Sedona is one of our favorite places, so we hope this Sedona, Arizona, travel guide helps you to plan your own trip there one day! Grant and I traveled to Sedona in September of 2020 for our honeymoon. With everything shut down, we knew we wanted to go somewhere that offered access to numerous hiking trails, adventures, and stunning views. Sedona was the perfect place for all of that! This was our first time in the desert, and we hope to return someday. Sedona was everything we dreamed it to be, and we hope you love this travel guide and find yourself there one day!

Day 1 – Crescent Moon State Park

On our first day, we flew into Phoenix, AZ, and rented a Jeep before driving the 2 hours up to Sedona. There is only one major highway that takes you into Sedona from Phoenix. Phoenix is the closest airport, and because of that, you’ll need to drive to get to your accommodation in Sedona. It’s not terribly long, but we ended up getting stuck behind a flipped tractor-trailer, and it actually took us almost five hours to reach Sedona, instead of the two hours it was supposed to take. Not fun! We flew out on Tuesday and spent most of the day in planes or in our car.

By the time we arrived at our Airbnb, it was well past dark and time for bed. (As an FYI, Arizona does not abide by Daylight Savings, so you might find yourself really thrown off with the time!) On our first real day in Sedona, we explored Crescent Moon State Park. It cost us $11 to get into the park, as many parks in Arizona charge an entrance fee. Sedona is also located in the middle of Red Rock Country, which requires a Red Rock pass to access many of the hiking areas. However, our National Parks Pass got us out of that fee. We really enjoyed Crescent Moon State Park! There were numerous neat hiking trails, natural spring pools for swimming, and Grant even got in some fishing!

Day 2 – Chapel of the Holy Cross & Cathedral Rock

On our second day, we began by visiting the Chapel of the Holy Cross. We didn’t conduct thorough enough research and arrived before the gates opened. The gates opened at 9, so we had to wait until they opened to go in, but we didn’t have to wait long. The chapel was open, and admission was free. We had to wear masks, and the gift shop was closed, but it was so beautiful! Inside the chapel, you could light a votive candle for $1 or a large candle for $6, but we just went inside to pray. We didn’t stay long; there wasn’t much more to see other than the inside of the chapel, before heading to our Airbnb to eat lunch.

After lunch, we went to Cathedral Rock! This was one of the most well-known hikes in Sedona, and the view was absolutely stunning! For us it was a two and a half hour hike in total, but you can definitely do it faster than that. We took breaks as we hiked up to catch our breath (I have asthma). We had to literally climb up boulders on our hands and knees, and coming back down was a little sketchy in some parts, but it was so worth it. One nice thing about Arizona trails is that the park service has large stone wire cairns that direct you, so you don’t get lost, since they can’t mark trees the way we’re used to, like in Pennsylvania. We suggest arriving at the Cathedral Rock parking lot as early as possible in the morning, as it tends to get crowded due to its popularity. It also gets pretty hot, and we picked a bad time to hike it. Be warned that, although this hike is only 0.7 miles long, it has a fairly steep grade and is not suitable for everyone. As I mentioned earlier, we had to climb and scramble up rocks and tight crevices. If the rocks are slick from rain, we would definitely not suggest attempting this hike. This parking lot, too, needed a Red Rock Pass, so you will have to pay for parking unless you’ve already purchased a pass.

Day 3 – Slide Rock

On our third day, we woke up early to arrive at Slide Rock by 8 am. Our bodies did not adjust to the lack of daylight saving time in Arizona because we pretty much went to bed between 8 and 9 pm each night and woke up by 5 am. We learned that Sedona is a very morning-dominated town, as all the shops and bakeries open by 6 am almost every day. And don’t think about going to a restaurant at 7 pm for drinks! The restaurants and shops all closed at 6 pm, a fact that we missed on our first attempt to visit the shops after dinner.

