Best time to travel in Sedona?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with 2015-2024 averages
Best time: March to May and September to November
Best avoided if possible: January and July (less pleasant weather or big crowds).
Temperatures and rainfall: 1991-2020 normals from the Sedona station, NOAA data (public domain).
Semi-arid at an altitude of 1,350 m: hot summers around 35°C with monsoon thunderstorms in July-August, and sunny winters around 14°C during the day with frost at night and a few snowfalls that melt during the morning. The best time to visit Sedona is March, April, May, September, October and November, with temperatures reaching 34-36°C (July). By contrast, January, February, June, July, August and December are generally less favourable (less pleasant weather or big crowds, depending on the destination), though a trip is still possible with a bit of planning. In high season, book early: prices and visitor numbers climb fast.
Go against the flow. To avoid the crowds without sacrificing too much on the weather, aim for February, June and December: the crowds thin out, prices drop too, and the climate stays pleasant.
Do these months appeal to you? See what's best elsewhere too: where to go in March · where to go in April · where to go in May · where to go in September · where to go in October · where to go in November.
At a glance
Why go to Sedona?
Sedona sits in a landscape with no equivalent in the American West: buttes and spires of red sandstone, sculpted by erosion at the edge of the Colorado Plateau, which surround the town on every side and change colour hour by hour. The setting has appeared in some sixty films, mostly westerns from the 1940s and 1950s, before drawing artists and then New Age followers who came in search of the vortexes, places said to be charged with energy. The town has stayed small, 10,000 people, and its planning rules require earth-coloured façades, right down to the turquoise, rather than yellow, arches of a famous fast-food chain.
It is above all a hiking destination. Hundreds of kilometres of waymarked trails start straight from the neighbourhoods, from the family walk around Bell Rock to the scramble up Cathedral Rock, by way of the arches of Devil's Bridge and Soldier Pass. Mountain bikers find some of the best terrain in the United States here, on sandstone that grips the tyres. To the north, Oak Creek Canyon brings water, shade and swimming, with Slide Rock and the West Fork trail, and Route 89A climbs in hairpin bends up to the pines of Flagstaff.
Sedona also works as a base for central Arizona. The Grand Canyon is a two-hour drive away, the cliff dwellings of Montezuma Castle 30 minutes, the mining town of Jerome 45 minutes, and the vineyards of the Verde Valley produce wines you can sample in the tasting rooms of Cottonwood. In the evening the town dims its lights: certified as an International Dark Sky Community in 2014, it offers a starry sky visible from your hotel balcony.
Tourist map of Sedona: what's where?
The map below pinpoints the 6 places covered in this guide: a handy way to picture the distances between each stop and plan your route in Sedona.
- Cathedral Rock
- Devil's Bridge
- Bell Rock
- Slide Rock State Park
- Tlaquepaque
- Montezuma Castle
How much does a trip to Sedona cost in 2026? Budget calculator
Estimate your budget for Sedona based on your travel style: accommodation, meals, activities and local transport included (flights excluded). Adjust the length and the number of travellers, and the totals update.
Totals for all travellers over the chosen length; the daily amount is per person. Flights extra, indicative amounts to adjust depending on the season.
Cards are accepted everywhere, including on the shuttle and at parking meters. Prices are shown before tax: add about 10 to 11% on purchases and more on hotel rooms. A tip of 18 to 20% is expected in restaurants and for jeep or hiking guides.
Safety in Sedona: should you be worried?
Sedona is a very safe town, where the risks come from the terrain and the climate. From May to September the heat often exceeds 35°C: hike before 10am, carry at least two litres of water per person and a hat, and turn back once half your water is gone. Monsoon storms, from July to September, cause flash floods in dry washes, and lightning strikes exposed ridges. On Cathedral Rock and Devil's Bridge the rock is slippery and the drops have no railings, so keep your distance for photos. Rattlesnakes and scorpions are present, so watch where you put your hands. When driving, respect the roundabouts and no-parking signs, as the tow trucks are quick. Phone signal is fine in town but absent at the bottom of some canyons. Healthcare in the United States is very expensive, so insurance covering medical costs is essential.
Things to see and do in Sedona
Our first-hand favourites, and the great classics:
- Cathedral Rock
- Devil's Bridge
- Bell Rock
- Chapel of the Holy Cross
- Slide Rock State Park
- Airport Mesa
- West Fork Trail
- Montezuma Castle
What to book before you go to Sedona →
🧭 Discover the Sedona itinerary, day by dayMap, timings, budget and where to stay: free to access, to fit your dates. Create my tailor-made itinerary →Cathedral Rock and Red Rock Crossing
South-west of town, Sedona's most famous butte can be discovered in two ways. From above, via the Back O' Beyond trail, 1.9 km there and back with a steep climb over bare rock up to the saddle between the spires. From below, from Crescent Moon Picnic Site, a paid picnic area on Oak Creek where you can see the butte reflected in the water, between the sycamores. Both can be done on the same day, the climb in the morning, the creek at sunset. The free shuttle serves the trailhead from Thursday to Sunday.
