Your Insider’s Guide:
SEDONA VACATIONS
Welcome to Sedona, Arizona
Arizona's Red Rock Country
Sedona, often referred to as Red Rock Country, features an impressive display of red sandstone formations. These rocky structures appear to radiate orange and red when the rising or setting sun shines down onto them. Planning a perfect Sedona Vacation is a science, and we have nearly perfected the craft! For a city of just over 10,000 in population and a dense amount of activities, sights, and moments to soak up, DETOURS can help with building any itinerary suited to match your needs.
Sedona Vacations Made Easy
Sedona, Arizona is one of today’s top tourism and vacation destinations! Why is that, you may ask? Surrounded by stunning red rock mountains and buttes, Sedona has one of the most beautiful settings in the Southwest! With only a one and a half-hour drive away from Phoenix, it makes this city a viable, luxurious destination with a little something for just about anyone visiting the Greater Phoenix area.
Why DETOURS?
- We drive so you can connect with friends and family
- Stress-Free Sedona Vacation Planning!
- Our travel experts maximize your time in Sedona
- Pre-Planned Trips that are Ready to Book
- With dozens of lookout points, we take you to the best photo spots
- Day trips, multi-days and private tours available
- Luxury transportation
- All entry fees and taxes are included
- Pick up and drop off at your hotel
Sedona
46°
Feels like: 41°FCloudy
7:15 am5:15 pm MST
Wind: 10mph S
Humidity: 70%
Pressure: 29.85"Hg
UV index: 0
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46/34°F
50/34°F
57/39°F
50/34°F
57/39°F
Explore the Possibilities
Scenic Spots & Activities
Need to escape from your everyday routine and get back to nature? A vacation in Sedona is the perfect place to do just that! Enjoy hiking through the lush Coconino forest, explore the natural vortices, take in 360° panoramic views on a Jeep tour and more. Award winning restaurants, resorts and art galleries are the perfect way to relax and unwind in the peaceful town of Sedona.
Red Rock Ranges
Red Rock Ranges
There are plenty of naturalistic and red rocked ranges that make Sedona stand out amongst all the other cities with their average, non-red colored rocks. Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock, and Bell Rock are some prime examples, just to name a few. There are plenty of hikes that give you some incredible views of the beauty that displays what makes this Red Rock Country so grand! Ranging from easy, moderate, to high levels of intensity, there are miles of sights to see along Sedona’s many trails.
Sedona’s Spiritual Vortices
Sedona’s Spiritual Vortices
Sedona’s vortices are thought to be swirling centers of energy that are renown for healing, meditation, and self-exploration. These areas are claimed to be where the Earth presents itself with radiating energy that comes alive. Those who visit have said they leave with a refreshed feeling of inspiration and relaxation. While Sedona itself is technically considered a vortex as a whole, there are specific areas within Sedona that give off their own particular and unique energies.
Red Rock State Park
Red Rock State Park
This state park primarily features a red sandstone canyon and a stretch of Oak Creek, including many hiking and biking opportunities. Guests may find interpretive exhibits, a movie theater, and even a Junior Ranger Programs in the State Park’s visitor center. Located just outside the city of Sedona!
Fun fact: Red Rock State Park has been featured in a handful of movies from the 1950s - 1960s, many of them being Western historical films.
Slide Rock State Park
Slide Rock State Park
Featuring a natural rock water slide apart of Oak Creek Canyon, Slide Rock State Park is known best as one of America's Top 10 Swimming Holes! Crisp creek water, red rock surroundings, and desert scenery. The park includes some short nature trails as well, for those interested in some physical sightseeing!
Oak Creek Canyon
Oak Creek Canyon
This river gorge, found in-between Flagstaff and Sedona, is often described as the Grand Canyon’s smaller cousin. People make the connection due to the similar scenic beauty found between both of these areas. The canyon itself is about 12 miles long, and the creek flows along the bottom of the canyon. This is one of the few perennial* streams in the high desert region of northern Arizona.
*A perennial stream flows year-round. Different from intermittent streams, which normally stop flowing for different periods throughout the year.
