10 Important Things We Learned From Our Trip To Sedona In December

We spent 8 genuinely unforgettable days in Sedona just before Christmas in December 2021, and honestly it remains one of our favorite travel experiences to date. It was the beginning of Sedona’s winter season, which gave us a perfect balance between costs, crowds and weather. In return for putting up with cold mornings and evenings, we were rewarded with fewer people on trails and cheaper hotel rates. And neither of those things should be underestimated in a place this popular.

We spent our days taking sunrise and sunset photos, driving jeep trails, visiting ancient ruins, and hiking through the immense red rock landscape to stunning viewpoints and striking caves. Reading about other people’s negative experiences in spring and fall made us feel vindicated for planning our trip to Sedona in December. Even in the winter we had issues parking at hiking trailheads, so we can only imagine what it would be like in peak season.

This guide explains the most important things we learned from our trip. Our goal is to help you decide if December is a good time to visit Sedona based on your travel style and goals. We walk you through crucial planning tips so you know exactly what to expect from weather, crowds, expenses and the truth about hiking in the early winter. Let’s dive in!

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1. Crowds: It Was Busier Than We Expected

When we researched and planned our trip to Sedona – one of the most popular vacation spots in the US – we learned that spring and fall were peak seasons, so we actively avoided March-May and September-November because we didn’t want to deal with stressful trailhead parking situations. Soaring temperatures and frequent monsoon conditions were enough to put us off summer (the owner of the Jeep rental place we used in town told us summer is Sedona’s only real “low season” these days).

And that left winter. We read that January and February were quieter months, but we wanted to experience a festive and fun Christmas atmosphere in town (plus it fit better with our wider road trip plans), so we opted for a December trip. Our expectation was that it would be relatively crowded but manageable. We were wrong.

After spending 8 days exploring red rock country far and wide, talking to local business owners and even one or two local residents, we were told that the winter months of December, January and February attract slightly fewer people than spring or fall. But we still found the place to be jam-packed full of tourists, so we were glad to have avoided those peak months.

Sedona was actually busier than nearby Grand Canyon South Rim in winter, which stunned us. We ended up sharing sunrise hikes with more people than anywhere else in the US, and this was on freezing cold weekday mornings in mid-December. The most popular trailheads in town were always busy, cars were always overflow-parked on roadsides, and downtown Sedona was a constant hive of activity.

A waiter in one of the restaurants we ate at in West Sedona told us that December felt like it was getting busier each year because it’s becoming more of a well-known winter getaway destination, especially for hikers. But we also think it might have something to do with people being in the same boat as we were – they want to hike Sedona’s unique network of trails but they don’t want to do it with the intense crowds and winter naturally feels like it should be low season, but in reality, it isn’t as quiet as you might think.

Now, don’t let this put you off visiting in December. It’s still quieter than spring or fall and we think it’s a fantastic time to visit (especially for families with kids who want the Christmas atmosphere), just don’t expect it to be a ghost town. From experience, we can tell you it’s still vital to get out early and park at trailheads before they fill. Hotels are still expensive because the demand is there. And reservations at restaurants are still a good idea.

We do think January and February would be even quieter, so we’d consider both months if avoiding crowds was our top priority the next time we visit. This becomes even more important on shorter trips because actually being able to get parked at trailheads saves a ton of time.

2. Weather: Our Cold Mornings + Evenings But Comfortable Days

Aside from Sedona’s hiking trails not being as quiet as we hoped, everything else was pretty much as we expected – and that included the weather. We packed and planned for freezing cold mornings and evenings, with daytime temperatures being reasonably comfortable.

Across our 8-day trip, we had non-stop sun and clear skies which were perfect for hiking, photography and visiting nearby attractions. The sun was warm enough enough during the day to keep us from having any issues. It didn’t rain once, and it didn’t snow either – although we wouldn’t have minded seeing the red rocks covered in a veil of white powdery snow.

But the one thing we did experience that you must be aware of was ice on the trails, especially when we got out for early morning sunrise hikes. Ice on the slick rock can be very dangerous, so we made sure to wear hiking shoes with robust grips and we took extra care with our footing.

Mark’s top ice tip: It’s winter, so the sun stays low in the sky and a lot of trail sections remain in shadow – avoid hiking through shaded areas because they’re always the most icy, especially in the morning.

The bigger problem we had was standing still with our cameras for sunrise or sunset shoots. We both wore our heavy winter coats, gloves and hats but at times the temperatures dropped so low we had to hop or jog on the spot to warm up. If you plan to do any photography, packing a heavy coat is essential.

December Temperatures

December 1st:

• Average High – 58°F
• Average Low – 38°F

December 29th:

• Average High – 53°F
• Average Low – 35°F

Source: Weather Spark

We’re going to be blunt – if you really don’t like the cold, December is not the time for you to visit Sedona because it’s the coldest month of the year. But we would argue those temperatures are mostly overnight and the days are actually just fine for hiking or sightseeing with the right layering.

