This article describes our top five things to do in Sedona, Arizona along with useful links to other websites for additional information.

If we could only visit just one place in the Southwestern United States it would have to be Sedona, Arizona. It’s easy to get to, the scenery is stunning and there is something for everybody, from luxurious spas, to hiking, mountain biking and shopping. Activities abound in this area and is was hard to narrow down our list! These are our Top Five things to do in Sedona, Arizona in no particular order.

Take a Hike
Go Shopping
Take a Scenic Drive
Go Off-Roading
Soar Over Sedona in a Hot-Air Balloon

Take a Hike

Sedona is one of our favorite places in the U.S. to go hiking. There are so many options, from fairly flat and easy to steep and strenuous. Many of the trails are shared with mountain bikers and horseback riders, but we have not experienced any problems sharing the trail. The terrain varies from smooth paths through small trees and shrubs to exposed slick-rock to rocky climbs. There are many hiking apps for smart phones that list all of the hikes in this area. Trail maps and guide books are available at many of the local stores.

Four of the Seven Sacred Pools located along the Soldier Pass Trail in Sodona, Arizona. — *Four of the Seven Sacred Pools located along the Soldier Pass Trail in Sedona, Arizona.*

Go Shopping

Sedona has a wide variety of shopping. West Sedona is where you will find all of the grocery stores, moderately priced chain hotels, and fast-food restaurants, but there are also bike shops, rock shops, interesting restaurants and other specialty stores around. If you are at the main intersection of Route 89A and Route 179, head west on Route 89A going up the hill and past the airport to reach West Sedona.

*Some typical items being sold in souvenir shops around Sedona, Arizona.*

Heading in the opposite direction and taking Route 89A north takes you into uptown Sedona. This is the main tourist area and where you will find most of the souvenir shops selling shirts, hats, coffee mugs, shot glasses and all of the typical souvenirs. There are also plenty of places selling western themed merchandise including cowboy hats, cowboy boots, moccasins and replicas of 6-shooter pistols among other things. As Sedona is well known for its vortexes there are a number of spiritual and mystical related shops including many shops selling energy rocks.

Looking south down Sedona's main tourist area. This section of Route 89A is lined with souvenir shops, restaurants and various other stores, hotels, and tour operators. — *Looking south down Sedona’s main tourist area. This section of Route 89A is lined with souvenir shops, restaurants and various other stores, hotels, and tour operators.*

From the main intersection of Route 89A and Route 179, heading south on Route 179, you will find more specialty shops. Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village is on the banks of Oak Creek nestled beneath the shade of sycamore trees and built to resemble a traditional Mexican village. Here you will find a wide variety of art galleries, jewelry stores and various other specialty shops.

*Musicians in a courtyard at Tlaquepaque Village*

There are also several restaurants and shops selling snacks like ice cream and coffee. If you are lucky, you can also catch live music in one of the many shaded courtyards here as you sip a cool drink. Many other stores are located along this stretch of road from chic clothing stores to outdoor outfitters to more art galleries and jewelry stores. As you venture further south you will come across the Son Silver West Gallery, which contains a unique and eclectic array of products.

Son-Silver-West Galleries has interesting and unique items, many of which are had-made by local crafts people. — *The Son Silver West Gallery has interesting and unique items, many of which are hand-made by local crafts people.*

This family-owned and operated gallery has a sprawling collection of art and local crafts mixed with a lot of eclectic finds that the owners have sprinkled liberally throughout the complex. Even if you do not purchase anything, this place is so much fun to explore – look for the vortex while you are there!

*Southwestern and folk art at the Son Silver West Gallery.*

Take a Scenic Drive

Just driving around Sedona offers amazing views of the surrounding rock formations. In fact, the drive up Interstate 17 from Pheonix is interesting as you go from a low desert with Saguaro Cactus to a high desert. Finally, as you exit Interstate 17 and drive up Route 179, the scenery changes even more as the red rock formations start to appear and grow larger as you enter the valley, through the Village of Oak Creek and into Sedona.

*Highway 89A winding through downtown Sedona, Arizona.*

Driving north on Route 89A out of Sedona and up Oak Creek Canyon toward Flagstaff will take you up and out of the red rocks of Sedona and into cooler pine forests. Once you reach the top of the canyon there is a place on the right to stop with bathrooms which often has an open air market where Native Americans sell hand-made souvenirs. This is a good place to turn around if you are just doing an out-and-back drive or you can continue to Flagstaff.

