Have you ever dreamed of visiting Sedona, the land of breathtaking red rocks and unforgettable hikes? Last summer, my girlfriend and I took a road trip to this enchanting destination and had an amazing time exploring its scenic trails, savoring delicious food, and soaking in the vibrant, bohemian vibe of the town.
So what is there to do in Sedona? I will tell you, I spent a significant amount of time researching this girls adventure. I wanted to make sure that we made the most of our 4 days there. One of my all time favorite past times is vacation planning. I seriously love researching travel destinations!
I’m a travel planning addict!
So here’s what I planned for my 2024 girls trip to Sedona.
Restaurants
- Mesa Grill: This restaurant is on airport road near the Sedona Airport. We came here after watching the sunset at the airport mesa vortex site. The food and service here was great. We ordered the ribs and the crispy calamari to share. We both have smaller appetites, so we wound up sharing each meal on our trip.
- Hideaway House: Who doesn’t love a good pizza? I sure do. One of my first jobs was at a local specialty pizza shop. Ever since, I have a love for unique and tasty pizza toppings. The people of Italy would be horrified. At Hideaway house one of their most popular pizzas is the roasted peach and carmelized proscuitto pizza. Oh it’s divine! Juicy ripe peaches burst in your mouth and perfectly compliment the salty proscuitto. If you are a more traditional pizza gal, they have a good looking pizza margharita. They also have a good selection of appetizers, sandwiches and salads.
- Black Potion Coffee: This adorable coffee shop was on the way to a hike we did at The Chapel of the Holy Cross. We stopped in and had coffee and pasteries. They also sell a selection of crystals (it’s Sedona, everyone sells crystals) and locally made items. I bought a love attracting essential oil spray here for more money than I should have spent. Anyways back to the coffee. I’m a bit of a coffee addict. The smoked praline latte here is crave worthy. They also have a lavendar latte and a honey cinnamon latte that sounded delish. Expect your regular coffee, lattes and cappucino’s as well.
Hikes
- West Fork of Oak Creek: This is a relatively cool (temperature wise, and hikewise for that matter) hike alongside Oak Creek. You’ll follow the stream the whole way, crossing over the stream a bunch of times. Because you are hiking next to the creek, and in a canyon, it is cooler than other Sedona area hikes. Which is important if you are visiting Sedona in the summer, like we did. This hike is moderately challenging. Because you cross over the river and scramble up some rocks I tend to agree that it’s a moderate level of hiking. However it was probably the easiest of the hikes I’m listing. There isn’t a real significant elevation gain on this hike, so it’s not strenuous.
- Chapel Trail: This trail starts near the parking lot of The Chapel of the Holy Cross. The chapel, which has ties to Frank Lloyd Wright, sits on a hill overlooking Sedona. This hike is listed online as an easy 1.3 mile out and back trail. We didn’t quite make it the whole way, due to the intense heat outside. I recommend hiking super early in the morning or in the early evening when hiking in summertime in Sedona. Always bring tons of water. Use a camelback water bladder to hold at least 3 liters of water per person. Also wear sunscreen! The sun is bright here and you can wind up burned really easily if you don’t apply a strong sunscreen.
- Subway cave and Boynton Canyon: This is a moderately challenging 7.1 mile out and back hike, with a detour trail that leads to Subway cave. This cave was made famous on Pinterest, and now people flock here to get a picture in the cave.
My friend and I hiked to the turn off point to the cave and then climbed up the trail. The side trail to the cave is marked by an arrow made out of tree branches. You really have to be paying attention, and know what you are looking for to find the side trail. The turn off for the subway cave is about 2 miles into the hike.
Now scrambling up to the actual cave involves climbing up slippery red rocks and navigating around a cliff ledge. I am terrified of heights, so this was pretty hilarious to watch. After taking photos in the cave we headed over to a shaded rock overhang. We pulled out our picnic lunch and chowed down. I packed charcuterie for the picnic.
Charcuterie is an excellent option for a mid hike picnic. Pepperoni and Salami stand up well outside without going bad quickly. Add some cheese, some olives and crackers and you have some good fuel to keep you going.
- Slide Rock State Park: So this is technically not a hike. Although there is a short trek to get from the parking lot to the swimming hole. This is a very popular place in the summer, so plan your day accordingly. The parking lot only holds so many cars, so you will have to wait in a line of cars for a spot to open up before they will let you in. The park is basically a red rock swimming hole along Oak Creek. People bring canopies and blankets and spread out along the rocks and banks of the river. Such a fun place to spend a few hours. Unfortunately the skies turned angry, so we left to avoid flash flooding.
Sedona does have flash floods so always check the weather when hiking or playing in the local creeks.
- Crescent Moon Recreation Area: I found this gem of a place by googling good photography locations in Sedona. It also came recommended by our Air B&B host. This park (you need to pay to get in) has walking trails that lead to Oak Creek swimming holes. You can swim, and splash and sit in the creek. We spent a couple hours here just relaxing and taking in the gorgeous scenery. Beware though the rocks in the creek get really slippery with moss, so be sure to take water shoes with traction on them. I fell twice into the creek and luckily didn’t hurt myself. I’m a bit of a klutz. 10/10 recommend this site for an afternoon cool down from the blazing sun. This is a good place to take kids as the water doesn’t get very deep.
- Tuzigoot National Monument: “The people who built and lived in the rooms of the Tuzigoot pueblo were part of a thriving community “. Here you can walk around the ruins of an old pueblo indian town. We ventured here because we had reserved a paint night class in the nearby town of Cottonwood/Clarksdale. This was on the way, and gave us an interesting history lesson before we painted our hearts out for the evening.
The rest of our weekend was spent shopping and relaxing. Sedona has some pretty interesting shops, filled with all manner of crystals, tarot cards, and psychic readings. There are so many things we didn’t get to do, so I will be heading back in the future.
From Salt Lake City, Sedona is about an 8 hour drive. Not terrible for a 4-5 day getaway from Utah. You could consider stopping at Lake Powell or the Grand Canyon as a detour on your way down to Arizona and make a week out of it.
Let me know what Sedona area places you love, and places I should check out on my next adventure there.
Happy travels!
Becky
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