Sedona, Arizona, is one of the best travel destinations in the country, but there are some vital Sedona travel tips that you need to know before you go.
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What is the best month to visit Sedona?
Overall, the best months to visit Sedona are in the spring and fall: March-May and October-November. Springtime is peak season for Sedona, Arizona, which means you will encounter the best weather and most mild temperatures in spring. However, this also means you’ll encounter the biggest crowds and most expensive lodging prices in spring.
The best months to visit Sedona for the cheapest prices are in summer: June-August. Although, this is also Sedona’s monsoon season, so you ought to pack a travel umbrella and expect occasional rain showers during your stay.
You can also find deals on Sedona accommodations in the winter months, December-February. And, if you’re looking to avoid big crowds in Sedona, you might consider visiting in the winter too. Expect colder temperatures, especially in the mornings and evenings, and perhaps a little snowfall. It might be in your best interest to pack a packable down jacket for Sedona in the winter, such as my favorite Columbia packable down hiking jacket.
How to avoid crowds in Sedona?
To avoid crowds in Sedona, you should visit during the off-season (December-February) and hike early in the mornings. As mentioned, to avoid crowds in Sedona, the best months to visit are from December-February. These are Sedona’s winter months, so you’ll have cooler weather, cheaper lodging options and, of course, fewer crowds.
Additionally, no matter what month you choose to visit Sedona, the best way to avoid crowds on the trails is to start your hikes before sunrise. We visited in September, which is one of Sedona’s busier months, and started all of the most popular hikes before sunrise for this reason. We started the famous Devil’s Bridge around 6:00 a.m., and there was still a crowd at the top of the hike (albeit, a smaller crowd than midday). Likewise, we also started the Subway Cave hike around 6:00 a.m. and had the cave completely to ourselves for a short time.
If you plan to hike to Devil’s Bridge, I definitely recommend starting before sunrise. Like I said, we got to Devil’s Bridge for sunrise, and there were still roughly 40 people at the bridge before 8:00 a.m. We had to wait in line at the bridge for about 5-10 minutes for a photo on the bridge. I’ve heard of people hiking to the bridge midday who had to wait hours in line for a single photo. If you’re only going to wake up early for one Sedona hike, make it Devil’s Bridge.
Moreover, hiking early in the morning will help you avoid the dangerous midday heat, which is a benefit we’ll discuss more in a minute.
How many days in Sedona is enough?
3-4 days is enough for you to do the main hikes in Sedona. Take into consideration, depending on your physical abilities, you may need extra time to recover between hikes. We stayed in Sedona for three nights and were able to do all of our top hikes (Devil’s Bridge, Subway Cave, Keyhole Cave, Birthing Cave and Soldier’s pass) early each morning and recover by our hotel pool every afternoon.
We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Sedona at a discount using our Safara our cash back credits. The lobby was beautiful, room was clean, pool was relaxing, and the balcony and rooftop were definitely a bonus for evening stargazing. Get up to $500 off your first Safara hotel booking here, or book the Courtyard by Marriott Sedona through Booking.com here.
Is Sedona expensive to visit?
While lodging, food and transportation to Sedona can be expensive, luckily, the majority of the best things to do in Sedona are very cheap. If you’re visiting Sedona, you’re most likely interested in doing some of the iconic Sedona hikes. While most of the Sedona hikes require you to pay for parking, thankfully, most of the Sedona parking lots are permitted under one affordable parking pass: the Red Rock Pass. The daily pass is $5, the weekly pass is $15 and the annual pass is $20.
Alternatively, the America The Beautiful annual national park pass also covers these parking fees. So, if you’ll be traveling to multiple US national parks in the next calendar year, or perhaps tacking Grand Canyon National Park onto your Arizona trip, the America The Beautiful pass will likely pay off.
Furthermore, if you do not want to deal with the hassle or cost of parking, there is a free shuttle service to all of the main Sedona trailheads. These shuttles are recommended during peak season regardless because of how full the parking lots are. You can find the free Sedona Shuttle routes, times and more information here.
