Sedona

Sedona'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.

💡 Park for free at the north car park on Route 179 and take the free Sedona Shuttle, which serves the trailhead from Thursday to Sunday: the small trailhead car park is full from 8am. Avoid the climb in wet weather, when the rock becomes slippery. Price: Red Rock Pass, $5, about €4, a day if you park at the trailhead, free with the shuttle.

The 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.

💡 Take the free shuttle to Dry Creek Vista, as the access track is for 4x4s only and the car park is tiny. Set off at sunrise to avoid the 30 to 60-minute wait for the photo, and keep away from the edges, as the arch has no railing. Price: Red Rock Pass, $5, about €4, or free with the shuttle.

A 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.

💡 Arrive at opening time in summer, as the 156-space car park closes when full and you cannot wait on Route 89A. Wear water shoes, as the rock is slippery. Price: $30 per vehicle for 1 to 4 people from May to the end of August, $20 the rest of the year, or about €26 and €17, plus $5 per extra person.

The 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.

💡 The Call of the Canyon car park is run by a concessionaire, paid by the day and not covered by the Red Rock Pass, and it fills up before 9am in October. Bring shoes that can cope with water. Price: paid parking on site.

A 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.

💡 The Courthouse Vista car park, further south, is often less full than Bell Rock Vista. Do the loop in the late afternoon, when the rock turns deep red, with two litres of water. Price: Red Rock Pass, $5, about €4, a day, or the America the Beautiful pass.

A 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.

💡 The ticket is also valid for Tuzigoot, a ruined pueblo on a hilltop near Cottonwood, to combine with Jerome on the same day. Price: $10, about €9, per adult aged 16 and over, valid for 7 days, free for under-16s.