Palatki & Honanki Heritage Sites
Palatki & Honanki Heritage Sites
Sister Heritage Site Palatki and Honanki were once the largest cliff dwellings found in the Red Rock Country area from roughly 1150 to 1350, AD. Found 15 miles west of Sedona, guests may find rock art made from The Sinagua people of the Ancestral Puebloans, and ancestors of the Hopi, who lived in this area in a past life. Cave pictographs, hiking trails, and rock formations can be carefully explored here.
Hiking Trails
Many visitors to Sedona come seeking out their many gorgeous hiking trails. It doesn’t matter if you are taking your first steps onto a hiking trail or if you are an experienced outdoorist seeking out a challenging thrill, Sedona provides hiking trails for all skill levels. Please remember, even the easiest hiking trail can be hazardous if not tread carefully – so please do your research before heading out. Ensure that you are fit for the task by checking out the mobility requirements and trail length. Prepare yourself with enough water and adequate hiking equipment before you set foot ahead too!
Devil’s Bridge Trail
One of Sedona’s largest natural sandstone arches located in Sedona, Devil’s Bridge provides a surreal experience for anyone looking to get out in the sun during their Sedona vacation.
Soldier Pass Trail
Featuring two trailheads that you can use to get to the heat of this trail, providing a diverse experience beginning in an urban setting that leads into Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness. Guests may find a perfect place to meditate in solitude.
Boynton Canyon Trail
If you’re visiting Sedona to see the Red Rocks, then this hike may just be for you. As one of the most scenic trails with outstanding scenery – there is no question why this box canyon has made Red Rock Country so renowned.
City of Sedona
When you’re done exploring Red Rock Country, the City of Sedona will be waiting to welcome you back. Award-winning restaurants, resorts, and art galleries are the perfect way to relax and unwind in the peaceful town of Sedona. Sit back, relax, and reward yourself, you deserve it – you’ll be on vacation!
Uptown Sedona
Sedona’s Uptown is dense, vast, and has just about every stop any tourist would be looking for. Regardless of what activities you keep yourself busy within Sedona, you’re going to work up an appetite. If you’re interested in what the stars have to say about your future or what secrets lie within your palms, there are plenty of psychic palm readers and supernatural fortune tellers at your disposal. More of an art critic? There are plenty of art galleries and museums of a wide variety to tickle any art fanatic’s fancy. All in all, Sedona’s city living has a little something for everybody taking a break from their outdoor adventure.
Chapel of the Holy Cross
One of Sedona’s most iconic landmarks is the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Inspired and commissioned by local rancher and sculptor, Marguerite Brunswig Staude. Constructed in 1956, the chapel sits perched upon a red rock cliff, watching over the city. What makes this chapel stand out is the beautiful art found throughout the inside of the chapel that symbolizes many themes found throughout biblical history. Featuring heavenly views, a quiet chapel room, and even a Bible shop down below.
Sedona Pink Jeep Tours
Get up close and personal with the Red Rock Ranges on an off-roading excursion! Experience Sedona off the road and climb to outstanding views into the backcountry of Sedona. Pink Jeep provides the easiest, safest, and most exciting way to get there – and in style, too! Traverse giant red-rock spires, complete 360° panoramic views and deliver yourself directly to some of Sedona’s world-renowned vortex sites. With a wide selection of different Pink Jeep tours, there is a little something for everybody. If you ask us, this is one of the best ways to experience Red Rock Country – up close and personal!
And While you’re in the area…
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Technically this stop is not in the actual city of Sedona, but we like to include it on every itinerary we build! Montezuma Castle National Monument is a Native American cliff dwelling ruin. Preserved upwards of 90 feet high in a quite literal hole-in-the-wall located in Camp Verde. Just a short distance south of Sedona, and one of many hidden gems of history found within Northern Arizona. If you’re coming all the way to Sedona, it would be a shame for you to miss this natural and cultural treasure.