What is the cheapest month to visit Sedona?
The cheapest months to visit Sedona are January and February. During January and February, you’ll typically find the cheapest flights and accommodations in the city. Again, you’ll also encounter fewer crowds and colder weather during these winter months.
If you’re looking for more budget travel tips for your upcoming Sedona trip, I have an entire ebook dedicated to teaching you my best tips to travel for cheap. Don’t worry, I won’t tell you to just settle for dingy hostels and sketchy airlines. In the ebook, I’ll show you how I travel in luxury for nearly free all the time. You can read more about the ebook here.
How to stay cool in Sedona?
To stay cool in Sedona, the trick is to hike early in the morning and stay hydrated. As we’ve discussed, there is a variety of good reasons to start your Sedona hikes before sunrise, including to avoid crowds. The most important reason to start your Sedona hikes early, though, is to avoid the midday heat. And, trust me, you want to avoid the midday heat.
While the heat in Sedona is a dry heat, making it much more tolerable than humid heat, the desert is an extremely dangerous place to hike. Sadly, many hikers die from heatstroke and dehydration on the Arizona trails every year. Do not take the Sedona heat lightly.
If you hike early in the morning, you’ll most likely be done with your hikes and lounging by your hotel pool by lunchtime. Obviously, this depends on the length of each individual hike. But, on average, I recommend starting your hikes no later than 6:00 a.m.
Drink plenty of water
This should go without saying, but it is vital to drink plenty of water in Sedona, Arizona, especially when hiking in the sun. I must reiterate: hikers regularly die from dehydration on the trails. You cannot bring a single bottle of water on your hike and assume it will be enough.
In fact, I suggest carrying a water bladder that holds at least one liter of water per person per hike. My husband and I both used this cheap water bladder from Amazon while hiking in Sedona, and we will definitely be using it again for future hiking trips. We quickly learned that the water heats up fast in the desert sun too, so filling the bladder with both water and ice-machine ice in the morning was key to staying hydrated.
We also brought these GOODONYA organic lemon electrolyte packets to mix into water bottles on each hike to stay extra hydrated. You can definitely taste the salty electrolytes in these packets, but that is a trade-off I’m willing to make knowing the ingredients are pure.
Bring and frequently reapply sunscreen
Likewise, sunscreen is essential every single day in Arizona, no matter the season. You do not want to burn crisp on your hikes. Seriously, a sunburn could ruin your entire trip. It’s imperative to pack plenty of sunscreen and reapply multiple times throughout the day. I personally love the Sun Bum Face Mist sunscreen because I can easily reapply it over my makeup without using my dirty hiking hands to cake it on. It’s cool, refreshing, mess-free and effective.
Don’t forget sunglasses
Similarly, you will be kicking yourself if you do not have sunglasses on the trails. Obviously, if you’re planning on doing only sunrise hikes, you probably won’t need your sunglasses until around 8:00 or 9:00 a.m., depending on the trail, shade coverage and time of year. But, you should still bring sunglasses to protect your eyes from the Arizona sun, nonetheless.
Personally, I always travel with my cheap sunglasses from Zenni Optical (available in both prescription and non-prescription lenses). I feel better knowing that if my affordable pair is lost, broken or stolen on any trip, it’s not as big of a deal as if I lost a designer pair. While I’ve purchased multiple Zenni sunglasses before, this square aviator pair is my favorite so far.
Pack a rechargeable handheld fan
Finally, arguably my best Sedona travel tip from this list is to hike with a rechargeable handheld fan. I swear by my rechargeable handheld fan to keep me cool and sane in every single hot destination. Having cool air blowing on your face in the Arizona heat is game-changing. I love this TUNISE rechargeable handheld fan in particular because it folds flat to set on tables and comes with a lanyard to stay cool and hands-free. It is also rechargeable, so you can plug it into your portable charger to keep the fan running.
More Sedona Travel Tips
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