We’ll happily admit there were a few times on our sunrise hikes where we wished it was warmer. But if the trade-off for cold mornings was being able to park and hike trails, it’s a trade-off we were happy to take. The climbs warmed us up quickly enough, and we always carried a big flask of hot coffee for when we stopped at the summits.

Kristen’s weather tip: It’s easy to avoid the worst of the cold by planning your itinerary so you don’t leave your hotel until 9:00 AM or even later if you’re taking a relaxing slow-going trip. We only struggled with the early mornings.

3. Lodging: Where We Would Stay Next Time

One thing that really stands out when we think back to planning our trip to Sedona in December? The prices at hotels in Uptown and West Sedona brought tears to our eyes. We travel and book hotels for a living, so trust us when we say it’s not cheap to stay in Sedona, even in the winter.

To be fair, we were booking fairly last minute because we were on a longer American southwest road trip, so that contributed to lower availability and jacked prices. Last minute deals don’t really exists in places this popular. But even so, the hotel options available all cost a lot more than we wanted to spend for 7 nights. We also could have stayed outside of Sedona in a nearby area, but we wanted instant access to trails.

In the end – and after a lot of digging – we found a low budget place called Hilton Vacation Club Sedona Summit in West Sedona that still cost more than we wanted to spend but didn’t break the bank. It was like a tiny studio apartment within a larger complex, and it did a job. Although we enjoyed using the outdoor hot tubs after long days on the trails, we wouldn’t stay there again.

Since our trip we’ve spent a lot of time looking at hotel prices in spring, summer and fall (mostly so we could write our helpful guide on the best areas to stay around Sedona) – which led us to the conclusion that hotel prices in summer and winter are cheaper when compared with spring and fall, sometimes by a few hundred dollars.

So there actually are some real savings to be had in winter, but you have to avoid the mistake we made and book your hotel well in advance to take advantage of those savings.

Uptown & West Sedona

After our trip, we think Uptown Sedona is the best place to stay for shopping, walking to restaurants and having good overall access to everything including trails. We’d happily stay there next time. But we also liked staying in West Sedona because it was a bit quieter, trailheads and restaurants were still close, and it felt a bit more like an escape.

If saving money is your top priority, look at hotels in Oak Creek Canyon, Village of Oak Creek or Cottonwood instead. We learned that staying in Sedona proper is what drives up the prices.

Our advice is to shop around to see what best suits your needs and budget. Consider the location of hotels: Are they walkable to restaurants? Would you have easy access to the popular hiking trails?

Another thing we discovered is that Sedona is small and it really doesn’t take long to get around. Even if you stay in a different area, drive times to town or trailheads is manageable. We’ve had far longer drives to access areas in national parks.

Here are a few of our top hotel recommendations based on all the research we’ve done:

• Matterhorn Inn
• Lantern Light Inn
• Arabella Hotel
• Whispering Creek B&B
• The Suites At Sedona

Next time we’re in town we’ll stay in Uptown or West Sedona. We’ll book far enough in advance to pick up a reasonable deal at a mid-range or maybe even a more luxurious hotel. Yes these areas cost more, but we prefer to be in the thick of the action.

4. Hiking: Some Of The Best Trails We’ve Hiked

Sedona’s immense hiking trails are what make it such a desirable place to visit. They bring the crowds. The reason we went in the first place (and the main reason we stayed for 8 full days!) was to dive into the region’s vast network of interconnected red rock trails. All in, we hiked over 20 trails during our trip. And honestly, they’re some of the best we’ve ever hiked.

Here’s what we loved most:

• Instant, easy access to all trailheads from town
• Short, fun and achievable hikes
• Led to dramatic viewpoints or photogenic caves

What we didn’t like? Parking at trailheads. Far too many people were battling to park in far too few spaces, and it brought out the worst in people. Bear in mind, this was in December when it was slightly quieter than spring or fall months.

The busiest trailhead parking lots we saw were Dry Creek Vista (for Devils Bridge), Soldier Pass, Boynton Canyon (for the Subway Cave), Bell Rock, and Cathedral Rock – which we tried to access one afternoon to hike up for sunset but the line of cars waiting to park was at least 20 deep. It was one-in-one-out so we gave up and went back early the next morning to summit for sunrise instead.

Mark’s top hiking tip: Get out early. It’s the only way to guarantee parking at trailheads. If you have 4 days in town, pick your top 4 trail priorities and do them first thing on each morning. Once it gets to mid-morning onwards, consider using the park and ride shuttle bus to access trailheads between Thursday-Sunday year round.

We highly recommend reading our guide to Sedona’s best hiking trails to learn more about each hike with maps, tips and our favorite hidden gems that you have to try.

