Sedona · 3-day itinerary
3 Days in Sedona: A Grown-Up Itinerary
Three days gives you the red rocks on foot and by jeep, a day down the Verde Valley for wine and history, and a memorable dinner and sunset every evening.
- Day 1
- Cathedral Rock, Chapel of the Holy Cross, Tlaquepaque, Airport Mesa sunset, Mariposa
- Day 2
- Broken Arrow by jeep, Sedona Heritage Museum, Elote Cafe, stargazing
- Day 3
- Verde Canyon Railroad or Jerome, Page Springs Cellars, Cress on Oak Creek
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Day 1: Red rock and sunset
Start early to beat the heat and the crowds.
Morning
Cathedral Rock Trail
Back O' Beyond Rd, off SR 179
Heads-up: Trailhead parking is closed on days the shuttle runs. Check sedonashuttle.com for the schedule.
Take the shuttle if it's running; allow two hours.
A short but steep scramble up the slickrock to the saddle of Sedona's most photographed formation. The free Sedona Shuttle serves the Cathedral Rock trailhead from a park-and-ride, and the trailhead lot is closed on shuttle days; a Red Rock Pass is needed to park at trailheads.
Late morning
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Chapel Rd, off SR 179
A short drive up SR 179.
A chapel built into the red rock buttes, looking out over the valley. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free (donations welcome). The lot is small and fills at weekends, and a golf-cart shuttle helps with the steep ramp.
Afternoon
Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village
336 State Route 179
Galleries and a late lunch.
Galleries, craft shops and courtyards in an arts village on SR 179, with restaurants including René at Tlaquepaque and Oak Creek Brewery & Grill. Shops open around 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunset
Airport Mesa Scenic Overlook
Airport Rd, Airport Mesa
Arrive an hour before sunset.
Sedona's classic sunset view across the whole red rock skyline, from the lot the airport runs on top of the mesa. Parking is $3 for the day (keep the receipt); cards and cash accepted. The short Airport View and longer Airport Loop trails start here.
Dinner
Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill
700 W State Route 89A
Five minutes away; book ahead.
Chef Lisa Dahl's restaurant on a bluff above the canyon, opened in 2015: South American-inspired grill cooking from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a terrace facing the red rocks. Lunch and dinner.
Day 2: Jeep, history and stars
Uptown by day, the night sky after dinner.
Morning
Pink Jeep Tours: Broken Arrow
Departs Uptown Sedona
Broken Arrow, about two hours.
The company's best-known off-road route, climbing the slickrock of the Broken Arrow trail in a pink open-air jeep. The standard tour lasts about two hours; a shorter twilight version and a three-hour combo with the Scenic Rim also run.
Afternoon
Sedona Heritage Museum
735 Jordan Rd, Uptown
Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The town's history museum, up Jordan Road from Uptown. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the current exhibit, The Road is Life, covers Sedona and Route 66.
Dinner
Elote Cafe
350 Jordan Rd, Uptown
Tuesday to Saturday; reserve up to 60 days ahead.
Chef Jeff Smedstad's modern Mexican and Southwestern cooking, drawn from years of travel in Oaxaca, Veracruz and Puebla. Dinner from 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations are required and open 60 days ahead.
Late
Evening Sky Tours stargazing
Village of Oak Creek (Big Park), south on SR 179
Heads-up: Start times change with the season.
Take the later tour after dinner.
A professional astronomer walks you through the constellations, then at least six objects through big telescopes: planets, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Tours run year-round; in September they start at 8:30 and 10 p.m., in October at 8 and 9:30 p.m., and from November at 7:30 and 9 p.m.
Day 3: The Verde Valley
Wine, rail and an old mining town, then dinner by the creek.
Morning
Verde Canyon Railroad
300 N Broadway, Clarkdale (about 30 minutes)
Heads-up: Starlight trips are seasonal (March to December).
A four-hour ride from Clarkdale.
A four-hour round trip along the Verde River from Clarkdale to Perkinsville, past red rock cliffs and ancient ruins, in climate-controlled cars with open-air viewing cars. First class adds plush seats and appetizers. Saturday Starlight trips run March to December.
Afternoon
Page Springs Cellars
1500 N Page Springs Rd, Cornville (about 25 minutes)
Taste on the way back; book online.
A Verde Valley winery on Oak Creek with a tasting room and bistro. Open Sunday to Wednesday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday until 8 p.m.; tastings are booked online.
Dinner
Cress on Oak Creek
L'Auberge de Sedona, 301 L'Auberge Ln
Last seating is 9 p.m.
L'Auberge de Sedona's restaurant, beside Oak Creek. Dinner daily from 5 to 9 p.m. (last seating), Sunday brunch, and the Cress Bar from 2 to 9 p.m. Reservations strongly recommended.
Swaps
- Rather not spend four hours on a train? Swap it for a morning in Jerome, the hillside mining town.
- Special occasion? Swap Cress for Che Ah Chi at Enchantment Resort in Boynton Canyon, or for René in Tlaquepaque.
- Want an easy walk instead of Cathedral Rock's scramble? Try the loop trails at Red Rock State Park.
- Elote closed (Sundays and Mondays)? Book Cress on Oak Creek or Mariposa that night instead.
Jerome
About 45 minutes southwest
A former copper-mining town on the mountainside, now full of galleries and wine tasting rooms, with the Douglas Mansion at Jerome State Historic Park and the hilltop Jerome Grand Hotel.
Tip: Combine it with the Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale, just below.
Che Ah Chi at Enchantment Resort
Enchantment Resort, 525 Boynton Canyon Rd
The resort's main dining room, deep in Boynton Canyon: modern American cooking with a Southwestern accent, local ingredients and an award-winning wine list.
Tip: Book ahead; it's a 20-minute drive from town, so plan the ride back.
René at Tlaquepaque
Tlaquepaque, 336 SR 179, Suite B-118
French-inspired fine dining with Mediterranean touches in a courtyard inside Tlaquepaque, with a chef's prix fixe and a Wine Spectator-recognised list. Lunch from noon and dinner from 3:30 to 9 p.m., daily; the dining room keeps a grown-up, formal feel.
Red Rock State Park
4050 Lower Red Rock Loop Rd
A 286-acre nature preserve along Oak Creek with about five miles of easy, interconnected loop trails. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitor center from 9 a.m.
Tip: A gentler alternative to the busy trailheads, with a visitor center for maps.
Everything here was checked in September 2026. Hours, shuttle days and tour times change with the seasons, so confirm before you go.
Questions people ask
Is 3 days in Sedona enough?
Yes. It covers the main red rock sights, a jeep tour, sunset, stargazing and a day in the Verde Valley, at an unhurried pace.
Where should you fly into for Sedona?
Phoenix Sky Harbor, about two hours' drive. That makes it easy to combine Sedona with a few nights in Scottsdale.
What is the best time of year to visit Sedona?
Spring and autumn for hiking weather. Summer afternoons are hot, so hike early; winter is quieter and nights are cold.