West Sedona and the arches
The western neighbourhoods of town, along Route 89A, give access to several of Sedona's major trails. Devil's Bridge, the great arch, is reached from Dry Creek Vista. Soldier Pass strings together a giant sinkhole, the Devil's Kitchen, pools and caves high up, with car access limited by a small car park. Boynton Canyon, further north, leads to a shady side valley and a vortex, at the foot of the Enchantment Resort. These trails can be combined over several days, using the free shuttle to avoid the full car parks.
Village of Oak Creek and Bell Rock
The southern district, 10 minutes from the centre along Route 179, opens out at the foot of Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte. Here you will find hotels cheaper than in Uptown, a golf course, neighbourhood restaurants and direct access to the Bell Rock Pathway and Little Horse trails. The loop around the two buttes, 6.4 km and almost flat, suits families. Route 179, a designated scenic road, links the village to the centre, passing the Chapel of the Holy Cross and the red-stone roundabouts that keep weekend traffic moving.
Oak Creek Canyon
North of Sedona, Route 89A climbs for 20 km up a wooded gorge between red and white cliffs, reaching the Flagstaff plateau through a series of hairpin bends. This is the cool corner of the region in summer: Slide Rock State Park and its natural water slide, Grasshopper Point for swimming, the West Fork trail for a shady walk, with the finest autumn colours in the state in late October. Old cabins and lodges hide under the trees along the creek. The Oak Creek Vista overlook, at the top of the bends, looks down over the whole canyon.
Uptown and Tlaquepaque
Sedona's tourist centre, at the junction of Routes 89A and 179, lines up crystal shops, western art galleries and pink jeep tour operators heading for the Broken Arrow trail. Tlaquepaque, just to the south, is an artisans' village built in the 1970s on the model of a Mexican town, with cobbled courtyards, fountains, galleries and restaurants under the sycamores of Oak Creek. It is the liveliest district in the evening, and the most expensive place to stay. Parking is scarce at weekends, and the shuttle links Uptown to the outlying car parks.
Verde Valley: Jerome, Cottonwood and Montezuma Castle
The valley south-west of Sedona brings together three day trips. Jerome, 45 minutes away, is a former copper town clinging to the side of Cleopatra Hill, almost deserted after the mine closed in 1953 and repopulated by artists, with a state park in a mining magnate's house. Cottonwood lines up the tasting rooms of Verde Valley wines in its old town. Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot show the architecture of the Sinagua people, built between the 12th and 14th centuries, on a single ticket.
How many days, and which itinerary in Sedona?
Three days allow three major hikes, Cathedral Rock, Devil's Bridge and Bell Rock, an afternoon at Oak Creek and a sunset at Airport Mesa. Five days add the Verde Valley, Jerome and Montezuma Castle, or a day at the Grand Canyon. Sedona often fits into an Arizona road trip, with two or three nights between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon.
🗺️ Day-by-day Sedona itinerary · 📓 Printable Sedona travel guide (PDF) · 🌍 Discover all of the American West
The essentials (3 days)
Day 1: arrive from Phoenix, Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte in the late afternoon, sunset at Airport Mesa, dinner at Tlaquepaque. Day 2: Devil's Bridge at sunrise by shuttle, Chapel of the Holy Cross, swimming at Slide Rock in the afternoon. Day 3: Cathedral Rock early in the morning, lunch in Uptown, Red Rock Crossing for the view of the butte from the creek, then on to the Grand Canyon or back to Phoenix.
Sedona and the Verde Valley (5 days)
The three days of the essentials, plus a day in the Verde Valley, with Montezuma Castle in the morning, Tuzigoot, Jerome for lunch and the view over the valley, then a wine tasting in Cottonwood, and a day to the north: the West Fork Trail in Oak Creek Canyon, the drive up the 89A hairpins to Oak Creek Vista, and an evening of stargazing with a local astronomer. You will need a car and four nights in the same hotel.
Sedona and the Grand Canyon (1 week)
Three nights in Sedona for the hikes and Oak Creek, then north via Flagstaff, where the Lowell Observatory was used to discover Pluto in 1930, and two nights at the Grand Canyon, on the South Rim, for the Rim Trail and a descent of the Bright Angel Trail. Return via Williams and Route 66, then a final night in Sedona or Phoenix before your flight. The loop covers about 700 km from Phoenix airport.
How to get to Sedona and get around?
From Europe, the usual route to Arizona is a connecting flight to Phoenix Sky Harbor via Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago or London, for 13 to 16 hours of travel. Phoenix airport is 190 km (120 miles) south of Sedona, a two-hour drive along the I-17. Private shuttles make the trip on reservation.
A hire car is the simplest option, €40-80 a day in Phoenix. It allows trips to Jerome, Montezuma Castle and the Grand Canyon, 180 km to the north. A 4x4 is only useful for the Broken Arrow or Schnebly Hill Road tracks, which the jeep tour companies cover anyway.
In Sedona, traffic is heavy at weekends on Routes 89A and 179, and trailhead car parks fill up from 8am. The Sedona Shuttle, free and with no booking needed, runs from Thursday to Sunday from two park-and-ride car parks to the trailheads of Cathedral Rock, Little Horse, Soldier Pass, Dry Creek Vista for Devil's Bridge, and Mescal, from about 7am to 5pm.
