Sedona · Sedona at night
Things to Do in Sedona at Night for Grown-Ups
Sedona has no nightlife to speak of, and that is the point. Its evenings belong to the sunset on the red rocks, a long dinner with a view and one of the darkest night skies you'll find near a resort town. Here is how to spend a night, from the last light on Airport Mesa to the telescopes.
- Sunset
- Airport Mesa overlook ($3 parking; arrive an hour early)
- Dinner
- Mariposa, Cress on Oak Creek, René, Elote Cafe
- After dark
- Evening Sky Tours stargazing
- Bring
- A warm layer: desert nights cool fast
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Start with the sunset
Every Sedona evening begins with the light on the rocks. The classic spot is the Airport Mesa Scenic Overlook, where the whole red rock skyline turns orange and then purple. Parking is $3 (the Red Rock Pass doesn't cover it) and the airport advises arriving an hour before sunset because the road backs up. If you'd rather see it from a jeep, Pink Jeep Tours runs a shorter twilight version of its Broken Arrow route alongside the standard two-hour tour.
Airport Mesa Scenic Overlook
Airport Rd, Airport Mesa
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.
Tip: The airport says to arrive an hour before sunset, because the road backs up.
Pink Jeep Tours: Broken Arrow
Departs Uptown Sedona
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.
Tip: It is a bumpy ride. If that's not for you, choose a gentler scenic route.
Dinner with a view
Book dinner for just after sunset. Mariposa sits on a bluff with floor-to-ceiling windows and a terrace facing the red rocks; ask for a window table. Cress on Oak Creek at L'Auberge serves dinner by the creek from 5 to 9 p.m. (last seating). René at Tlaquepaque serves French-inspired dinners in a courtyard until 9, daily. Elote Cafe is the hardest table in town: dinner Tuesday to Saturday only, with reservations opening 60 days ahead.
Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill
700 W State Route 89A
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.
Tip: Ask for a window or terrace table and book dinner around sunset.
Cress on Oak Creek
L'Auberge de Sedona, 301 L'Auberge Ln
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.
Tip: Ask for a table by the creek; the bar is a good stop if dinner is booked out.
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.
Elote Cafe
350 Jordan Rd, Uptown
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.
Tip: Book the day the 60-day window opens if you want a table at sunset.
Under the stars
This is the reason to stay up. Evening Sky Tours sets up big telescopes and a professional astronomer walks you through the constellations, then at least six objects: planets, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Start times move with the season: 8:30 and 10 p.m. in September, 8 and 9:30 p.m. in October, and 7:30 and 9 p.m. from November. Book the later tour after an early dinner.
Evening Sky Tours stargazing
Village of Oak Creek (Big Park), south on SR 179
Heads-up: Start times change with the season.
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.
Tip: Bring a warm layer: desert nights cool fast in autumn.
A quieter drink
Sedona goes to bed early, so plan drinks before or with dinner. The Cress Bar pours wine and cocktails by the creek from 2 to 9 p.m. without committing you to dinner. The Hudson on SR 179 serves until 9 p.m. daily and seats walk-ins as tables free up. Down the valley, Page Springs Cellars keeps its tasting room open until 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday; book a driver for the rural road back.
Cress Bar at L'Auberge
L'Auberge de Sedona, 301 L'Auberge Ln
The bar beside Cress on Oak Creek, open daily from 2 to 9 p.m.: a quiet glass of wine or a cocktail by the creek without committing to dinner.
The Hudson
Hillside Sedona, 671 SR 179
A restaurant and cocktail bar in the Hillside Sedona shops, open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations are limited, walk-ins are seated as tables free up, and tables have a two-hour limit.
Page Springs Cellars
1500 N Page Springs Rd, Cornville (about 25 minutes)
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.
Tip: Book a designated driver or a wine tour: the roads are winding and rural.
A special night out
Two evenings are worth planning a trip around. Che Ah Chi at Enchantment Resort, deep in Boynton Canyon, is the special-occasion dinner; it's a 20-minute drive from town, so plan the ride back. And on Saturdays from March to December, the Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale runs Starlight trips along the river canyon.
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.
Verde Canyon Railroad
300 N Broadway, Clarkdale (about 30 minutes)
Heads-up: Starlight trips are seasonal (March to December).
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.
Our advice
- Most Sedona kitchens close by 9 p.m. Book dinner for sunset or straight after it, not late.
- Do sunset and stargazing on different nights, or pair Airport Mesa with an early dinner and the later stargazing tour.
- You'll be driving after dark on unlit roads: one of you stays on soft drinks, or book a tour with transport.
- Check current hours, tour times and prices before you go; they change with the seasons.
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
What is there to do in Sedona at night?
Watch the sunset from the Airport Mesa overlook, have dinner at Mariposa, Cress on Oak Creek, René or Elote Cafe, then join an Evening Sky Tours stargazing session with an astronomer and telescopes.
Is there nightlife in Sedona?
Not much, and most kitchens close around 9 p.m. Evenings in Sedona are about the sunset, dinner and the night sky rather than bars and clubs.
What time do Sedona stargazing tours start?
Evening Sky Tours' start times change with the season: 8:30 and 10 p.m. in September, 8 and 9:30 p.m. in October, and 7:30 and 9 p.m. from November.
Where is the best place to watch the sunset in Sedona?
The Airport Mesa Scenic Overlook, with a view across the whole red rock skyline. Parking costs $3 and it's best to arrive an hour before sunset.