5 Sedona Day Trips

Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend

You’ll find both Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ which is located 3 hours away from Sedona. It makes for a longer day trip, but the sites make it totally worth the drive. There are two parts to Antelope Canyon – the Upper Antelope Canyon and the Lower Antelope Canyon. You must take a tour to get into both sections.  The upper canyon is more expensive as it requires the tour operator to drive you out to the canyon, but it also the most accessible of the two as the lower canyon is much narrower and has several ladders that have to be climbed.

Page, AZ is also home to Horseshoe Bend which has become a famous Instagram site in recent years. You’ll pay $10 to park (in 2025) before heading out on a 1.5-mile roundtrip walk/hike to the platforms overlooking the bend. It’s a pretty easy walk as most of the path is either paved or gravel and is a gentle slope. Pack a lunch and enjoy the scenery!

Pro Tip: If you want to do both Antelope Canyon tours and visit Horseshoe Bend in the same day, schedule your tours in a way that gives you a multi hour break in the middle and go visit Horseshoe Bend with a packed lunch. It’s only 10-15 minutes away from your Antelope Canyon tour.

Grand Canyon National Park

Located 2.5 hours north of Sedona is the South Rim of one of the most famous parks in the National Park system – Grand Canyon National Park. Get up early and make the drive to give yourself plenty of time to explore the park before heading back to Sedona in the evening. You’ll find plenty to do on a day trip including checking out the Visitor Center, hiking the Rim Trail, and visiting various viewpoints either in your own vehicle or on the free park shuttle bus if parking is all filled up. For the more active hikers, consider hiking a portion of the Bright Angel Trail to get the blood pumping!

Pro Tip: Depending on where you are staying in Sedona, Google Maps may take you on Highway 89A through Oak Creek Canyon or on Interstate 17. Choose Oak Creek Canyon if you can as it has absolutely stunning scenery all the way to Flagstaff.

Flagstaff Area National Monuments

Did you know Flagstaff, AZ is located in the San Francisco Volcanic Field which consists of over 600 volcanoes? While Flagstaff is pretty cool itself, it’s the three surrounding National Monuments that make this list. Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument is about 1.5 hours from Sedona and may be the best of the bunch. You’ll learn about the volcanic field’s history at the visitor center and there are several short and easy hikes giving you panoramic views of Sunset Crater and the surrounding area. Continue down the road for ~20 minutes to Wupatki National Monument to see several ancient pueblos and learn about the people that called these pueblos home long ago at the visitor center. Finally, head back ~40 minutes to Flagstaff and visit Walnut Canyon National Monument to see many old cliff dwellings up close on the moderately challenging Island Trail or from afar on the easy Rim Trail. Grab dinner in historic downtown Flagstaff and consider viewing the dark night skies at Lowell Observatory before heading back to Sedona!

Pro Tip: While it might make sense to visit Wupatki National Monument first as it is furthest away, go to Sunset Crater first instead. You’ll get the background on the history of volcanic eruptions which allowed the settlement at Wupatki to exist. It’s helps bring the story of the entire area together!

Jerome, AZ

Jerome is located about a half hour from the center of Sedona and is a great day trip option if you need a break from hiking the red rocks. This was once a thriving copper mining town that quickly became a ghost town once the mine was shut down in 1953. You can spend part of your day at Jerome State Historic Park where you can walk through exhibits in the Douglas Mansion and take in incredible panoramic views of the town and Verde Valley. Then just stroll through town and stop at places of interest like the Sliding Jail and several other museums. Looking for a memorable lunch? Try the Haunted Hamburger which you will easily spot in the middle of town. If you have some daylight hours before heading back to Sedona, consider making a quick pit stop at nearby Tuzigoot National Monument to walk around, through, and on top of a pueblo which will give you more panoramic views of the surrounding area including the town of Jerome.

Pro Tip: Parking in Jerome can be interesting. There are multiple levels to the town and each has parking available. Don’t worry about which level you park on as there are stairs between levels that will make it possible to transit back and forth.

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Located just ~40 minutes from the heart of Sedona is a two-unit National Monument – Montezuma Castle. Start by visiting the Montezuma Castle unit which has the visitor center to help you understand the background of the area and the people who inhabited it. Once you head out on a short loop trail, you will find a 20 unit apartment cliff dwelling which is fairly well preserved. You can’t climb up into the cliff dwelling anymore, but you can get a pretty good view from the walkway below. You’ll also see the remains of another cliff dwelling a little further along the walkway and you’ll get a lot of white sycamore tree views as they were literally everywhere!

Once you are done here, make the short drive over to the Montezuma Well unit which has a one-way loop trail which will give you stunning views of the well itself and the surrounding mountains. Don’t get in the water though – it is full of leeches, so it would not be pleasant experience at all.

Pro Tip: This is probably more of a half day trip, so would fit perfectly on the day you are driving up from the Phoenix airport as it is right off of Interstate 17 on the way.

Tour Options

If you don’t want to deal with all the driving required for these day trips and would rather just ride with someone else while also getting of all their expert background on the various experiences – check out all of the Viator Day Trip Tour Options at your disposal.