Timing your trip

Ideal Season Timing

The MOST ideal time to visit Sedona is from early March to late May, when temperatures are cool and dry, while spring vegetation still prolific and beautiful.

September and October are prime as well, especially as leaves begin to change and enhance the color of Sedona’s towering red rock walls.

A True Year-Around City

Fortunately, if you can’t visit during the spring, this really is a year-around city for a true outdoor polymath; you can find an incredible adventure in at its peak season no mater what time you visit.

For example, you’ll experience great hiking and backpacking essentially year-around, peak mountain biking in the spring and fall, endless swimming and cliff jumping options during the spring and summer, rock climbing anytime it’s cool and dry….even skiing up near Flagstaff in the dead middle of winter.

Spotting Summer Monsoons

Peak Monsoon Season - Officially, Monsoons can happen anytime between mid June and late September. However the majority of Sedona’s heavy storms occur in July and August.

Pay Attention to the Dew Point - One key indicator monsoon season is a Dew Point at or above 55°, at which point the air stops being able to hold water in a vaporous state and forms thunderclouds.

If you’re visiting during July and August, keep an eye on the 10-day forecast as well as the Dew Point to avoid being forced indoors for extended periods during your trip.

Resources

• Weather.com - Sedona, AZ: 10-day forecast

• GatewaytoSedona - Seasonal Sedona: Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall

• SellSedona - Great Blog Article on Understanding Sedona’s Monsoons

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Know & Avoid Sedona’s Tourist Traps

Sedona has an extremely authentic and fascinating culture, but you have to get away from the trendy tourist traps to experience it.

Luckily, they’re predictable! Heavy crowds are almost always limited to specific attractions during peak season windows. With the guidelines below, you should have no problem creating a unique, memorable experience free of the tourist hoards.

Schedule Popular Hikes at Unpopular Times

If finding a unique secluded adventure is a high priority, you’d be smart to avoid the trails below during peak hours and weekends:

• Slide Rock State Park (yikes…super crowded)

• Devil’s Bridge

• Boynton Canyon

• Soldier Pass

• West Fork Canyon when the leaves change in the fall

• Cathedral Rock and Airport Mesa at sunset

• Fossil Creek during spring & summer weekends

Don’t be discouraged, as some of Sedona’s most beautiful hikes are popular for a reason. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to manage your timing in this area—crowds are usually only bad during peak hours.

Schedule the hikes above outside weekend/midday hours. Even during peak season, you should still be able to get some solitude during specific times of the day, such as early in the morning or late in the afternoon (when photography lighting is at its best anyway).

Put bluntly, just don’t hike Devil’s Bridge at noon on a Saturday.

Limit Time at Heavy Tourist Areas in Town

Uptown Sedona - Sedona’s best restaurants are not in the middle of its trendy uptown strip. Outside of a few select breweries and coffee shops, the vast majority of that entire area is a tourist trap. Check out our Events and Local Secrets page for our recommendations on interesting places in town.

Tlaquepaque Shopping Village - As one of the most trendy retail areas in town, you’ll find a lot of nice art here. That comes with a ton of people and through-the-roof prices as well.

Building Your Own Unique Experience

Try Dispersed Camping!

This is one of the best tips we can offer. If you’re well prepared and know where to look, Sedona’s dispersed camping areas will give you an infinitely better experience compared to the packed developed campgrounds in Oak Creek Canyon.

Don’t give into the convenience of Cave Springs (seriously)! You deserve an exclusive spot with a beautiful view, and don’t settle for anything less. Check out our Camping section for our favorite places to set up shop.

Head Into the Backcountry

Highly Recommended! We hiked this stunning two-day backpacking trip in late May—right at the height of peak season—and saw nobody. The best part: backpacking permits are not required in the Sedona wilderness area; you can literally pack up and go.

Explore the Locals’ Favorite Restaurants and Attractions in Town

See our section on Sedona Events & Local Secrets for a bit of wisdom on our favorite spots in town.

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The Red Rock Pass

The Red Rock Pass is essentially a trailhead parking pass designed to raise money for local park & trail maintenance. Many of the most popular trails in Sedona require them, and you can buy them all over the place, including online, over the phone, at vending machines located at the trailheads themselves, and at a long list of shops in town (see link below).

Alternatively, if you have an America the Beautiful National Park Pass, that works just as well in place of a Red Rock Pass—no purchase necessary.

Resources

• US Forest Service - Everything You Need to Know About the Red Rock Pass

• US Forest Service - Which Trails Require the Red Rock Pass Required? (map)

• US Forest Service - How to Buy a Red Rock Pass

Backpacking Permits

No wilderness camping permits are needed in the Sedona area! Pack up and head out whenever you’re ready.

Fossil Creek

See our section on Fossil Creek Swimming & Cliff Jumping for a full walk-through on obtaining permits for this beautiful natural area.

The Sedona Ranger Station

Red Rock Visitor Center and Ranger Station
Hours: 9am - 4:30pm
Website: US Forest Service - Red Rock Ranger District Visitor Center
Address: 8375 Hwy 179, Sedona, AZ 86351
Phone: (928) 203-2900, (928) 203-7500

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EXAMPLE BUDGET FOR A RECENT WEEKEND TRIP (3 PEOPLE)

Trip Parameters
Budget is based on 5 days of adventure including travel time.  The trip starts from Los Angeles (500 mi., including driving time around the city), using one car with three people.  Travel time begins Thursday morning (Day 1) and ends Monday night (Day 5). 

Baseline Expenses
Individual Expenses: Food - 5 days ($150) 
Group Expenses: Gas $184 / 3 people = $61.33 per person
Total: $211.33 per person

Camping
Group Expenses: Camping Fees ($0 - Dispersed Camping) + Firewood ($120) / 3 people = $40 per person
Cave Spring Showers: $4 per token x 2 nights = $8 per person

Day 2 - Mountain Biking

Mountain Bike Rental Fee: Approx. $75 per person

Day 3 - Fossil Creek

Group Entry Fee: $6 total

Trip Total
$340.33 per person

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