Trail Conditions + Safety

Once we actually got on the trails, we didn’t have any real safety concerns or issues. We were grateful it didn’t rain the whole time we were in town, not because we didn’t get wet but because it meant we avoided ice becoming a drama on the hikes. There were a few small sections of certain shaded trails with ice on the ground early in the morning – like when we hiked into Fay Canyon – but they were easy to navigate around.

Bell Rock was the only trail we did that had ice on the rocks as we tried to climb up, so we made the sensible decision to only go as far up as we felt safe. And it was only because we did it first thing in the morning, otherwise the ice would have melted as the day warmed.

Now, we’re not saying it will be the same if you visit in December, but in our experience hiking for 8 days solid, we never ran into any trail problems. If it rains or snows overnight when you’re in Sedona, it’s critical to pay attention to trail conditions before climbing rocks or hiking up steep gradients the next morning. This is when ice becomes a real threat.

5. Jeep Rental: The Best Decision We Made In Sedona

Renting a Jeep for 3 days was the best decision we made during our 8-day trip in December. Why? Because it allowed us to drive Sedona’s amazing off-road trails. We drove 9 routes altogether – ranging from easy to hard – and we honestly had so much fun doing it.

The technical Broken Arrow Trail was Mark’s favorite, Diamondback Gulch was Kristen’s favorite because it had a massive V-shaped ravine, and we agreed that Schnebly Hill Road led to the best views – despite giving us both a headache with all the bouncing around!

We were very lucky to be in Sedona when the price of a multi-day Jeep rental was discounted at Barlow Adventures. We’d love to say we planned it that way, but the truth is it was just good fortune. Visit Sedona in mid-December like we did and you might be able to pick up the same deal.

Unlike hiking trails which remain busy all year with little respite, there must be a decrease in the amount of interest in renting Jeeps during the month of December because we were able to save $300 with a special deal. But even with the discount, our Jeep rental cost a lot of money. But it was well worth it, so definitely consider it when you visit.

Mark’s top Jeep tip: We didn’t realize this until speaking to the rental owner, but by hiring the Jeep we gained a way to independently access remote areas like Sedona’s ancient ruins, the highest views like Merry Go Round, and our favorite part – being able to park at Devils Bridge Trailhead proper and Soldier Pass Road, which gave us instant access to both severely overcrowded trails.

6. Photography: Dramatic Sunrises + Sunsets We Loved

Our trip to Sedona wasn’t just about hiking and off-roading. We had also seen photos of the landscape and couldn’t wait to get stuck in with our cameras. Honestly, the rugged red rocks, lush green desert vegetation and big open sky turned out to be even more photogenic than we’d hoped.

Soft light and colorful skies at dawn and dusk made sunrises and sunsets in Sedona our absolute favorite times of day. We’ve been to a lot of places in the US and around the world, and Sedona remains one of our favorite places for photography to date. The whole place is like one enormous arena for capturing stunning imagery.

Mark’s top photography tip: Most of our favorite photo spots were at the end of hikes or in Sedona’s hidden caves. If you’re planning to fill your Instagram or TikTok feed with photos, get up early and do some sunrise hikes for the best light and before the crowds arrive. We loved Doe Mountain at sunrise.

Here’s why we think December might just be the very best time of year for pro or hobbyist photographers to visit Sedona:

• Sunrise is later in the morning so we could avoid setting that agonizing early alarm
• Sunset is earlier in the evening so we could get our photos and be back in town for dinner
• There was a small chance of snow falling (we didn’t get any but it’s possible)
• Chances of textured cloudy skies were much higher vs summer and we did benefit from this
• All of the most popular photo spots were quieter than they would be in peak seasons

For us, the only downside to photography in Sedona during December (and in winter in general) was having to put up with the cold. We’ll say it again, you must remember your big fur coat, hats, thick pants and camera gloves. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.

7. Attractions: All The Top Tourist Sights Were Open

You’ll be happy to know all of Sedona’s top attractions were open when we visited in December, with the added benefit of escaping the heaviest crowds we would experience in spring or fall. We didn’t have any problems getting into any of the national monuments, ruins, wineries, shops, galleries or other popular tourist attractions.

In fact, there’s only one thing we can think of that we couldn’t do in December or winter that we could have done during a spring or fall visit – swim in Slide Rock State Park. Sure, that would have been fun, but it’s not a make-or-break attraction for us. We’d prefer to take slightly fewer crowds at photo spots, hikes, caves and ruins.

Things To Do In Sedona In December

Here are some of the top activities you should consider:

• Hike adventurous trails
• Rent a Jeep and drive exciting off road trails
• Sample wines on Sedona’s famous Verde Valley Wine Trail
• Capture sunrise and sunset photography
• Ride the Verde Canyon Railroad train
• Visit ancient ruins and national monuments
• Feel the energy at Sedona’s Vortexes

Another bonus to visiting outside of the busiest months was having a better chance of booking tours last minute. In peak season we might not have been able to book a last minute tour of Palatki Heritage Site or ride the Verde Canyon train.

