How Many Days Do You Need In Sedona?

Autumn colors near Sedona Arizona

If you’ve never been, you’re probably wondering how many days you’ll need in Sedona?  The answer is simple, you’ll need at least 3 days! To really take it all in, see many of it’s beautiful aspects, and walk away satisfied.  But, if you’re only able to be in Sedona for just 1 day or 1 week you’re going to wish you had more time and before you leave you’ll be trying to figure out when you can go back.  It’s a REALLY special place!  

red rocks near Sedona
Red rocks near Sedona, Arizona, at sunset.

Ideas For Visiting Sedona In 3 Days

Even if you have just 1 day in Sedona, DO IT!  You can actually see a lot and even get in an easier or a short hike plus a coffee and a yummy dinner all in that time. What do we recommend you do for your time there? Below are the many ideas that you can choose from and we hope this helps you decide what to fit in…

Take a Jeep Tour 

There are a number of different companies that offer this service around Sedona. Why are they so popular?  It can be overwhelming to know where to start when exploring this unique area.   One of the main company’s you’ll see are The Pink Jeeps Tours.  They offer 16 different options in Sedona alone.  The tours range from going up to the Grand Canyon, to Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon, The Vortexes, from off road adventures to staying on the paved road to show you the main landmarks, and literally everything in between. Taking one of the tours may even give you an idea on an area you want to explore even further via on foot/hike.  What do these tours cost? They range anywhere from $65 – $229 (per adult) depending on what tour you decide to take.     

Go For A Beautiful Drive Up The 89 A, Red Rock Scenic Byway 

This drive is windy and beautiful.  The landscape changes around every corner and you’ll want to get out to take pictures often so have your camera ready!  What we personally recommend is to head towards Flagstaff and then take that same drive back to Sedona to see all aspects and both sides of the road as this picturesque area gives you a different perspective both ways.   

Discover Sedona’s Vortexes

These are areas where the earth seems to be full of energy and alive.  I’ve heard that all of Sedona is supposed to be a vortex but there a few spots with a little extra energy and healing power and they are: 

  • Airport Mesa 
  • Cathedral Rock
  • Boynton Canyon 
  • and Bell Rock.  

These are areas that are supposed to give off extra special energy to make you feel relaxed and calm, energized, and happy.  Vortexes around the world are known to be locations that are extraordinarily beautiful.  So don’t be surprised if you feel better leaving than when you came!  I bet this is why so many people love coming here.

Starbucks- Downtown 

Experience the beauty of Sedona and enjoy a hot cuppa joe at the super scenic Starbucks. It’s the perfect location right off the two main drags of Sedona and looking out at the most scenic, huge red rocks will leave you speechless as you’re sitting on the patio.  Relax, sip, and take it all in.

Explore One Of The Short Hikes

You may even be able to fit a couple of them in since some are very close to each other with little to no effort yet offer some great views.  A few of them are: 

  • Teacup/Sugarloaf Summit 
  • Fay Canyon 
  • West Fork 
  • Wilson Canyon 
  • Templeton 
  • Marg’s Draw 

We were able to do 3 short hikes plus a tiny bit longer hike (Doe Mountain Trail) all in 1 day which is fun to hit so many in such a short amount of time.   

Rent A Side By Side 

Want to get to the backcountry but don’t have a high clearance vehicle?  Go off-roading with a side by side!  What are they?  It’s an all-terrain vehicle but with 2 seats next to each other, with a roll rack, and a fairly high clearance off of the ground.  Their wheels have great traction and can get over a lot of different terrain.  There are 6 companies who offer their rentals, all with super good reviews on YELP.  These rentals will enable you to get to more of the hard to get places a little easier and a heck of a lot more fun!  

Book A Helicopter Tour

Want to see Sedona from a different vantage point?  The really cool aspect of Sedona is that the same mountain looks so different from different angles.  You take that idea and see Sedona from the air, now that’s something special! You can book a 15 minute tour for around $100 per person to a 55 minute for around $400 per person.  The tour I’d personally love to do someday is the ride that takes you up to the Grand Canyon.  We’ve been to the Grand Canyon quite a few times and this would give a whole different experience for around $650 per person.  I know this would give me memories to last for a lifetime and hopefully you too!

