What is the number one thing to do in Sedona?

Cathedral Rock. It is the formation on every postcard, the hike is short (about 1.2 miles round trip) and steep in the best way, and the saddle at the top is the best view in town. Go early or late, and Thursday–Sunday plan on the free Sedona Shuttle. The trailhead lot is closed to cars those days.

How many days do you need in Sedona?

Two full days is the sweet spot: one for the icons and a tour, one for Oak Creek Canyon or a day trip. One day works if you follow a timed plan; three or more lets you add Jerome, Montezuma Castle and a spa day without rushing.

Is Sedona worth visiting if you don't hike?

Yes. The Chapel of the Holy Cross, the Red Rock Scenic Byway, Tlaquepaque, a Pink Jeep tour, the trolley, a creek stop in Page Springs, sunset at Airport Mesa and stargazing fill two days without a single trail. Sedona's scenery does most of the work from the car and the patio.

Do you need a pass for Sedona?

For most trailhead parking, yes: a Red Rock Pass ($5/day, $15/week, $20/year) or an America the Beautiful pass. It does not cover state parks (Slide Rock and Red Rock State Park charge their own vehicle fees) or the West Fork trailhead, which has its own fee. The free Sedona Shuttle (Thursday–Sunday) removes the parking question at the busiest trailheads.

What should you skip in Sedona?

Midday Uptown traffic and gift-shop sprawl on a weekend: walk it early or late instead. Also skip driving to the Cathedral Rock or Soldier Pass trailheads Thursday–Sunday (lots closed, shuttle only), and skip Slide Rock on a summer Saturday unless you arrive before the gates fill.

When do Sedona tours sell out?

Pink Jeep's Broken Arrow tour and sunrise balloon flights book out two to three weeks ahead in spring and fall high season. Book tours before you book restaurants.

SEDONA

Most Sedona lists are phone books: 102 attractions, no opinion. This one is ranked, priced and updated for 2026: the icons, the drives, the tours worth paying for, and the logistics (a free shuttle, a parking pass, one famous swimming hole with rules) that decide whether your day works.

Sedona is small (two main roads, one famous skyline) and still manages to confuse first-timers, because the difference between a great Sedona day and a frustrating one is rarely *what* you do. It’s *when* and *how*: which trailheads close to cars, which pass the ranger actually wants, which tour sells out three weeks early. So this is a ranking with the working details attached. Short on time? Start with the five below; they are, in order, the Sedona that people come for.

If you do only five

1. Hike Cathedral Rock at sunrise or sunset. 2. Stand inside the Chapel of the Holy Cross. 3. Take the Pink Jeep Broken Arrow tour, the one paid experience that earns it. 4. Swim Slide Rock in summer, walk West Fork in fall. 5. Watch the light go at Airport Mesa.

Know before you go (2026)

The shuttle: the free Sedona Shuttle runs Thursday–Sunday (about 7:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.) to the busiest trailheads. On those days the Cathedral Rock and Soldier Pass lots are closed to cars. Don’t drive there and hope; park at a shuttle lot. The pass: most trailhead parking needs a Red Rock Pass ($5/day, $15/week, $20/year) or America the Beautiful pass, but it does not cover Slide Rock or Red Rock State Park (state fees) or West Fork (its own fee). The water: Slide Rock is vehicle-entry only and the lot closes when full on summer weekends. The season: March–May and September–November are prime; see our month-by-month best time to visit Sedona guide.

The icons

Hike · The postcard

1Cathedral Rock

The signature formation and Sedona’s best-known short hike: about 1.2 miles round trip, a hands-on scramble up slickrock to a saddle between the spires with the best view in town. Sunrise and sunset beat the crowds and the heat. Thursday–Sunday, arrive by shuttle (see the box above). Our full trail notes are in the best hikes in Sedona guide. Verdict: the #1 thing in Sedona, full stop.

Landmark · Free

2Chapel of the Holy Cross

A 1956 chapel built directly into the red rock, its great cross framed by glass. It is the most-reviewed attraction in Sedona, and one of the rare ones that looks better than the photos. Free, open daily roughly 9–5. The upper parking lot is tiny; go before 10 a.m. or take the shuttle/cart from the lower lot. Verdict: 30 minutes, zero cost.

Hike · The photo

3Devil’s Bridge

The largest natural sandstone arch in the area, reached by an easy desert walk that ends in a short climb: at the top, a line of people waiting to walk out onto the bridge for the photo. Go at sunrise and the line is five people; at noon it’s fifty. Verdict: worth it, timed right.

