Best Things to Do in Sedona

Sedona blends effortless roadside viewpoints and art courtyards with some of the most rewarding two-to-three-hour red-rock hikes in the American Southwest. Here are the ten experiences that define a visit.

1. Hike up into the red sandstone spires of Cathedral Rock (or photograph its reflection in Oak Creek at Red Rock Crossing). Scramble 225 vertical metres up solid slickrock to stand in the narrow 'saddle' gap between soaring crimson towers.
2. Walk across the natural sandstone arch of Devil's Bridge via the scenic Mescal Trail. Follow a panoramic red-rock ledge trail to stand atop the largest natural sandstone arch in the Sedona area.
3. Step inside the cliff-wedged 1956 Chapel of the Holy Cross & hike the Bell Rock Loop. Admire a 27-metre concrete cross anchored directly into twin red buttes with a 180-degree view over the valley.
4. Drive scenic Oak Creek Canyon (Highway 89A) to Slide Rock State Park & the West Fork Trail. Slide down a natural 24-metre slickrock water chute in summer or walk through 13 stream crossings beneath golden October maples on the West Fork Trail.

5. Buckle into an open-air 4x4 Jeep on the 'Broken Arrow' Trail & watch sunset from Airport Mesa. Crawl up and down steep 45-degree red slickrock staircases in a custom Jeep, then watch sunset from the Airport Overlook.
6. Find the secret Subway Cave in Boynton Canyon & experience Sedona's 4 Vortex Sites. Hike into a box canyon to climb inside a wave-carved horizontal rock tube and see twisted 'vortex' juniper trees.
7. Hike the Soldier Pass Trail past the Devil's Kitchen Sinkhole & Seven Sacred Pools. See a 50-metre-wide collapsed cavern and seven natural rock-tiered pools in a single one-hour walk.
8. Wander the sycamore-shaded courtyards of Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village. Browse bronze sculpture galleries, blown glass and fountain plazas beside Oak Creek.

9. Explore 800-year-old Sinagua cliff dwellings at Palatki, Honanki & Montezuma Castle. Stand beneath prehistoric red-cliff masonry alcoves and 5,000-year-old pictographs.
10. Take a 30-minute day trip to Mile-High Jerome & the Verde Canyon Railroad. Ride a vintage train through a roadless red-rock river canyon and taste wines in Old Town Cottonwood.