Plan Your Day To Do A Long Hike

Get a nice hearty breakfast to gear up for your day of hiking.  A favorite for not only our family but many people is Devil’s Bridge.  The hike has got some great spots for taking in Sedona’s views with the end of the trial/goal is a picture perfect photo op, as the Bridge is deceiving as to how much room there is to stand on at the point.  Here are a few other options for you to look into and really just the tip of the iceberg for exploring the area:

  • Boynton Canyon Trail
  • Thunder Mountain
  • Devil’s Bridge
  • Soldier Pass Trail No. 66
  • Chicken Point Overlook
  • Bell Rock
  • Cathedral Rock
  • Doe Mountain
  • Fay Canyon
  • Courthouse Butte Loop
  • Airport Mesa Trail
  • West Fork Trail
  • Bear Mountain
  • Mescal Trail
Devil’s Bridge Trail, Sedona, Arizona

Eat Dinner With A View

Why not end your day with yet another view?!  Here are some of the options to choose from with all really good reviews we found plus, the type of cuisine you can expect from most of them: 

Shop, Galleries, Gifts, and Souvenirs

Downtown Sedona, Arizona

You won’t be disappointed by all the varieties of shops you can find in all areas of Sedona. There are art galleries, craft stores, photo supplies, jewelry shops and minerals, antiques and collectibles, beauty and health, florists, home decor, thrift stores, and sporting goods.  Whew! if you need it, they’ll have it!  Now you just have to pick which ones you want to explore and see for yourself all the fun shops this special place has to offer.

Hit Some Mountain Biking Trails.

Sedona is well known for having great trails for mountain biking and are spread across all over Sedona. I actually didn’t know this until I did a little research.  Here are some of the trails I found and I hope it’ll pique your interest to look further into the trails and maybe even a few more you might discover: 

  • Mescal Trail 
  • Chuckwagon Trail 
  • Llama Trail 
  • Slim Shady Trail 
  • Bell Rock Trail 
  • Hiline Trail
  • Templeton Trail.  
  • Slide Rock State Park

It’s a 43 acre historic apple farm once owned by the Pendley Homestead and in 1912 he planted his first apple orchard.  If you’re visiting during the warm time of the year this is a fun experience for people of most ages.  It’s a big natural slide down the rocks that just happens to be in the creek.  You can hike on one or all of the 3 trails in the park.  There’s Pendley Homestead Trail- 0.25 miles (easy), Slide Rock Route- 0.3 mile (moderate), Clifftop Nature Trail- 0.25 mile (easy) Enjoy any/ all of those trails then take a dip to cool off.  

Golf 

Do you enjoy golf?  I know my family does!  Give the courses a call to see which one best fits what you’re looking for and for pricing.  We’re sure you’ll enjoy one of these courses with some of the best views Sedona has to offer: 

Unwind and Get A Massage 

Who wouldn’t want to get a massage after a long day of hiking, or riding on a side by side to soothe those sore muscles?  Even though many of the spas in the area have really good reviews, I’ve listed spas in the area that have 5 stars:

Wine Tasting and Wine Tours

Did you know the Sedona area has over 20 wineries?  It does!  Many of them are popular for their wine tasting experience and ambiance.  So in all honesty here.  We are not wine drinkers.  I KNOW!  It’s a shock even to us considering how popular wine is, but there’s only a handful of wines that I’ve tasted and that I’ve actually liked.  With that being said, this is a topic we’re not familiar with, but we weren’t born yesterday and we know there’s A LOT of interest on this topic and know some/most of you once learning that Sedona has so many wineries you may want to take a day and tour a few of them.  

There’s what’s called a Verde Valley Wine Trail which was rated #8 in 15 best things to do in Sedona. You hit several of the areas most popular wineries to taste the local wine, walk the grounds and go at your own pace on your self guided tour. You can go to their website to download the map, get special offers and see what events are happening.  Aside from that tour, we took to Yelp to help us out and we’re going to give you the top 5 rated wineries on their website:

Sedona Heritage Museum

Learn about Sedona’s past, take advantage of the special events throughout the year, learn where the name Sedona comes from, what movies were filmed there, and so much more.  You can take an audio tour or just go through it on your own.  Either way, you’re sure to walk away with a unique history of the magical land.  This is a paid attraction so $3 for children, $7 adults, $10 for the audio tour.  

We hope these ideas will help you get started on your personal experiences with the stunningly beautiful city of Sedona.  We know your stay will be memorable and life changing.  It’s our goal to share as many aspects of this town we can so you can plan your journey with ease and little effort.  Let us know what other special gems you especially enjoy!