We spent 8 amazing days exploring Sedona from dawn to dusk in December 2022, and it instantly became one of our favorite travel destinations in the US. For us, the key to planning the perfect Sedona itinerary is to figure out how much you want to hike with the days you have available. It’s important to know there’s lots more fun things to do in the area, but hiking is by far the most popular activity in town.
In this guide we show you our itinerary suggestions for hikers and non-hikers visiting Sedona for the first time, all based on our own experiences.
Our Experience
We’ve been to many of the top US travel spots and Sedona is undoubtably one of the places we enjoyed the most. We’re hikers and travel photographers, and it doesn’t get much better than Sedona’s awesome red rock landscape. We couldn’t believe how action packed our 8 days ended up being, and we were exhausted by the time we left!
We hiked a bunch of fantastic trails, drove off road trails in a Jeep Rubicon, photographed sunrises and sunsets, visited ancient ruins, sampled delicious wine, found hidden caves and so much more. And we’ll definitely be back for more outdoor adventures in the future. Read more about us.
How Many Days Do You Need In Sedona?
Sedona is one of those rare places in which you can genuinely fill an itinerary whether you have 1 day or 7 days in town. There are so many great things to do in and around the area, so you don’t have to worry about running out of ideas. We’d focus more on how many days you feel comfortable taking off work or how much it’ll cost in hotel fees and eating out.
With that said, we’d say 3-4 days is a good amount of time for a first visit to Sedona if you’ll exclusively be hiking. If you don’t plan to hike, you can see a lot in just 2-3 days because it’s not a huge place. We stayed for 8 days so we could see and do absolutely everything, but overall we think 5 days gives you a great balance with plenty of time to hike, sightsee, get off the beaten path and also relax.
Next, we’re going to walk you through how we would spend 1-5 days in Sedona based on our experiences. Each day has a hikers and non-hikers itinerary example, and we’re listing in order of priority so you can see what we’d include with each additional day in town. We keep things short and simple to give you ideas about how you can start building out your itinerary. Let’s begin!
READ: 20 unmissable things to do in Sedona
Day 1
Hikers:
- Morning – Hike Doe Mountain for sunrise (moderate) and Fay Canyon (easy/moderate)
- Afternoon – Hike Boynton Canyon to Subway Cave (moderate)
- Evening – Hike Cathedral Rock for sunset (hard)
Non-hikers:
- Morning – Drive scenic highway 179 to Montezuma Castle National Monument
- Afternoon – Sample wine at some of the best wineries around Sedona
- Evening – Watch sunset at Airport Mesa
Day 2
Hikers:
- Morning – Hike Devils Bridge at sunrise (moderate) and Birthing Cave (easy)
- Afternoon – Hike Soldier Pass Cave (moderate)
- Evening – Hike Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte Loop (moderate)
Non-hikers:
- Morning – Ride the historic Verde Canyon Railroad (book in advance)
- Afternoon – Visit Tuzigoot National Monument
- Evening – Taste more wine around Jerome and Cottonwood
Day 3
Hikers:
- Morning – Hike Chimney Rock and Little Sugarloaf for sunrise (moderate)
- Afternoon – Hike Keyhole Cave (hard)
- Evening – Hike Scorpion and Pyramid Mountain Loop (moderate)
Non-hikers:
- Morning – Visit Amitabha Stupa & Peace Park and Sedona Heritage Museum
- Afternoon – Cool off at Slide Rock State Park and shop at Tlaquepaque Village
- Evening – Watch sunset at Chapel of the Holy Cross
Day 4
Hikers:
- Morning – Hike Robbers Roost to Hideout Cave (easy)
- Afternoon – Hike Bear Mountain (Hard)
- Evening – Hike Munds Wagon to Hangover Loop and Merry Go Round (moderate)
Non-hikers:
***Hire a Jeep for 2 days***
- Morning – Drive to Mystic Vista for sunrise before drive Schnebly Hill Road to the overlook
- Afternoon – Drive the famous Broken Arrow Jeep Trail
- Evening – Drive Soldier Pass Road (with this permit)
Day 5
Hikers:
- Morning – Hike West Fork of Oak Creek (easy)
- Afternoon – Hike Little Horse to Chicken Point Overlook (moderate)
- Evening – Hike Sedona View (easy) to see both sides of Airport Mesa at sunset
Non-hikers:
- Morning – Drive your Jeep to Palatki Heritage Site and Honanki Heritage Site
- Afternoon – Drive Outlaw, Ranch Loop and Diamondback Gulch Jeep Trails
- Evening – Watch sunset behind Dry Creek trailhead
***Take the Jeep back***
Note: If you don’t hire a Jeep on days 4 and 5, here are some more activities you can do instead:
- Fly high above Sedona in a hot air balloon at sunrise
- Browse art galleries and unique independent stores
- Eat and drink in Uptown Sedona
- Hire bikes at Thunder Mountain and hit Sedona’s top mountain biking trails
- Book a round of golf with a view at Sedona Golf Resort
- Try a popular Jeep tour, winery tour, helicopter tour or day trip tour in Sedona
READ: The top rated tours you can take in Sedona
Key Things To Know
Jeep – We hired a Jeep with Barlow for 3 days and it completely changed our Sedona itinerary. Not only could we drive exhilarating off roading trails, but it also gave us access to some of the harder to reach areas like Robbers Roost and the heritage sites. It also meant we could bypass parking at Devils Bridge and Soldier Pass, which was huge. It’s not cheap, but it’s the one thing we recommend splurging on.
Crowds – Sedona is an immensely popular year round tourist destination, so you should plan for crowding at trails, attractions and hotels. We recommend booking your hotel in advance, reserving tables at restaurants and getting out early in the morning to beat the rush.
Parking – Getting parked at hiking trailheads and popular attractions is going to be your biggest concern when you visit Sedona. If you can only spend one or two days in Sedona, we strongly recommend you get organized and get out early, otherwise you could miss out on a hike.
Sedona shuttle – It’s definitely worth considering the Sedona Shuttle park and ride service to reach some of the most popular hikes in town. The shuttle runs Thursday through Sunday year round between 8:00am-5:00pm. It will save you time trying to park at trailheads.
More From Sedona
- Awesome hikes in Sedona
- The best Jeep trails in Sedona
- 5 great Sedona ruins to visit
- Amazing Sedona sunrise and sunset spots
- How to find the hidden caves in Sedona
- Best places to stay in Sedona
Want more Arizona content? Head over to our Arizona travel guides to explore the best of Grand Canyon, Sedona and beyond.
We hope our itinerary ideas help with planning your visit to Sedona!
Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.
Where Are Those Morgans has been featured in USA Today, Gestalten, Get Your Guide, CityPASS and Condé Nast Traveler along with various other publications. Read more about us.