Slide Rock State Park is also a very popular place in Sedona, as the rocks and the river create natural swimming holes and slides. It usually fills up by 10 am, and then you have to wait for a parking spot to become available. We started out walking past the slides to some hidden fishing holes way in the back. By the time we left around noon, it was packed! The water was freezing, but it was still cool to take a little dip! RIP to the Fitbit that I was wearing when we went swimming. The water was so cold that it ruined my watch, and it never worked again.

In the evening, we drove to Airport Mesa. There are two parking lots for Airport Mesa. The first parking lot is small and can accommodate only about seven cars. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a parking spot. The large parking lot is located at the top of the hill, where the lookout is situated. The parking lot requires a fee to enter, so when we turned around, we were lucky enough to snag a parking spot at the first available one. There is a slight hike from the first parking lot to the lookout, which is approximately 0.7 miles, but it is a really nice walk. It’s not too steep, and we made it to the lookout for the sunset, which was perfect!

Day 4 – Birthing Cave, Bell Rock, Jeep Tour

Sedona’s Birthing Cave was at the top of the list for us to go see when we arrived in Sedona. To get there, you follow the Bryce Canyon trail, and when you come across stacked logs on your left, you veer off the trail and walk on a deer trail towards the bottom of the mountains. It is not marked with any signs; you kind of just have to keep your eyes peeled for it. You follow the trail until you get to the base of the cave – you can see it up in the rock formation – and then you have to scrabble up a steep trail right to the mouth of the cave.

In order to get the famous Instagram shot of Sedona’s Birthing Cave, you have to have a super wide-angle lens, like 10mm or more, the ability to do super wide-angle on your phone, or a super wide-angle GoPro. The inside of the cave is VERY steep, and you have to really watch your step. You also have to scale the steep side to sit in the ‘belly-button’ of the cave to get the photo, and it’s difficult to scale the wall, so I’d be cautious about doing that.

Honestly, we could have very easily skipped this hike. It was not what we had expected, and although we were the first people to reach it, it quickly filled up, becoming dangerous to navigate due to the large number of people present. The sides of the “cave” are very slick, and even in shoes with great traction, we were slipping. Overall, I don’t recommend this hike.

We also explored Bell Rock on this day. It was a fifteen-minute drive outside of Sedona, and the walk was nice. The trail was extremely wide at the base of the rock, making for an easy walk. We didn’t hike up the side of the rock because we were pretty hot and tired, but if we hadn’t been so tired, we definitely would have tried. We recommend this hike as an early morning adventure when you have time.

That evening, we went on a Red Rock Jeep Tour! It was possibly the best view of our entire trip, and I highly recommend it! It was VERY off-road, so if you get car sick, this is not the tour for you. However, if you don’t, it is well worth the ride! We started the jeep tour in Upper Sedona and rode it all the way out along the Mogollon Rim. The jeep went up to Merrygoround Rock, and it was just simply incredible! We saw a vortex tree, got to sit on the same tree limb that Elvis sat on for a scene in a movie, and even got to watch a wedding take place. The best view was over the whole valley. With the sun setting, it was something out of a magazine. Absolutely incredible. This jeep tour is still listed as one of the top favorite experiences to date.

Day 5 – Fishing & Sedonuts

On our fifth day, we had built in a relaxing day. We watched church online, explored the town of Sedona, and spent most of the day fishing in the nearby water. We started our day by going to a pastry shop called Sedonuts to try their homemade baked goods. They rated quite highly online during our research, and we are thrilled to report that they were phenomenal! They were so good that we went back and bought more throughout the week! A tip, though: because they are homemade, they only make a set amount each day. Once they sell out of baked goods, they close the store. One morning, we arrived only minutes before they closed and snagged a few of their last donuts of the day.

We spent our whole day fishing and relaxing, and then went to dinner out that night. We ate at a restaurant called the Golden Goose. The wait was about forty minutes to get seated, but the food was incredible and delicious. It definitely became a favorite restaurant of ours!

