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Travel guide
Sedona
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: March to May and September to November
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Welcome
Sedona, in a few days
A small town of 10,000 people at the bottom of a red sandstone amphitheatre, where Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and dozens of orange buttes rise at the end of every street. People come to hike among the arches and mesas in the morning, swim in the pools of Oak Creek in the afternoon and watch the sky in the evening, in one of the first towns certified for the quality of its dark night sky.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 3 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Cathedral Rock · about 2 hSedona's most photographed red sandstone butte, climbed by a steep 1.9 km round trip with hands-on rock to a saddle between the spires, and best seen reflected in Oak Creek from Red Rock Crossing.
- Afternoon · Chapel of the Holy Cross free · about 45 minA Catholic chapel built into the cliff in 1956 between two sandstone pinnacles, its façade crossed by a cross as tall as the building and its glass wall opening onto the red buttes.
- Late afternoon · Airport Mesa free · about 1 hThe mesa above town topped by Sedona's small airport, whose overlook gives the widest view of the buttes and is the classic spot to watch the valley turn from orange to purple at sunset.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Sky Ranch Lodge ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€190 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Devil's Bridge · about 2 h 30The largest natural arch around Sedona, about 15 metres high and walkable, reached by a 6.3 km round trip that ends with rock-cut steps and a morning queue for the photo.
- Afternoon · Slide Rock State Park · half a dayA state park in Oak Creek Canyon built around a natural slide of polished sandstone, on a former fruit farm, where families ride the cool creek and sunbathe on the warm slabs.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Sky Ranch Lodge ↗€190 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · West Fork Trail · about 4 hThe best-loved trail in Oak Creek Canyon, following the creek's west fork for about 5 km between narrowing red and white walls, with a dozen crossings and Arizona's finest autumn colours.
- Late afternoon · Bell Rock · about 2 hA bell-shaped butte at the entrance to the Village of Oak Creek, circled with neighbouring Courthouse Butte by an easy 6.4 km loop, and cited by locals as one of Sedona's vortexes.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Sky Ranch Lodge ↗€190 a night
D4
Day 4
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Montezuma Castle · about 1 hA five-storey cliff dwelling built by the Sinagua people between the 12th and 14th centuries in a limestone alcove above Beaver Creek, seen from a short trail at the foot of the cliff.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Burgers and barbecue: brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
- Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl: the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
- Mexican food: tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
- Pancakes and weekend brunch: a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
- Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €205 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMarch to May and September to November
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping15 to 20%, expected
Emergency911
EntryUK, 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.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail. In the desert parks, the heat is the real risk.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/sedona
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.