11 Best Things to Do in Sedona, Arizona

By Kate | February 4, 2019

Recently, I traveled with new friends to Sedona, Arizona, for a road trip to visit the sites. We didn’t have a plan when we started. So when we heard about great locations, we updated our adventure daily. We had a group of 4 women.  Three knew each other before this trip and traveled together a few times. I was the newbie in the group. We had a great adventure and a wonderful time!

11 Best Places Around Sedona, Arizona

There are many hotel options available in Sedona. We stayed at Sedona Pines Resort. You can book it on Booking.com or, if you have a timeshare, book through the timeshare as part of your membership. It’s a nice little place for the price and location, a good value.

I made a list of the places we visited, in order of my favorites. We averaged 10K to 30K steps per day. How do I know our steps? I wear a Fitbit, and it tracks our steps, heart rate, sleep, and more. This itinerary requires being able to walk a bit. I hope these great destinations are on your bucket list! If not, add them because they are must-see locations.

1. Grand Canyon National Park

I consider the Grand Canyon the best spot in Sedona.  The nice aspect about where we stayed is that we could get to and see all the places on our Sedona bucket list! We started at the Grand Canyon West entrance. From there, we walked the Million Mile Walk, which is easy because it’s paved and goes along the top of the canyon. We then went to the Grand Canyon East entrance.  It’s referred to as “Desert View.” Although Desert View East is part of the Grand Canyon South Rim, it is a separate entrance with a self-contained visitor area with a campground. This is a full-day trip. Don’t we look gorgeous in the photograph below? Isn’t the Grand Canyon spectacular!

2. Downtown Sedona

If you are a shopper, which I am not, you could spend a full day shopping in downtown Sedona. There are some great hiking spots close to downtown, including Airport Loop, Red Rock Loop, Cathedral Rock, West Fork Trail, Chapel of the Holy Cross, and Coffee Pot Rock. We ate dinner at the Cowboy Restaurant & Bar. It serves bison, and it is excellent. We loved our meals and the fabulous staff.

3. Montezuma Castle National Monument (Indian Ruins)

Montezuma Castle isn’t a castle the way I think of European castles. This National Monument is one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in North America. There is a twenty-room high-rise apartment on one walkway. There is also a towering limestone cliff house that demonstrates the Sinaga’s ingenuity, ability to survive, and ultimately, prosper in an unforgiving desert landscape. They survived the harsh weather using the sun for natural heating and air conditioning for their homes.

4. Montezuma Well National Monument

Visit Montezuma Well if you want to see an ancient well with no fish but lots of leeches. The Well, filtered by a great natural filter system, made the water clean. The water supplies a river outside of the Well. At the end of the trail, you’ll discover a tranquil stream.

Along the path, cliff dwellings perched along the rim. The walkway meanders to massive pueblo ruins and an ancient pit house. I loved Montezuma Well. This monument is unique.  The trail is a gentle walk with some elevation, so walking up and down is necessary.

5. Tuzigoot National Monument (Indian Ruins)

This is the location of a trading area on an ancient trade route of the Sinagua people. The Pueblo village is an old village built by the Sinagua people and shows us how they lived in Arizona more than 2000 years ago. Visiting this National Monument requires walking up and down lots of stairs. However, this is a gentle walk which meanders to the Pueblo site. There are lots of places to rest and take in the view along the pathway. Some locations have benches for relaxing and admiring the view.

6. Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

The four of us walked Lava’s Edge Trail surrounded by ponderosa pines, smells divine. We walked snowy paths over loose cinders, lava rocks, and rough basalt along the jagged edge of the Bonito Lava Flow. It ranks among my favorite hikes ever. It is very peaceful. I think we saw only four other people on the trail.

This walk is gentle and serene. The U.S. Forest Service section of the trail is two mi (3.2 km) round-trip. I loved it. It is beautiful.

Sunset Crater National Monument

7. San Francisco Peak

The mountain “San Francisco Peak” is named by the native people to honor Saint Francis of Assisi. I have no idea why the indigenous people of Arizona would name a mountain after a Saint in Italy. Needless to say, the missionaries had a significant influence on the native people in Arizona. It’s a beautiful mountain that I saw on the way to the Grand Canyon. The link above provides useful background information and additional pictures if you are interested in learning more about San Francisco Peak.

8. Route 66

This is a blast from my past, and since the ladies I was with are RVers, it is one of the funny highlights of our trip. When we saw Route 66, we all hopped out and took a selfie and photos of the sign. I don’t think I have ever been on this famous route before. We took time to giggle at ourselves.

9. Jerome – A Ghost Town

We went to Jerome to see the Ghost town and drove Route 89A. The Ghost town is well preserved, and the shops fascinated us. We survived the windy highway drive, which is extremely steep and curvy – so glad I wasn’t driving!  Thank you, drivers, Jonny and Julie. Before you drive Route 89A, enjoy a delightful lunch at Grapes Restaurant and Bar.  The friendly staff and great food will make your day.

If you are interested in ghost tours, one of my friends, Linda, likes this one. We stopped in and visited the tour company. At Jerome State Park, take a hike after your big lunch. The state park offers rental cabins if you want to spend the night in Jerome.

Since we are talking about ghosts, if you are interested in paranormal travel, we have you covered. One of our travel writers, William, can take you back to your past.  To book a visit to find your history, contact him, and he will take you on a vacation with your ancestors. Ancestor tours are popular now because of DNA tests like Ancestry and 23 and me teach us about our past. Additionally, here is a list of the best Ancestry and DNA service providers. Have fun learning about your DNA.

10. Hiking Around Sedona

Red Rock Trail and many other day hikes surround Sedona. Hike the Devil’s Bridge Trail, and the view is fantastic. My friends and I went hunting for Vortexes. We hired a guide to find several vortices. I think she is an excellent value because she treated us like friends while providing lots of general Sedona highlights and information about Sedona trails. I recommend hiring Back to Earth Sedona Tours; ask for Sharon Day. Ee loved her tour. On her tour, we did yoga with her and a beautiful meditation after a short hike. The photo below shows the relaxed meditation location on our walk.

Red Rock is a beautiful place to take evening photos. Sunset is gorgeous, enjoy the moment. If you chase light, as I do, hike here in the evening.

I also want to recommend hiking to the top of  Devil’s Bridge. Devil’s Bridge is my favorite hike in Sedona, even though the area is full of tourists. Because of this hike, I now feel less fearful of heights. I must have found a positive energy vortex there! Here I am on the way to Devil’s Bridge. The photo below, taken by a fellow hiker who offered a helping hand, shows how friendly the area is.

11. Verde Canyon

There is a train ride through the Canyon that takes a day. Book a ride. It is charming, but we didn’t do it because we preferred to use our days hiking trails.

Here is a list of things to do in Verde Canyon when you are there:

1. Red Rock State Park,
2. Verde Railroad
3. Tuzigoot National Monument
4. Route 89A or Route 89
5. Jerome State Park (for hiking, but check the weather before you go),
6. Montezuma Well
7. Coconino National Forest for more hiking.
8. Walnut Canyon National Monument.

Here is my group at the end of the trail at Montezuma Well.

Sunrise on the Windmill hike

Let’s end our Sedona story with a beautiful hike at Sunrise to the Windmill Trail. Have a great day!!

More Advice

If you are looking for the best travel protective gear, try our article about the best Travel Protection Gear.

Travel tip: I think the perfect time to visit is in the Fall through Spring. Summer would be too hot for me. In early winter, December is a beautiful time to go hiking.

Travel tip: Want another National Monument with light tourist traffic? Try Little Bighorn, Wenatchee River, and Tumwater Creek.