There are so many things to see in Sedona, and it’s such a beautiful and magical place! So here’s my list of all the best things to see in Sedona!
It always surprises me that a lot of people haven’t heard of it—somehow it’s both a destination that people in the know love to visit and a somewhat undiscovered gem.
You can also check out my other Sedona guides that cover restaurants, top things to do, and the best hiking here:
Top Things to See in Sedona
Best Sedona Restaurants with a View
Best Hikes in Sedona
Pink Jeep Tour, Sedona
Sedona is located in Arizona near Flagstaff, about a two-hour drive from Phoenix. It’s famous for its striking red rock scenery and magical energy, and it truly is a unique and special place.
Where to Stay in Sedona
Sedona hotels tend to be very pricey (even the Best Western there is $230/night!).
There are a lot of really fancy and splurge-worthy hotels like Enchantment, Amara, and L’Auberge. For more economically priced hotels, check out the Hyatt, Hilton, and Sedona Rouge.
Read my post all about the best Airbnbs in Sedona, read it here to plan where you’re staying!
Top things to see in Sedona
1. Hiking
Sedona is famous for its incredible hiking trails with jaw-dropping vistas, and hiking to these spots is one of those must-do things to see in Sedona.
Read my in-depth separate blog post all about the best hiking trails in Sedona, but a few of my favorites are Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, Devil’s Bridge, and Fay Canyon.
Cathedral Rock trail has some steep scrambles, but you can do it and the view at the top is SO worth it!
Fay Canyon is a super easy one that’s mostly flat and then a climb at the end for the views. Oh, also Boynton Canyon trail is another good hike—it’s also a vortex.
If you want to be even more adventurous, I recommend trying out one of the many mountain biking trails in Sedona like Aerie to Cockscomb trail or Chuckwagon trail.
2. Pink Jeep Tours
You’ll see the cute pink jeeps all over Sedona, and their tours are fabulous!
I highly recommend their most popular tour, Broken Arrow.
My family had so much fun on this Pink Jeep Tour and it was undoubtedly one of the highlights of our trip.
It was such a fun experience to go offroading all over Red Rock Country, stopping to take photos and enjoy the incredible viewpoints, and learning some interesting facts about the area from our knowledgeable guide.
3. Chapel of the Holy Cross
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is a church that’s built directly into Sedona’s red rocks.
It also offers gorgeous views from its vantage point high up in the rocks. You can drive up to it and it’s definitely worth a visit.
4. Airport Mesa
Airport Mesa is one of the most scenic lookout points, with 360-degree views of Sedona.
While you can hike up there, I recommend driving because it’s super easy to drive and park, and then you can save your hiking time for one of the other many beautiful trails (trust me, there are so many awesome hiking trails to check out in Sedona you’ll have a hard time narrowing it down).
This is a great spot to catch the sunset, and it’s one of Sedona’s vortexes—more on vortexes in a bit!
5. Red Rock Scenic Byway
Take a drive on the Red Rock Scenic Byway, State Route 179, which runs north-south through Sedona and takes you through town and through beautiful natural red rock formations, with vista points along the way.
You’ll naturally drive on this scenic road when you’re heading to destinations like Bell Rock, Chapel of the Holy Cross.
6. Have a Spa Day
Since Sedona is known for its magical and healing qualities, it’s no wonder people come here to relax and get all blissed out.
We had a wonderful couple’s massage at A Spa For You Day Spa, where Thea the owner takes amazing care of you!
Thea and her therapists are super knowledgeable, and their spa sessions are all individually customized—I’ve never had a therapist sit me down before a treatment and chat with me so thoroughly about my body, any pain points or issues, previous injuries, and what I’d like to focus on.
Thea explained things so well and I love that the spa sessions use blended styles, hot rocks, and pure essential oils.
The prices at A Spa For You are also very reasonable, especially taking into account how custom the treatments are.
Omied and I left feeling so relaxed and rejuvenated!
If you’re looking for a fancy (and pricey) hotel spa with a pool for relaxing in afterward, check out the spas at Enchantment Resort or Amara.
7. Slide Rock State Park
Slide Rock State Park is known for its natural rock water slides! It’s really, really fun.
The water is freezing cold, but after a hot hike, it’s SO refreshing and will wake you right up. I
t’s so fun to slip and slide down these natural rock water slides.
A few safety tips: The rocks are slick as shit—they’re incredibly slippery and we saw a lot of people trying to stand on the wet rocks and eating it.
I got on my bum and inched my way into the water so I didn’t slip, and when you’re ready to get out it’s helpful to have someone already out of the water on dry rock to give you a hand.
Also, I def recommend wearing leggings that you don’t mind getting snagged when you’re going down the slides.
I wore a swimsuit and my ass/thighs were a bit scraped up after going down a couple of times.
8. Visit the Vortexes
Ok, let’s talk Sedona vortexes.
They’re thought to be these swirling centers of energy that are helpful for healing and meditation, where the earth seems to be alive with energy.
People say they feel inspired and recharged after visiting a vortex.
Whether or not you believe all that, the vortexes also happen to be some of the most beautiful spots in Sedona, so they’re definitely worth seeking out!