Day 6 – Grand Canyon – South Rim

On our sixth day, we saved for a day trip to the Grand Canyon! From Sedona, it’s a two-hour drive, but it’s basically only three roads. It’s a super easy and very scenic drive. We arrived around 10 to beat some of the crowds. I definitely suggest going early, because we got good parking in the main parking lot, and it was very full by the time we left. The lanes to get in were also extremely long due to the extensive construction being done by the National Park Service, so I don’t recommend going after lunch. Get there early, and don’t forget to fill up with gas BEFORE going into the park!

The Canyon Rim Trail was the main trail, and it’s completely paved along the top of the canyon. It was a really nice walk, and it is easy access for anyone of any ability. We wanted to attempt the Kaibab Trail to reach Ooh Aah Point; however, the trail is recommended to be hiked with a guide, and it’s an overnight trail, so we ultimately decided not to do it. It is on our bucket list for the next time we come, though!

Since we didn’t do the Ooh Aah Point hike, we took the Desert View drive heading East towards the Watchtower, and it was perfect! There were plenty of spots to pull off and view different parts of the canyon. This was probably our favorite trail in the canyon. Our favorite lookouts were Lipan and Navajo, as they offered different viewpoints from the other walking trails. Unfortunately, the Desert View Watchtower was closed, which was a great disappointment to me. So we were unable to see that. However, the drive was amazing, and we spent a total of about 6 hours at the Grand Canyon. It’s definitely worth the drive if you’re in Sedona!

Day 7 – Devil’s Bridge

This was probably our second-favorite hike of the whole trip! We started hiking the Devil’s Bridge trail around 7 am. It was a 4-mile round-trip hike, so we wanted to get started early. If you have an off-road vehicle, you can drive out 1.3 miles and park at a small parking lot at the base of the Devils Bridge trailhead. We had a Jeep Wrangler that was certified as an off-road vehicle, but since it was a rental, we didn’t want to take any risks with it. So instead, we walked. The walk was long, I’ll admit. But it was mostly flat over red sand and rocks, and the views were so worth it! Once you hit the trailhead, it actually isn’t much farther. It gets very steep right at the top, and I’ve read that a lot of people quit right there. Don’t give up! The steep section only lasts a little while, and then you’re there.

The bridge is a natural formation, and surprisingly, it is about ten feet wide at its narrowest section. It appears to be an optical illusion, based on the numerous images you see online of it. Though if you’re afraid of heights, this bridge isn’t for you. But if you’re not, venture on our for the epic picture! We loved this spot as it wasn’t as steep a hike as some of the others we’d done, but it also had one of the best views.

The rest of the day, we spent exploring shops in downtown Sedona and learning about the surrounding area. We finished the night eating out at our favorite pizza and gelato place, Pisa Lisa. You cannot miss this restaurant when you go – the food was unbelievably good! You can definitely do more than one hike per day, and our next hike could’ve been done on the same day as well.

Day 8 – Soldiers Pass

Soldier’s Pass and the secret cave were our absolute favorite hikes! This was a fairly long hike, too, but shorter than what the map indicated. The map initially stated 4 miles round trip; however, it wasn’t quite as long as that to reach the cave. The cave is about 1 mile in, but you have to get off the main trail to find it. You follow the jeep road until you get to a Y in the trail. The main trail goes left, and the trail to the secret cave is to the right. Someone carved a “C” with an arrow on a tree so that you can find the trail. That’s how we found it! Keep an eye out for that “C”; it’s about eye height, and we’ve seen many people miss it before they find the actual trail.

It’s a moderately difficult hike to get to the cave, and it gets especially steep right at the top. Watch your footing because it’s easy to slip! It’s a scramble at the top to get to the mouth of the cave. This is where it gets difficult. You have to literally boulder and pull yourself up over a huge rock to get into and up into the cave. Once you’re inside the cave, though, it is INCREDIBLE. We were there for just a few short minutes before other people arrived, as we were afraid of climbing up the rock and getting stuck. Had we climbed it right away once we’d arrived at the cave, we would have had at least 20 minutes to ourselves inside the cave. The view was just amazing. This hike was our favorite, hands down!

If you’re ever heading to Sedona, Arizona, I hope this helps or encourages you to visit! I can’t say enough good things about it.

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