Outside of Phoenix, Arizona lies a vacation town filled with red-rock buttes to hike and high quality places to eat. Sedona is the ultimate vacation town with state parks, hikes, spas, restaurants, and cultural sites for tourists to visit. The town is a bustling by day time, but come night the town shuts down early to prepare for an early wake up call and morning sunrise hike.
View looking out from Cathedral Rock.
HOW TO GET THERE
There are two main airports visitors can fly into - Phoenix and Flagstaff. Phoenix is 2 hours south of Sedona while Flagstaff is an hour north. We'd recommend renting a car once you get to Arizona as public transportation is limited and you'll want to have full flexibility to travel the area.
WHERE TO STAY
There are two primary areas of Sedona - Uptown and West Sedona. Uptown Sedona is in the heart of the downtown area with quick access to many restaurants and tourist attractions. West Sedona tends to be closer to the major hiking trails of the area and provides a more local feel. Both areas have ample amounts of hotels to stay at. We opted to stay at the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock and had a great experience. We had a 1 bedroom room with a kitchenette, living room with a fireplace, and balcony that overlooked Bell Rock. There were multiple pools and a large fitness area.
TIPS FOR VISITING
Be safe on your hikes - bring water, wear high traction shoes, wear sun protection.
It is a desert climate so the mornings get cold and afternoons very hot. If you are doing a hike, be prepared for the swing in temperature.
Make lunch and dinner reservations before visiting - the restaurants can fill up months out.
Sedona offers hot air balloon rides which are not only really cool, but make for a beautiful view from a trailhead as both the sun and air balloons rise early in the morning.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Sedona, AZ
Checked into the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock
Bell Rock Pathway Trailhead
Dinner at Bella Vita Ristorante
We started off the day by making the trek from Phoenix to Sedona. This took around 2 hours and was a relatively, easy scenic drive. Upon arriving, we checked into Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock and headed for the pool! The pool was not crowded and had lounge seating all around the pool. As an added bonus, there was a concession stand to grab food and drinks!
From there we headed to take the low impact walking trail to Bell Rock! Bell Rock is a top attraction in Sedona. There's a relatively low-impact walking trail you can take to reach Bell Rock.
The trail is a 0.8mile in-and-out trail with views of Bell Rock at the end.
After the quick walk, we headed back to the Hilton to get ready for dinner at Bella Vita Ristorante. Overall, the restaurant was good! There was plenty of outdoor seating and the service was quick.
Day 2: Sedona, AZ
Cathedral Rock Hike
Boynton Canyon
Lunch at The Vault Uptown
Sunset at Airport Mesa
Dinner at Rotten Johnny’s Pizza
We set out to hike Cathedral Rock bright and early! Cathedral Rock is a 1.2 mile, relatively steep hike. Hikers park at the base, then begin the trek to the lookout point near the top. Parking is limited, so we'd recommend getting there early! (And, to avoid peak Arizona sun.)
The hike turned out to be pretty slippery! We did not wear high traction shoes, but highly recommend taking it into consideration when packing. When we reached the plateau, it provided a great look out point before heading back down.
From there, we headed to Bonyon Canyon! Originally not on our radar, but we heard this area was less trafficked and offered great views. Both turned out to be true and we're glad we went!
The hike was fairly easy - the trail was paved and there were no major steep drops. If you're traveling with children, this would be a family friendly hike. At the top there were views overlooking into the canyon from all angles.
After hitting 2 early hikes, we headed to lunch at The Vault Uptown. The views were the best at this restaurant!! We highly recommend taking time to stop here. We grabbed a sandwhich and foccacia to load up on some good carbs and vegetables before wandering around town.
Tip: If you plan to dine at The Vault Uptown make reservations in advance as this place fills up quick!
From there, we wandered around downtown before heading back to our hotel to swim in the pool before sunset. At sunset, we headed to Airport Mesa to watch sunset.
The drive up was very narrow, but it's well trafficked and paved. When you get there you'll park in a parking lot, then walk to the overlook. It was very crowded. If you want a good spot, we also recommend getting there a bit early.
The sunset was stunning!! On our way home we ordered a pizza from Rotten Johnny’s Pizza. And, because we had some time to waste, we went to The Chapel of the Holy Cross for a beautiful night time view.
Day 3: Sedona, AZ
Devil’s Bridge Hike
Breakfast at Local Juicery
Dinner at Steakhouse 89
We started our day at the Devil's Bridge Hike! In total the hike is 4-6miles round trip depending on the route that you take. Because of how long this could take, we'd recommend starting early in the morning. Plus, if you start bright and early you'll get a nice view of the hot air balloons heading out to catch sunrise.
The hike started out relatively easy - the trails were paved and clear. Because of this, we constantly were running into mountain bikers at times, too!
It took us a few hours, but when we actually reached Devil's Bridge we were so excited! When you reach the summit, the area around is a bowl-like rock structure making it a bit slippery, and thus scary, to walk around. Use caution when walking to the actual bridge as some parts become quite steep. However, the Devil's Bridge itself was quite wide. The further you went out the more narrow it became, but it was a straight drop down on either side, so again, hike with caution.
The hike was the main part of our day, from there we went to Local Juicery to grab some breakfast before heading back to the hotel to swim and relax. The breakfast was so good and fresh. We ordered acai bowls, avocado toast, and coffee to refuel us. At night, we headed to dinner at Steakhouse 89.
Day 4: Sedona, AZ
Bell Rock Pathway Trailhead
Breakfast at Local Juicery
Walked around Tlaquepaque
Happy Hour at Mesa Grill
Dinner at Mariposa
We woke up wanting to get outside and take another walk around the Bell Rock Pathway Trailhead. We did a quick loop to stretch our legs before heading to Tlaquepaque.
Tlaquepaque is an outdoor market area that has art galleries, restaurants, and live music. The area has detailed Mexican-inspired architecture with mosaics and cobblestone paths all around. Tlaquepaque is considered the art and soul of Sedona.
For Happy Hour we headed back to Airport Mesa we grabbed a quick drink before heading off to dinner. Located right by the private airport, we spent our time watching planes take off while drinking our drinks. (Not the best picture, but you get the jist)
For dinner we headed Mariposa! This was our favorite spot on the trip and required a reservation months in advance. Be sure to book ahead of time to pick your spot. Also, check out the menu as it is an upscale dining experience with a pricier menu.
The views and the Latin-inspired cuisine made dinner at Mariposa stand out from the rest. We'd highly recommend! The dinner ended up being the perfect way to close out our vacation to Sedona.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Sedona was a great place to visit. It had both the relaxing and active elements that you are looking for in a vacation. Surrounded by red rocks on all sides, the views were stunning. Furthermore, everything was close by and easily accessible making it inclusive for visitors of all ages and abilities. Within Sedona, there's something for everyone. The downside is it was expensive - from the hotel to the food, it all felt just a bit more than planned.
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