing red buttes of Sedona.

How to Get There: Highway 89A

Where to Stay

We’ve returned to Sedona a few times now and we always stay at Sedona Summit Resort. It’s technically a timeshare, so just try to avoid any salesperson, but you can still get nightly rentals here. It’s located just a few miles from downtown Sedona, but the real reason that we keep coming back again and again is the hot tub with a view of the red rocks! It sits on the edge of the resort and has an infinity pool vibe, and has an incredible view. We also love staying here because rooms come with full kitchens, so we like to stock up and cook breakfast. It’s pretty affordable, considering all of the amenities.

How to Get There: Sedona Summit

Sedona Experiences

Jeep Tour

There are SO many jeep tour operators in Sedona and I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them. My preference is the Red Rock Western Jeep Tour because they have their own private route, and it’s cool to get the less trekked views. I’ve adventured with them twice and they were great. Last time we went we found a great Groupon for jeep tour options. We last chose the Canyons and Cowboys route which took you to an old historic cabin, and has some great panoramic views. I’ve also done the Soldier’s Pass route which is the exclusive one, and you get to see the Devils Kitchen sink hole, along with the Seven Sacred Pools! Totally worth the little extra cost to get to see these exclusive locations (or you can hike to them, too!).

Church of the Holy Cross

A famously stunning display of architecture among the red rocks, and a Sedona landmark, the Church of the Holy Cross is a must see, even if you’re just driving through. This Roman Catholic Church was built in the buttes of the red rock and is open to the public. Commissioned by local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude it was completed in 1957. There’s a parking lot below the building for some great photo ops, but expect a high amount of traffic, although we didn’t have trouble finding parking. You can walk up to the top. When we went they invited all the tourists inside to take a gander, but we were tight on time and had to pass. Absolutely awesome looking building and we were in awe of the architecture.

How to Get There: 780 Chapel Rd, Sedona, AZ 86336

Hike Sedona

Fay Canyon Trail:

I love hiking and half the reason I enjoy going to Sedona is it’s the perfect mixture of outdoor playground and artsy eccentric vibes. Fay Canyon Trail was an easy trail to slip into one of our mornings. There’s a parking lot near the trailhead. Cross the road and start the trail. You’re surrounded by red rock views and slowly realize you’re traveling through the valley with little elevation gain. At the “end” of the trail you’ll see a climbable rock face. Climb it! You’ll probably see other people doing the same. It’s worth it to climb the rocks so you can get a real birds eye view of the valley. It’s what makes the trail SO worth it, and highly recommend. You won’t regret the climb.

Skill Level: Easy

Distance: 2.6 miles

How to Get There: Fay Canyon Trailhead

Another trail I really want to do and is the Devils Bridge Trail. It’ll give you red rock views along with a stunning arch! I read it gets really busy so try to start this one early before the crowds and check for parking tips and current conditions from AllTrails.

Shopping

Sedona has a main downtown area that’s filled with shops. Most notably Native American art and turquoise, along with all types of gemstones and crystals. The town seems to be supportive of holistic and new age arts and medicine as well.

My favorite shops are: Cheers because it holds my favorite outdoor brand for awesome stickers, pins, and apparel from Keep Nature Wild. Another favorite shop is Earthbound Trading for the crystals and eclectic housewares, clothing, and jewelry. I got the coolest quartz candleholder there.

Places to Eat

We’ve eaten at quite a few places but usually stock up our hotel room with lots of snacks, beer and wine at the local Vons. We enjoyed 89Agave for some delicious Mexican food and a unique margarita menu. And after a day of hiking or even driving, we enjoy ordering pizza for pick up to take back to our hotel room with a bottle of wine, lol. We enjoy Brooklyn Pizza & Beer for delicious food and a good selection of craft beers.

Explore Outside of Sedona

Jerome:

Between Prescott and Flagstaff, and just 40 minutes outside of Sedona, there is this wonderful ghost town of Jerome (but it’s still wel inhabited with humans!). A town founded in 1876, due to the copper mines boom it was built on, is filled with more eccentric goodness. Handful of buildings are half dilapidated, but it just adds to its creepy aesthetic, but also makes for great photo ops! You’ll also be surprised to find so many great restaurants to choose from, usually with a farm-to-table menu and pride in quality dishes. We really loved The Haunted Hamburger for AMAZING, you guessed it: burgers. There is a fantastic amount of art to enjoy from local artisans as well. There is even a Caduceus wine tasting room in Jerome (owned by Maynard, who is best known as the vocalist for Grammy Award-winning progressive metal band Tool—big music nerds will know how cool this is).

Be sure to stop at the Jerome Historic Park on your way in. For free you can park and stand on a plate of glass sitting over the entrance to one of the copper mine shafts that they say is deeper than the Empire State Building is tall. It really is cool! It’s totally worth it to pay a few extra dollars for admission ($7 for adults at time of posting) to the museum to really understand the town history and how deep and far that copper mine really goes. They also have a cool shop that embraces some of its racier history like brothels and ghost story books!

How to Get There: Jerome, AZ

Grand Canyon – South Rim

About two hours away from Sedona but still a worthwhile stop to make on a road trip. This side of the Grand Canyon is open year-round, but still be on the lookout for closures during winter months. This is also the more developed side the of Grand Canyon with a paved walking path that extends from Grand Canyon Village to Hermits Rest viewpoint, consisting of a 12 mile trail and six viewpoints to see along the way. Check the map for a full look. My favorite thing to do is walk the length of it and take the free shuttle back from Hermits Rest to the parking lot. Just be careful, during peak season the shuttle bus lines can be long. You can pick up the shuttle at most viewpoints, but be sure to check the season schedule. It’s just a great way to see all the beautiful angles of the Grand Canyon, and it never stops getting more awe-inspiring. Remember, Grand Canyon has an entrance fee of $30 (at time of posting) per car, but it’s good for up to seven days.

How to Get There: Grand Canyon Village

Horseshoe Bend

This was a bucket list item for me, and we were willing to make the stop. Not going to lie, Horseshoe Bend is pretty far away from Sedona, unless you’re traveling north of Sedona or maybe passing it on your way in. It’s a little less than three hours north of Sedona, and a little more than 4 hours away from Las Vegas. It was out of the way, but we stopped at Horseshoe Bend and used it as an excuse to pass through Las Vegas on our way back. There are 2–14 day itineraries that include Antelope Canyon, etc. But you can easily make it a quick stop on your road trip. You really don’t need a ton of time, maybe a couple hours at most, to just enjoy the famous viewpoint, but it’s SO worth the stop, regardless of the crowds!

You’ll have to pay $10 entrance fee (at time of post) that allows you to park in a large parking lot. There are a lot of tour busses that dropped people off so there were a lot of tourists. You will have to walk from the parking lot to the viewpoint through a dirt path. It's a really short (less than 1 mile, one way) hike with an initial incline, but overall easy to get to the viewpoint. Be warned, it’s a very popular, heavy trafficked location. I was surprised to see so many people on the edges of Horsehoe Bend, it almost felt crowded and it was the middle of December. So, just plan ahead.

How to Get There: Horsehoe Bend, AZ