Don Robertson's race car. One of the many interesting and eclectic items that he collected and are on display here. — *Don Robertson’s race car. One of the many interesting and eclectic items that he collected and are on display here.*

Driving west on Route 89A takes you to Historic Old Town Cottonwood and Cottonwood-Verde Village. There are several shops and restaurants here that generally tend to be less expensive than Sedona and it is a nice town to visit. As you leave Cottonwood, you will drive through a section of the Verde Valley, (Spanish for Green Valley), then climb up Cleopatra Hill to the town of Jerome and it’s sweeping views of the valley. This old copper mining town now boasts a thriving artist community, historic sites, a number of shops and restaurants and the fascinating Gold King Mine & Ghost Town, which is a wonderful place to explore. Jerome is also known for its haunted history so take a ghost tour and find out for yourself! From here you can either turn around and head back to Sedona or continue a driving loop by heading west on Route 89A to Prescott Valley. Here, you eventually make your way to Route 169 east, then Interstate 17 north, and finally north on Route 179 finishing the loop in Sedona.

Go Off-Roading

Going on an off-road tour is a fun and unique way to experience the amazing rock formations around Sedona that would otherwise require hiking or mountain biking to get to. There are two ways to go off-roading: take a guided tour as a passenger or, for the more adventurous, rent an ATV, UTV or Jeep and drive yourself. Either way, you will have the opportunity to stop and explore along the way and enjoy the natural beauty of Sedona from unique view points.

There are a number of different companies offering a variety of guided off-road tours around Sedona. Tours can last from 1.5 hours to all-day trips and you can choose from many different themes including spiritual or mystical sites like vortexes, wildlife, history and archaeology. Pink Jeep Tours is the most popular and you will see their Jeeps all over Sedona. Sedona Off-Road Adventures is the only company offering tours in Hummer 4-wheel drive vehicles. Arizona Safari Jeep Tours, Red Rock Western Jeep Tours and Sedona Jeep Tours are also popular off-road tour companies. All of these tours have everyone sit in the back of the vehicle in specially constructed open-air seats.

*Two Jeeps doing an off-road tour on one of the easier roads.*

Arizona ATV Adventures, also known as the Sedona Off-Road Center and Arizona Safari Jeep Tours, offers guided ATV tours and unguided UTV (side-by-side) rentals. Sedona ATV is the place that we’ve used several times in the past and have always been very happy with their rental vehicles and the staff. They have given us directions to some fantastic trails. Sedona Can-Am, Red Rock ATV Rentals and Outback ATV Rentals are more options for UTV (side-by-side) rentals. If you prefer to drive a Jeep you can choose from Red Rock Rubicon Jeep Rentals and Barlow Jeep Rentals. We have not tried any of the Jeep rentals because the ATVs are faster and more comfortable over rough terrain, very capable off-road, and easier to drive off-road for people with little to no off-road driving experience. However, Jeeps are fully enclosed and air-conditioned so, if that is important to you, you may prefer a Jeep over an ATV.

You can read about our first-hand ATV adventure doing the famous Broken Arrow Trail below.

ATVing the Broken Arrow Off-Road Trail in Sedona, Arizona

Soar Over Sedona in a Hot Air Balloon

Sedona has to be one of the best places in the U.S. to experience a hot air balloon ride. The balloons leave the ground at sunrise, ascending into the early morning sky as the green valley below expands before you. You slowly rise and drift towards the red rocks of Sedona. The pilot pulls the rope and the burner fires up taking the balloon higher and warming everyone in the basket. The sun starts to light up the rock formations and each view is more stunning than the next.

Hot air balloons flying over Sedona, Arizona. — *Preparing hot air balloons for takeoff in Sedona, Arizona.*

After spending some time soaring over the rocks, bobbing up and down, the wind currents sweep you out and over the expansive Verde Valley. All too soon, the pilot briefs everyone on what to do for the landing. In the distance you see the chase vehicles following you on the ground. As you approach the ground you realize just how quickly you are traveling. The balloon bounces a couple of times before coming to a stop. The ground crew quickly comes over to secure the balloon and help everyone out of the basket. Finally, you gather at a table for a glass of champagne or orange juice to toast the experience of a lifetime. As of this writing there are two companies that provide hot air balloon rides near Sedona, Arizona: Red Rock Balloon Adventures and Northern Light Balloon Expeditions.

As many times as we have visited Sedona, we never run out of things to do. We also never get tired of just sitting back, relaxing, and taking in the beauty of the unique scenery that makes up this very special place. Hopefully, our list of the Top Five Things to Do in Sedona will give you some inspiration for your visit to this exceptional place.