For an overview of Sedona town, take a tour on the Sedona Trolley, 276 N. Ariz. 89A (www.sedonatrolley.com; tel. 928/282-4211), which leaves hourly on two separate tours. One visits the Tlaquepaque shopping plaza, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, and several art galleries, while the other goes out through west Sedona to Boynton Canyon and the Enchantment Resort. Tours are $15 adults ($25 for both tours), $10 ages 12 and under ($20 for both tours).
Sedona Wine Tours (www.theoriginalsedonawinetours.com; tel. 928/963-1890) offers a variety of wine tours in the area, starting at $79. They will even pick you up at your hotel. There’s also Wine Tours of Sedona (www.winetoursofsedona.com; tel. 928/204-1473), which offers a variety of wine, brewery, and even chocolate tours in the Verde Valley, starting at $150.
The red-rock country surrounding Sedona is the city’s greatest natural attraction, and there’s no better way to explore it than by four-wheel-drive vehicle. Although you may end up feeling like every other tourist in town, you quite simply should not leave Sedona without going on a jeep tour, getting out onto rugged roads and trails with spectacular views. The unchallenged leader, Pink Jeep Tours (www.pinkjeep.com; tel. 800/873-3662 or 928/282-5000), has been driving its ubiquitous pink jeeps deep into the Coconino National Forest since 1958. It offers all sorts of tours, starting at 90 minutes ($59 adults, $54 kids), everything from showing you some basics to roaring around rough terrain for hours. Pink Jeep Tours also offers 8- and 10-hour jaunts to the Grand Canyon, 2 hours away from Sedona.
Want to take it up a notch? Head out into the red rocks in a Hummer with Sedona Offroad Adventures (www.sedonaoffroadadventures.com; tel. 928/282-6656) on tours they say range from “mild to wild.” Basic 1-hour treks on the town streets or on easy trails start at $39 adults, $29 kids; a 2-hour “Cliff-Hanger Trail” costs $70 and $69.
For customized tours at your own pace, I recommend contacting Steven “Benny” Benedict at Earth Tours (www.earthtours.com; tel. 928/203-9132). Benny's operation offers “hikes and spiritual journeys” to spots that even many locals don’t know about. Half-day excursions start at $495 per person, and full-day outings are $895 per person.
Just because it’s too dark to see the red rocks doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do in Sedona at night. How about a tour of the heavens? Evening Sky Tours (www.eveningskytours.com; tel. 928/203-0006) takes advantage of the area’s dark night skies to lead people on astronomy tours ($70 adults, $40 kids); I recommend making reservations for these.
As spectacular as Sedona is from the ground, it is even more so from the air. Guidance Air, 1200 Airport Rd., Sedona (guidanceair.com; tel. 928/351-1000) offers flights from Airport Mesa starting at $99. Red Rock Helicopter Tours (www.grandcanyontourcompany.com; tel. 800/222-6966) offers short flights to different parts of this colorful region; 75 minutes in the air starts at $115. There’s also Sedona Air Tours (www.sedonaairtours.com; tel. 888/866-7433 or 928/204-5939), where a 15-minute basic flight starts at $99. Or, for something slower, how about drifting over the sculpted red buttes in a hot-air balloon? Try Northern Light Balloon Expeditions (www.northernlightballoon.com; tel. 800/230-6222 or 928/282-2274) or Red Rock Balloon Adventures (www.redrockballoons.com; tel. 800/258-3754); both charge $225 per person.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