Know Before Visiting Sedona
Before planning your Sedona Vacation, it’s good to know some of the basics to prepare yourself productively. We’ve broken Sedona’s information down by each season:
- During the springtime, nature lovers will be happy to know that Sedona is in full bloom. To complement the red rocks that sparkle yellow, purple, and orange the temperatures range anywhere from the mid-60s to the low 80s. Somebody say perfect hiking weather?
- The summertime heat certainly keeps more of the traffic at bay, reaching an average of the high 90s – so stay hydrated! Residents of the greater Phoenix area trek up to Sedona to escape that 100-120 summer heat.
- Fall is a popular time of year for taking your vacation to Sedona. September to October generally finds itself with the most comfortable weather, ranging between the high 70s and 80s.
- Finally, we have the Sedona winter seasons; typically, the Red Rock Country’s slowest season. Temperatures here will average the mid-50s with the possibility of snow! We know what you’re thinking, ‘Snow? In Arizona?’. Yep, you read that right. During these months, most tourists head south for more pleasant weather leaving Sedona wide open for a perfect low-populated vacation destination.
- When it comes down to it there is simply no bad time to visit Sedona!
Fun Facts
- The first documented human presence in the Sedona area dates to between 11,500 and 9,000 B.C.
- Sedona was named after Sedona Arabella Miller Schnebly, wife of the city’s first postmaster. Her mother claimed to have made the name up because “it sounded pretty”.
- The city began to develop as a tourist destination in the 1950s. However, most of the development seen today was constructed in the 1980s and 1990s.
- The highest point in Sedona is Coffee Pot Rock at 5,600 feet above sea level.
- A film titled Sedona was released in 2012. It was the first feature film to be shot entirely in Sedona since the 1970s when the heyday of Hollywood filmmaking in the area ended.
- The canyon walls of Sedona show nine layers of stone from different geological periods that span over hundreds of millions of years.
- Sedona played host to many more Hollywood productions. Stretching as far back as 1923, Sedona’s red rocks were a fixture in major Hollywood productions, including films such as The Karate Kid, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Johnny Guitar, 3:10 to Yuma, Dead Man, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Experience Sedona the Way You Want
Sedona Vacations & Tours
Day Tours
For those who only have a single day to experience Sedona, our day tours still pack quite a punch. Join us as we take you and your group up North to experience the staple and must-see locations scattered about the Red Rock Valley. Pink Jeep tours are still available during our day to day tours, so no need to worry about missing out! Our day tour itinerary includes a stop at Chapel of the Holy Cross, Airport Mesa, a stop by Montezuma’s Castle, and more! DETOUR runs our Sedona day tours just about every single day – as long as we meet our minimum guest count required to run the tour.
Multi Day Tours
Interested in Sedona with the option of more sightseeing? DETOURS offers multi-day tours which include some of the Southwest’s ultimate destination options spanning over multiple days of travel. Let us recommend an overnight stay at one of the finest Sedona hotels to finalize your vacation with the utmost luxury, with additional destinations included before or after your time in Sedona. We always recommend the Grand Canyon as an addition to our Sedona itinerary builders. Those two tours go together like a Sonoran Desert peanut butter and Northern Arizona jelly!
Luxury Private Tours
A single day to Sedona may not be enough to satisfy those who want to take in everything that the beautiful Red Rock Country has to offer. For those looking for the ultimate Sedona itinerary, DETOURS can offer a fully customized, private tour. Including all of the activities that pique your interest! From trekking out to your choice of hiking trails, enjoying the uptown scenery, to experiencing those Red Rock Ranges with Pink Jeep – not to mention witnessing the cool and colorful Sedona sunset and sunrise – this is an option for you!
Great Stories from Our Local Travel Experts
Other Nearby Destinations
If you haven’t checked the Grand Canyon off your bucket list, then it’s hard to imagine traveling to Sedona and not visiting the Grand Canyon as well since it’s so close. Luckily, DETOURS has been taking visitors to this Natural Wonder of the World for over 18 years! We can help you plan the ultimate Grand Canyon South Rim vacation! Now, if you’ve already visited this spectacular place and are looking for something nearby but truly unique, we can’t say enough about the Verde Canyon and the historic ghost town of Jerome, Arizona.