First stop · Easy

4Bell Rock & Courthouse Butte

The drive-in welcome sign on SR-179: a bell-shaped butte you can circle on an easy pathway or scramble partway up, no commitment required. The best first hour in town. It teaches you the geography everything else hangs on. Verdict: everyone’s first stop, correctly.

Swim · Summer

5Slide Rock State Park

An 80-foot natural rock chute in Oak Creek, on a historic apple homestead, Arizona’s swimming hole. State-park pricing: $30/vehicle in summer (May–Sep), $20 October–April. Vehicle entry only (no walk-ins or drop-offs), pets banned in summer, and the gates close when the lot fills, which on July Saturdays is early. Verdict: go in summer; a photo stop in winter.

Hike · Fall color

6West Fork of Oak Creek

The counterpoint to all that red rock: a shaded canyon trail crossing the creek 13 times under maples and oaks. In late October it’s the best fall color in Arizona. The trailhead charges its own fee. Your Red Rock Pass does not cover it. Verdict: go in fall; go early any season.

Drives & viewpoints

Oak Creek flowing beneath red rock walls in Sedona — Oak Creek: the green thread through every Sedona plan.

Drive · 8 miles

7Red Rock Scenic Byway (SR-179)

The arrival itself: eight miles past Bell Rock, Cathedral viewpoints and Little Horse, with a pullout every half mile. Drive it once slowly before you do anything else. Verdict: the front door of Sedona.

Drive · 89A

8Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff

North on 89A the desert becomes a pine canyon: Slide Rock, West Fork, swimming holes, then switchbacks climbing to Oak Creek Vista. In fall this is Arizona’s color drive. Verdict: pair it with West Fork and lunch in Flagstaff.

Sunset · The classic

9Airport Mesa

The default sunset: a short climb to a viewpoint facing Cathedral Rock as the whole skyline lights up. The small lot fills well before sunset in season. Arrive 45 minutes early, or walk the 3.5-mile Airport Loop for the same view with a tenth of the people. Verdict: the sunset, with a crowd strategy.

Photo · Creekside

10Red Rock Crossing (Crescent Moon)

Cathedral Rock reflected in Oak Creek, the most famous photograph in Sedona, taken from a grassy picnic area ($12/vehicle). Late afternoon, when the rock glows and the creek goes still. Verdict: photographers first, picnickers second, everyone happy.

Drive · Locals’ pick

11Red Rock Loop Road & Lover’s Knoll

The quiet back-road loop beneath Cathedral Rock that tour buses skip: ranches, creek access, and Lover’s Knoll, a pullout with the classic framed view. Best in late afternoon. Verdict: the Sedona locals show their favorite visitors.

Two more hikes worth your legs

The full ranked list lives in our best hikes in Sedona guide; these two belong on any top-25.

Hike · Caves & pools

12Soldier Pass

Devil’s Kitchen sinkhole, the Seven Sacred Pools and a hidden cave arch in one moderate loop: the most features per mile in Sedona. Trailhead lot is shuttle-only Thursday–Sunday. Verdict: the quieter Cathedral alternative.

Hike · Canyon calm

13Boynton Canyon

A box canyon of red walls and pine shade, part vortex site, part resort valley (Enchantment/Mii amo sit at its mouth; hikers and spa guests share the first mile amicably). The Vista spur is the famous energy spot. Verdict: Sedona’s most peaceful big hike.

Vortex & wellness

The phenomenon

14The four vortex sites

Airport Mesa, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock/Red Rock Crossing and Boynton Canyon are said to swirl with earth energy. Believe, don’t believe. The sites are four of the most beautiful places in town, and the twisted juniper trees at each are genuinely strange. Verdict: visit them as beauty spots; take the energy as a bonus.

Quiet · Free

15Amitabha Stupa & Peace Park

A 36-foot Buddhist stupa beneath Thunder Mountain, prayer flags in the pines, open dawn to dusk, free (donations welcome). The quietest 45 minutes available in Sedona. Verdict: the reset button.

Splurge · Spa

16A spa day: Mii amo or L’Auberge

Sedona’s luxury signature. Mii amo, in Boynton Canyon, is the big destination spa; L’Auberge de Sedona’s creekside L’Apothecary is the bookable day option. Either is the correct answer to a rainy day or a romantic weekend. Verdict: book ahead; day access is limited.