You might already be planning on visiting a vortex without even knowing it (like Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock at Red Rock Crossing, or Bell Rock), and you can check out a map of the different vortexes here.
There are even vortex tours available that you can book and have a sherpa to guide you through the experience.
9. Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village
Sedona is also known for its art scene.
You’ll find that a lot of businesses support artists by displaying their works for purchase, or turning their establishment into an art gallery during certain evenings.
The Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village is a great place to find art galleries and shopping.
You can check out their website to see what kind of events they have coming up.
10. Stargazing
Sedona is a certified Dark Sky Community (one of only 20 in the world!), which means the city has certain ordinances in place to help reduce light pollution.
From the general lack of lighting at night to using hooded and directed light fixtures, it makes a huge difference and you’ll notice that there’s much less light pollution than in other cities, making it an epic spot for stargazing.
If you want to go stargazing on your own, this article provides a great overview of where you can drive to for amazing stargazing.
Or, if you’d prefer to do a tour (which I highly recommend because it’s always more interesting to know what exactly you’re looking at!) you can book one here.
There’s even a tour for stargazing and Sedona UFO sightings. ?
11. Oak Creek Canyon
Oak Creek Canyon is a beautiful river gorge located just north of Sedona. There are several picnic and recreation areas located within the canyon, including swimming and fishing spots.
It’s also a popular camping site (although I wouldn’t know much about that since I’m not a camper). If you’re heading from Sedona to Slide Rock, you’ll naturally take this scenic byway.
12. Hot Air Balloon Ride
If you’re up for something absolutely magical, book a sunrise hot air balloon tour in Sedona.
You’ll smoothly glide above the red rocks, soaking in the incredible scenery from high in the sky.
A hot air balloon ride in Sedona should be on everyone’s bucket list!
13. Helicopter Ride
Another high in the sky experience—take a helicopter ride through Sedona’s Red Rock State Park!
You’ll fly by cliff dwellings and over Sedona’s iconic rock formations.
Sedona is truly incredible from a bird’s eye view, and you’ll be able to see all of Sedona’s top sights by air while learning about Sedona’s history from your pilot.
14. Day trip to the Grand Canyon, Jerome, or Antelope Canyon
If you’re in Sedona and haven’t been to the Grand Canyon and your schedule allows for a day trip, it’s absolutely worth taking one day to visit the Grand Canyon.
It’s one of seven natural world wonders, after all!
You can drive to the South Rim and park at the visitor center, and from there hop on the bus loop that takes you around to all of the most scenic viewpoints, or you can hop on the Grand Canyon railway—take the Red Route and be sure to stop at Hopi and Pima.
If you’ll be there for sunset or moonrise, take the Orange Route to Yaki Point for the best viewpoint.
If you’ve visited the Grand Canyon before and you’re looking for another kind of day trip, Jerome is a nearby option in the Verde Valley Region and Antelope Canyon is a lonnng day trip option.
Jerome is an interesting, mining ghost town that was booming in the late 1800s that used to be called the wickedest town in the west.
Now, it’s a tourist destination and fun to check out this stuck-in-time town. It’s about a 40-minute drive from Sedona.
While you’re in the Valley Verde Region, you can go wine tasting on the Verde Valley Wine Trail on the Verde Canyon railroad.
Your other option is to do an Antelope Canyon day trip, which would make for a long day but if you’re an adventurous traveler, it’s totally doable!
I’d highly recommend booking a day tour like this one, that will pick you up from your Sedona hotel, take you to Antelope Canyon as well as Horseshoe Bend.
That way you can sleep in the car! They also take care of booking a Navajo guide for Antelope Canyon, because you can’t enter without one!
15. Coconino National Forest
So Coconino National Forest isn’t exactly in Sedona—it’s located in Flagstaff. It’s so special here because it’s a hybrid between Sedona Red Rocks and Ponderosa.
I can’t forget to mention visiting the Palatki Heritage Site that is located in the forest. It’s a beautiful archaeological site featuring pictographs and rock art.
On that note, if you’re looking to learn more about Sedona history and culture, I recommended checking out the Sedona Heritage Museum and the Sedona Arts Center.
That’s my list of things to see in Sedona and all the top things to do! Hope it comes in handy if you’re planning a trip to this beautiful destination. I’ve visited twice and I can’t wait to go back again someday!
Be sure to tag me (@wtfab) on Insta so I can see all the sights you visit—I love seeing where you all travel.
Love to travel? Me too. Check out all of my travel guides and Sedona Content here.
Sedona Travel Guide: An In-Depth Sedona Itinerary
Best Sedona Restaurants With a View
Jerome Ghost Town: 9 Things to do in Jerome
The Ultimate Sedona Vortex Guide
11 Gorgeous Sedona Bed and Breakfast Picks
FAQs
There are so many amazing things to do in Sedona including hiking, jeep tours, ATV riding, helicopter rides, hot air ballooning, and stargazing to name a few.
Hiking, stargazing, meditating at the vortexes, and driving the scenic routes are all free things to do in Sedona.
You should plan to spend at least three full days in Sedona, ideally four or five if you want to check out multiple hiking spots as there are so many to choose from.
Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