The Red Rock Pass, $5 a day and $15 a week, or about €4 and €13, is displayed on the windscreen at national forest car parks. The America the Beautiful pass replaces it. Sites run by concessionaires, West Fork and Crescent Moon, have their own fees, and cars badly parked along the roads are fined or towed.
Where to stay in Sedona?
Sedona is one of the most expensive towns in Arizona to stay in: expect €150-250 a night for a decent hotel in season, March to May and September to November, with resort fees often added to the advertised price. Rates drop by a third in summer and winter.
Uptown and Tlaquepaque concentrate the hotels where you can do everything on foot, with views of the buttes from the balconies, but also the noise and the traffic jams. West Sedona, along Route 89A, offers simpler motels and hotels, closer to the Devil's Bridge and Boynton Canyon trails.
The Village of Oak Creek, to the south, is a good compromise: cheaper hotels and apartments at the foot of Bell Rock, 10 minutes from the centre. In Oak Creek Canyon, old lodges and cabins by the water offer coolness in summer and real peace.
The luxury resorts, Enchantment at the end of Boynton Canyon, L'Auberge by the creek, Amara or Ambiente, cost €400-1,000 a night with a spa and a pool facing the cliffs. On a tight budget, Cottonwood, 30 minutes away, has motels at €90-120 a night.
Our picks stop by stop, in three price ranges →
What to eat in Sedona?
Southwestern cuisine dominates the menus: green and red chiles, posole, enchiladas, Oak Creek trout and prickly pear margaritas, the local drink. A main course costs $18-35 in Uptown restaurants, before tax and a tip of 18 to 20%.
Tables with a view are booked for sunset, on the terraces of Uptown, at Tlaquepaque or on Airport Mesa. The resorts of Boynton Canyon and Oak Creek run the most expensive restaurants, $80-150 per person with wine.
For simple meals, West Sedona lines up cafés, taquerias and bakeries that open early for hikers. The supermarkets on Route 89A let you put together a picnic to carry in your pack for a day's hiking or an afternoon beside Oak Creek.
The Verde Valley produces wines on the volcanic slopes around Cornville and Page Springs, and Cottonwood or Jerome pour them in tasting rooms, around $15-25 for a flight. The craft breweries of Sedona and Flagstaff round out the offer.
Which kind of traveller is it for?
Sedona lends itself to a nature-focused, active and relaxing trip. Whether you travel as a couple, with friends or even solo, everyone finds their own pace. For accommodation, you will mostly find classic hotels, resorts and boutique hotels.
Entry requirements & practical info
UK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
Rules change: before you leave, check your country's official travel advice.
Once there, to stay online without paying roaming charges, an Sedona eSIM activates in a few minutes and works as soon as you land (plans from €3.99). Remember suitable travel insurance too.
Frequently asked questions about Sedona
When is the best time to visit Sedona?
Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from September to November, with 20 to 28°C during the day and cool nights. Summer exceeds 35°C and monsoon storms close some trails in the afternoon. Winter is sunny and quiet, with occasional snow on the red buttes in the morning. Spring and October weekends are the busiest.
Do you have to pay to hike in Sedona?
To park at national forest trailheads, yes: a Red Rock Pass costs $5, about €4, a day, or $15 a week, sold at car park machines or online. The America the Beautiful pass replaces it. Hiking itself is free, and taking the Sedona Shuttle means you need no pass. Slide Rock, West Fork and Crescent Moon have their own fees.
How many days do you need in Sedona?
Three days for the big hikes, Oak Creek and a sunset at Airport Mesa. Five days to add the Verde Valley, Jerome and Montezuma Castle. Many travellers spend two nights in Sedona between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon, which leaves time for two trails.
How does the free Sedona Shuttle work?
The Sedona Shuttle runs from Thursday to Sunday all year round, and every day during the spring holidays, from about 7am to 5pm. You park for free at the north car park on Route 179 for Cathedral Rock and Little Horse, or at Posse Grounds for Soldier Pass and Dry Creek Vista. The ride is free, with no booking, and a bus comes every 15 to 20 minutes.
What are the Sedona vortexes?
Places that New Age followers regard as concentrations of earth energy conducive to meditation, popularised in the 1980s. The four main ones are Airport Mesa, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock and Boynton Canyon. No scientific measurement confirms them, but they are also fine viewpoints, and guides offer spiritual tours.
Can you visit the Grand Canyon as a day trip from Sedona?
Yes, the South Rim is 180 km away, a two-hour drive via Flagstaff or Williams. Leave early to arrive before 10am, follow the Rim Trail between Mather Point and Hopi Point with the park's free shuttle, and drive back after sunset. A night there remains more comfortable. Park entry costs $35 per vehicle, plus $100 per non-resident visitor aged 16 and over.
Is Sedona good for kids?
Yes. Slide Rock and Grasshopper Point are good for swimming in summer, the Bell Rock loop stays flat, and Montezuma Castle is seen from a 600-metre trail. With young children, avoid the climb up Cathedral Rock and the top of Devil's Bridge, where the drops are unprotected.
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