Your Guide to Sedona
Sedona Arizona is absolute magic, and I’ve written up our full Sedona itinerary for an amazing trip! Hiking and outdoor adventuring are Sedona’s biggest draws and one of the best ways to experience Sedona.
Be sure to pack appropriately—you’ll want hiking boots (sneakers with crappy grip are not going to cut it on the steep red rocks) and plenty of sunscreen and UV-protectant tops to help shield you from the strong Arizona desert sun and bring more water than you think you need when heading out for these hikes!
Getting to Sedona:
To get to Sedona, you can fly into Phoenix Airport and get a rental car from there. Sedona is a two-hour drive from Phoenix, and you’ll definitely want to have a car while you’re in Sedona to easily get around, as there isn’t really public transportation or a lot of Ubers. Hot tip: When you land at Phoenix go to Little Miss BBQ. It’s only the best BBQ ever. They have two locations so check their hours because they’re not open every day. Expect a line, but know that it’ll be worth it. Get the ribs for sure!
Hiking
I would recommend spending at least three full days in Sedona so you have time to do all the hiking, activities, and relaxing that you want, but you could definitely spend closer to a week there, especially if you are really into hiking.
This Sedona itinerary is for four full days, and you can also check out my other Sedona guides that cover restaurants, top things to do, and the best hiking here:
Pink Jeep Tour
Pink Jeep Tours are a total must in Sedona! Their most popular tour that I cannot recommend highly enough is their Broken Arrow Tour The whole family can go on this one and it will be one of the highlights of your trip! Our guide/driver was awesome and super knowledgeable, and it’s so exhilarating to ride in a cute pink Jeep that goes over some steep and crazy red rock terrain. The Broken Arrow Tour stops at some really epic viewpoints, including Submarine Rock and Chicken Point. You can check their website for a list of all their tours, but Broken Arrow is their most popular for a reason—it’s awesome!
P.S. If you’re pregnant or just not up for a bumpy ride, Pink Jeep Tours also offers an option that doesn’t go off-road.
Catch the Sunset at Airport Mesa
One of my favorite spots to watch the sunset in Sedona is Airport Mesa. There’s an easily accessible parking lot, so you can pull right out and hop out of your car to take in the beautiful views. This is one of Sedona’s vortexes, so you definitely don’t want to miss it.
Do a Grand Canyon day trip. It’s a little over a 2-hour drive from Sedona to the South Rim Visitor Center, where you can park your car. Once there, you can take the Red Route bus loop that brings you around to some of the Grand Canyon’s most scenic viewpoints. A few favorite viewpoints are Hopi and Pima. You can also visit the Havasupai Reservation, where close to 600 Native Americans live. They welcome tourists to visit and learn about their land and Native American Culture.
Looking for a different day trip from Sedona besides the Grand Canyon? If you’re up for a long day, try Antelope Canyon! It’s definitely a good idea to book a day tour of Antelope Canyon because you need a Navajo guide to enter and a tour will take care of this for you. This one will pick you up from Sedona and take you to Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.
My choice is always Sedona and your home is much better.