And finally, the most important thing we were able to do that we wouldn’t have been able to do other time of year – walk around the bright Christmas lights at Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village (see #10 below). We love Christmas and honestly our trip to Sedona would have been a lesser experience without the festive fun we enjoyed.

8. Eating Out: Everywhere Was Open During Our Trip

If there’s one thing you don’t want to see closed when visiting a new place for the first time, it’s the best restaurants and eateries in town, right? We’ll admit we were a bit concerned we’d have limited options during our trip but once we arrived and saw how busy the trails were, we knew we’d have no problems.

We’ve had this happen to us plenty of times in other tourist heavy destinations, like Springdale’s restaurants closing when visiting Zion National Park in winter. But everything was open and ready to go, we never had issues at grocery stores, donut shops, coffee shops or restaurants. That said, some places did have reduced hours so make sure to check opening hours before arriving.

We enjoyed eating out around Sedona because there’s lots of great restaurants in town. One of our favorites was actually Up the Creek Bistro in nearby Page Springs, so be sure to give it a try if you’re driving out that way.

Here are some of the best places we found, as well as other top rated spots we’ll visit next time we’re in town:

• Elote Cafe – Mexican
• Outlaw Grille – Hamburger
• Pisa Lisa – Pizza
• Gerardo’s Italian Kitchen – Italian
• Rene at Tlaquepaque – Continental (upscale)
• Senor Bob’s Hot Dogs – Amazing fast food for lunch
• Up the Creek Bistro – Quality pub grub (Page Springs)
• Red Rock Cafe – Breakfast and brunch (Village of Oak Creek)

9. Packing: The Essential Winter List We Recommend

Let’s not sugarcoat things – packing for a trip to Sedona in December is going to be more challenging than any other time of year because layers and heavy clothes are a necessity. It was easy for us because we were taking a 2 month road trip from Seattle to Sedona in November and December so we had the right gear packed in our car. But for you, layers and heavy gear are the key.

Here’s what we recommend packing:

• Robust hiking boots/shoes
• Running shoes for comfort
• Thick hiking socks (we love Darn Tough)
• Hiking shorts (in case it’s warmer)
• Hiking pants (at least 2 pairs)
• Heavy winter coat
• Gloves, hats, scarves
• Sunglasses (essential)
• Moisture wicking t-shirts
• Hiking mid-layers
• Fleece outer layers

If we were packing for this trip as a standalone vacation, we would definitely overpack. It’s better to be safe than sorry. We’d rather have backup options that we don’t end up using than burning through clean clothes and running out before the end.

During our trip we hiked almost every morning to see sunrises and we stayed out past sunset most evenings, so for us the crucial packing aspect was lots of layers. We’d start out cold, warm up and then get cold again. Our trunk was full of clothing layers each day!

Hiking shoes sounds like an obvious one but we honestly wouldn’t have been able to access the secret caves or hike some of the trails with mud and light ice without them. Make sure you have a good, solid pair that you’ve worn in before the trip.

Kristen’s top packing tip: If you plan to hike every day, extra moisture wicking layers that you can easily put on and take off before, during and after the hike are crucial.

Mark’s top packing tip: Don’t forget sunglasses. Despite it being winter, the sun will more than likely be out most of the day and it’s low in the sky. We wore our sunglasses non-stop for 8 days.

10. Christmas Lights: We Loved Tlaquepaque Village

What would a December vacation be without Christmas lights and decorations?! Well, you can relax and tell the kids there will be Christmas lights in abundance scattered throughout Sedona in the build up to the big day.

The place we loved most was Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village, which went above and beyond our expectations with a wonderful display of Christmas trees, bright lights and elaborate decorations. We really enjoyed the Christmassy festive feel at the village and we highly recommend giving it a try. Just make sure you walk around both sides of the shopping center (the main road splits it in two).

Luckily, we were in Sedona on December 10th when Tlaquepaque put on their annual Festival of Lights at which 6,000 luminarias are lit. But here’s a word of warning – the line of cars waiting to get into the festival went the entire way through Sedona along highway 89A when we visited, so plan to arrive well in advance, ideally before it gets dark.

Next Steps

We hope our guide helps prepare you for a trip to Sedona in December.

Don’t forget you can book a travel planning video call with us if you’d like our expert help organizing your trip to Sedona. We can answer any questions you have or help with any aspect of planning your visit.

Still researching for your trip?

• Here’s our ultimate first time visitor guide to Sedona.
• Don’t miss these top things to do in Sedona.
• Here are the best places to stay in Sedona.

Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our Arizona travel guide for more helpful tips and advice.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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