Sedona is a Stunning city in northern arizona with a plethora of beautiful hikes!
Sedona Tips:
Sedona is a touristy little town full of souvenir shops and overpriced restaurants, but it is absolutely worth the downsides of town itself for the surrounding beautiful nature. Don’t expect to have super great eats or drinks, aside from a few spots.
What you’d think of as “downtown” is called “Uptown” here.
A lot of trail parking lots are closed Thursday-Sunday and you’ll need to take the shuttle. Be sure to research ahead of time if you are visiting during a weekend.
March-May is the most popular time to visit Sedona because they do get snow in the winter being in the mountains but it also gets extraordinarily hot June-September.
Taking a Southwest road trip? Check out my Phoenix guide here, Tucson guide here, Vegas guide here and my Grand Canyon guide here!
Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations:
Boynton Canyon Trail with detours to Boynton Vista & Boynton Subway: First you’ll come to Boynton Vista which has some views of the surrounding area. Next oddly enough the trail runs by an RV park but then you dig deeper into the wilderness. The Boynton Sunway is next which some folks call a secret but it is clearly marked on Google Maps, AllTrails and with sticks on the ground so it’s hard to miss. This is an absolute must visit! Be sure to wander around the entire section of the subway after you climb up—there are great views from the subway itself but also from the surrounding rim. After the Subway you’ll continue onto the Canyon, which is cool but a bit of a let down after the amazing Subway so if you’re short on time or energy you could skip it.
This trail is 8.5 miles long with 1200ft of elevation gain and takes about 4 hours with the detours. You will need a National Park Pass or Red Rocks Pass to park at the trailhead which has limited parking so be sure to start early. Additionally by starting early you will avoid the crowds.
Devil’s Bridge Trail: A popular trail out to a floating bridge with beautiful views. This trail is 5.1 miles long with 521ft of elevation gain and takes about 2.5 hours. You can either take a 4x4 dirt road out or add a little extra mileage and take the Mescal Trail. This trail is very exposed and gets very hot on the 4x4 road so be sure to start early. Also be prepared that at times there can be a lot of folks trying to get photos on the bridge, but I did not run into this issue.
Stay at Orchards Inn: A fantastic hotel in the heart of Uptown Sedona. The views from the balconies are absolutely stunning. The room itself also had a lot of amenities such as a fire place, huge TV, beautiful art and more. It is walkable to everything in town. Highly recommend!
Sedona Beer Company: A solid brewery with a wide variety of beers alongside wine and kombucha as well. They have a front patio, back patio, and spacious indoor taproom. There is a full food menu and overall good vibes.
Seven Sacred Pools via Soldier Pass to Brins Mesa Loop: This was a very cool trail with a variety of things to see along the way—Devil’s Kitchen, Seven Sacred Pools, Brins Mesa and stunning mountain views. This trail is 5.6 miles long with 846ft of elevation gain and takes about 2.5 hours. Start clockwise so you get a bit more shade, but either way the second half of the trail is quite exposed.
As a heads up the parking lot here is tiny, but there is additional parking on the opposite side of the trail at Brins Mesa. The gate to the parking area is closed until 8am and it is completely closed Thursday-Sunday and you’ll need to park 1.2 miles down the road and shuttle or walk to the trailhead. There is no restroom at this trailhead.
Firecreek Coffee: A great little spot for coffee and pastries!
89Agave Cantina: A delicious restaurant for Mexican eats in Uptown Sedona. They have both front and back patios and a spacious indoor seating area. Highly recommend!
The Art of Wine: A wine bar with curated flights, glasses and bottles. They’ve also got a small food menu and a selection of craft beers. They are housed in a shopping center with mainly indoor seating options.
Boynton Subway
The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting:
Airport Mesa Trail also known as the Sedona View Trail: A nice and easy trail with a few different panoramic viewpoints. This is 1.5 miles long with 223ft of elevation gain and takes about 40 minutes. You can also drive between the viewpoints if you’d prefer—parking at the top with the airport is $3.
Grasshopper Point Swimming Hole: An awesome swimming hole that I’d highly recommend. It is a 5 minute walk from the parking area down to Oak Creek. The water is nice and clear, though the bottom is rocky so you may want to wear shoes in the creek. You can also jump off the cliffs here into the water. This is the perfect post-hiking activity! There are several different swimming holes in the area, be sure to check them out! Parking here is $9 if you don’t have a Red Rocks Pass.
Explore the Verde Valley Wine Trail:
Take a wine tour or visit wineries on your own! These two wineries were delightful and just 20 minutes from Uptown Sedona:
Page Springs Cellars: This winery has a beautiful property with seating options on the river deck, picnic space, back deck, and inside. They offer flights ($15), glasses, or bottles and a selection of food. The winery is solar powered which is pretty awesome!
Oak Creek Vineyards & Winery: 1 minute down the road from Page Spring. They have a nice patio with misters and indoor seating options as well. Oak Creek offers their wine via flights ($12), glasses, or bottles and they also have a small food menu. They have the smallest vineyard in the area but the most varieties of wine.
Winery 1912: A winery in the heart of Uptown Sedona with flights, glasses and bottles. All seating is indoors, but there are nice views. The staff is very friendly and they also have a small food menu.
Devil’s Bridge
Other Ideas:
The View Coffee Cafe: A Starbucks spin-off with a small breakfast menu. The name is accurate—they have a fantastic view!
Oak Creek Brewery & Grill: An average brewery on the second level of a shopping center. They also have a full food menu and are more restaurant focused.
Oak Creek Espresso: A nice spot with coffee and a small food menu.
The Secret Garden: A cute little spot for lunch and coffee in the same shopping center as Oak Creek Brewery and Grill.
Oak Creek Brewing Co.: A small brewery with average beers, a large patio and a small food menu.
JesseLee’s Craft Beer Market: A small craft beer store but they have a solid selection of cans and bottles to choose from.
Bell Rock Inn: A nice hotel stay in the Oak Creek area that is now owned by Hilton. They have two nice pools and clean rooms.
Skip Pago’s Pizza and Italian Cuisine: The staff here was super rude and the food was average.