[AFFILIATE: spa hotels in Sedona] · See also our where to stay in Sedona guide

Tours worth paying for

Tour · The classic

17Pink Jeep: Broken Arrow

The classic Sedona tour: two hours climbing slickrock and descending the famous “Road of No Return” in an open Jeep, with a guide who actually explains the geology. In spring and fall it books out two to three weeks ahead. Reserve before you arrive. Verdict: the one tour to buy.

Tour · Orientation

18Sedona Trolley

Narrated hop-on tours through town and out Boynton Canyon, the no-hiking, no-driving overview for a first afternoon, and a smart way to scout what deserves your day two. Verdict: good for first-timers and grandparents.

Night · Dark sky

19Stargazing & night tours

Sedona is an International Dark Sky Community. On a moonless night the Milky Way is a plan, not a hope. Telescope tours (and yes, UFO tours) run nightly; DIY, the Cultural Park and FR 525 pullouts are the local spots. Our Arizona dark skies guide has the statewide picture. Verdict: schedule it for the darkest night of your stay.

Splurge · Sunrise

20Hot-air balloon at sunrise

Drifting over the red rocks as the light comes up. Flights leave at dawn and are weather-dependent; book early in your stay so a windy morning can roll to the next day. Verdict: anniversaries, proposals, big birthdays.

Day trip · Train

21Verde Canyon Railroad

Twenty-five minutes away in Clarkdale, a four-hour train ride through a roadless river canyon: open-air cars, eagles in winter, the Verde River below. It’s an easy add to a Sedona stay. Verdict: the rainy-week, low-energy, high-payoff day.

[AFFILIATE: Sedona tours on GetYourGuide] · [AFFILIATE: Pink Jeep Broken Arrow tour]

Culture & heritage

Village · Galleries

22Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village

Fifty-plus galleries and shops in a walled Mexican-village setting on Oak Creek: sycamores, courtyards, fountains. Daily 10–6, free to wander. It’s shopping, yes, but it’s also a good place to spend an hour between activities. Verdict: late afternoon, then dinner.

Art & history

23Uptown galleries & the Sedona Heritage Museum

Uptown’s gallery row (Exposures International is the cathedral of the genre) plus the Arts Center, running classes and exhibits since 1958. For the story underneath, the Heritage Museum (a pioneer homestead with Sedona’s “Little Hollywood” film history) is open daily 11–3 for about $10. Verdict: the culture half-day.

Ancient sites

24Palatki & Honanki cliff dwellings

Sinagua cliff dwellings and pictographs from 1100–1400 AD, out graded dirt roads west of town. Palatki is reservation-managed (book on Recreation.gov) and also needs the Red Rock Pass; Honanki is the rougher, quieter drive. Verdict: history that predates everything else on this list by centuries.

The Verde Valley

Day trip · 15 minutes

25Page Springs & Old Town Cottonwood

Fifteen minutes from the red rocks, the valley floor changes key: Oak Creek slows down at Page Springs (stop at the fish hatchery, where the creek runs cold and clear under the cottonwoods) and Old Town Cottonwood’s historic Main Street runs the crowd-escape dinner circuit, all brick storefronts and local tables. Dead Horse Ranch State Park sits between the two, lagoons and all. Verdict: Sedona’s best half-day escape.

Got one more day?

Jerome: a ghost town turned art colony on Cleopatra Hill, 30 minutes: Douglas Mansion state park, the Gold King Mine, haunted hotels. Montezuma Castle: a five-story Sinagua cliff dwelling in a limestone wall, 25 minutes south, pairs well with the Cottonwood run. Out of Africa Wildlife Park (Camp Verde): the answer when the kids are done hiking. And Sedona makes a natural base for our Grand Canyon in one day run.

Pick your Sedona

Only one day? Follow the clock: 12 Hours in Sedona: sunrise hike to stargazing, timed.
A weekend? The Sedona weekend guide spreads this list over two days without the rushing.
With kids? Slide Rock, the trolley, Red Rock State Park’s ranger programs and Out of Africa. Our kids’ guide is coming; the weekend guide covers the family version now.
No hiking? Chapel, Byway, Tlaquepaque, trolley, Jeep tour, the Cottonwood run, Airport Mesa sunset. Two full days, zero trails.
Romantic? Balloon at dawn, L’Auberge spa, Red Rock Crossing at golden hour, dinner in the Village of Oak Creek.

However long you have, decide where you’re sleeping first, because Sedona’s neighborhoods change the trip. Our where to stay in Sedona guide breaks down Uptown vs West Sedona vs the Village of Oak Creek, and our Sedona photography guide covers the shots. Get the plan by email: we send one seasonal Arizona letter: what’s on, what’s booking out, when to go.

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