Sedona Itinerary | Best Way to Spend 1 to 6 Days in Sedona (2024)

There are many different ways to piece together a Sedona itinerary. Your perfect itinerary depends on your traveling style. Whether you are an avid hiker, a family traveling with kids, or someone who wants to experience Sedona without spending time on the hiking trails, we have some great suggestions for you.

In this guide, learn how to plan your perfect Sedona itinerary, whether you just have one day, a weekend, or much longer.

Table of Contents

How Many Days Do You Need in Sedona?

How many days do you need in Sedona? The answer to this question really depends on how much you like hiking.

Sedona is jam packed with hiking trails. You can literally spend one week here, hiking one to two trails a day, and never run out of new places to explore. We know, because we have done it.

If you are an avid hiker, I recommend spending a minimum of three days in Sedona. This gives you enough time to pick five or six hikes from Sedona’s long list of hiking trails, sample a few restaurants, and catch a few sunsets. Even more time allows you to drive or tour the 4WD roads, go wine tasting, and venture to some off-the-beaten-path destinations.

If you are not an avid hiker, then you can see the best of Sedona in just a day or two. In my opinion, Sedona is really geared to hikers. But with its great restaurants and shopping, scenic drives, and sunset viewpoints, two days is the perfect amount of time to spend in Sedona if you don’t want to go hiking.

One of the great things about Sedona is that many of the hikes are on the shorter, easier side. Adventurous older kids can hike the vast majority of trails in Sedona. So, if your kids fall into this age group, you can spend days and days here and never run out of things to do. For younger kids, there are a handful of hikes that are right up their alley, making Sedona a wonderful place to expose your kids to hiking.

For families, Sedona makes a great weekend getaway. I think 2 to 3 days is the perfect amount for families with young kids, even longer if your kids are older and like to hike.

Cathedral Rock

Best Things to Do in Sedona

I have been going on and on about the hiking trails, but there is a lot more to Sedona than hiking. Here is a list of the best things to do in Sedona. For more information, read our article 15 Best Things to Do in Sedona (it will open in a new browser window so you won’t lose your place here).

Drive Red Rock Scenic Byway
See the Chapel of the Holy Cross
Go Hiking (click here for a list of 12 great hikes in Sedona)
Drive or take a tour of the 4WD roads
Visit the Sedona Vortex sites
Get a Psychic Reading
Shop at Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village
Visit the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park
Go Mountain Biking
Cool off at Slide Rock State Park
Visit the Palatki and Honanki Heritage Sites
Watch the sunset
Go wine tasting on the Verde Valley Wine Trail

Broken Arrow 4WD Road

What is the Best Way to Spend One Day in Sedona?

If you only have one day in Sedona, you will have enough time to visit the highlights. Again, how to spend this day really depends on your traveling style.

If you love hiking, here is a one day Sedona itinerary:

MORNING: Go hiking. Start early because the trailhead parking lots fill up fast! Cathedral Rock, the Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte Loop Trail, Boynton Canyon, and Soldier Pass are great hikes to do.
MIDDAY: Lunch in Sedona
EARLY AFTERNOON: Broken Arrow 4WD Road
LATE AFTERNOON: Hike to Devils Bridge
EVENING: Dinner in Sedona

The view of Courthouse Butte from Bell Rock | Sedona Itinerary

And if you prefer to visit Sedona’s highlights without hitting a hiking trail, here is a great way to spend one day in Sedona:

MORNING: Brunch in Sedona
MID-MORNING: Shopping at Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village
MIDDAY: Lunch
AFTERNOON: Chapel of the Holy Cross, Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park, enjoy the view of Cathedral Rock from the Crescent Moon Picnic Site
EVENING: Dinner in Sedona

Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park | Sedona Itinerary

And finally, for families, a one day Sedona itinerary will look something like this:

MORNING: Go hiking…Cathedral Rock, the Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte Loop, Fay Canyon, and Devils Bridge make great options
MIDDAY & EARLY AFTERNOON: Either go to Slide Rock State Park or take a Jeep Tour in Sedona
LATE AFTERNOON & EVENING: Dinner in Sedona and watch the sunset from Airport Mesa

To learn more, read our guide about how to spend one day in Sedona. This guide has full details on each of the itineraries listed above with important planning information.

Sedona Itinerary Suggestions for Hikers

I recommend spending at least three days in Sedona. Each additional day you add on gives you more time for hiking and other unique experiences in Sedona.

What We Did

On our most recent visit, we spent 6 days in Sedona. We rented a Jeep Rubicon from Barlow Adventures for 3 of these days.

This is how we spent our time with these 3 days: early morning: hiking; late morning and midday: lunch; afternoon: 4WD roads; late afternoon: short hike or chill time; evening: dinner

This worked perfectly, because we could hike early when the trails were less crowded. Midday, when hiking trails were packed, we were on the much less crowded 4×4 roads. Late in the afternoon we went hiking again, once crowds lessened.

On the days without the 4×4, we visited Slide Rock State Park, went shopping, or visited the wineries in the afternoon.

Below is a sample Sedona itinerary. The hikes I list are merely suggestions and you can change these based on your interests.

Day 1

MORNING: Hike the Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte Loop Trail. This is an essential hike to do in Sedona and a great way to see two of Sedona’s most iconic formations.
LATE MORNING: Visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross as you drive into Sedona
MIDDAY: Lunch in Sedona
EARLY AFTERNOON: Broken Arrow 4WD Road
LATE AFTERNOON: Hike to Devils Bridge
EVENING: Dinner in Sedona

Devils Bridge | Sedona Itinerary

Day 2

MORNING: Hike Boynton Canyon
MIDDAY: Lunch in Sedona
AFTERNOON: Drive the 4WD roads if you rented a Jeep/ATV. Or,visit the Palatki and Honanki ruins.
EVENING: Dinner in Sedona and sunset views from Airport Mesa (the order of these will vary depending on sunset time at the time of your visit)

Trail to the Boynton Canyon Vista

Day 3

MORNING: Hike Soldier Pass or the full Brins Mesa – Soldier Pass Loop
MIDDAY: Lunch in Sedona
AFTERNOON: Drive the 4WD roads if you rented a Jeep/ATV. Or, visit the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park
LATE AFTERNOON: Hike to the Birthing Cave
EVENING: Dinner in Sedona

Seven Sacred Pools on the Soldier Pass Trail

Birthing Cave

Day 4

MORNING: Hike Cathedral Rock
MID-MORNING: Brunch in the Village of Oak Creek or Sedona
LATE-MORNING & MIDDAY: Shopping at the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Center, get a psychic reading at the Center for the New Age (make a reservation in advance)
EVENING: Dinner in Sedona

Day 5

MORNING: Hike the West Fork Trail
MIDDAY AND AFTERNOON: Relax at Slide Rock State Park
EVENING: Dinner in Sedona

Day 6

MORNING: Hike Bear Mountain
MIDDAY: Lunch in Sedona
AFTERNOON: Either visit Crescent Moon Picnic Site for views of Cathedral Rock. Or, in the late afternoon, hike Fay Canyon.
EVENING: Dinner in Sedona

With more time, add on mountain biking or an afternoon on the Verde Valley Wine Trail. You can also squeeze these in on the days listed above, if you don’t mind having a busier day or two.

While in Sedona, please practice the seven principles of Leave No Trace: plan ahead, stay on the trail, pack out what you bring to the hiking trail, properly dispose of waste, leave areas as you found them, minimize campfire impacts, be considerate of other hikers, and do not approach or feed wildlife.