Sedona with kids

Best things to do with kids

Nature · Village of Oak Creek

1.Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte

Bell Rock's rounded shape rises beside SR 179, with the Bell Rock Pathway an easy, wide trail suitable for families. Fitter hikers can scramble partway up its ledges or walk the loop of about 6.5 km around neighbouring Courthouse Butte.

Families with young children can stick to the pathway's lower ledges, which give views without exposure.

Time needed

1–2.5 hours

Cost

Free

• Free
• Kids
• Outdoors
• Views

Park · Oak Creek Canyon

2.Slide Rock State Park

On a historic apple farm in Oak Creek Canyon, a slippery sandstone chute about 25 metres long sends swimmers sliding down the creek into pools. The water is cold even in summer, and the park also has creekside trails and the old orchard.

Arrive at opening on summer weekends; the parking lot fills and visitors are turned away. Wear water shoes on the slick rock.

Time needed

2–4 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Kids
• Outdoors
• Nature
• Active

Park · West Sedona

3.Red Rock State Park

A nature preserve along Oak Creek with gentle trails through riparian woodland, views of Cathedral Rock and a visitor centre explaining local ecology. Ranger-led bird and nature walks run in the cooler months.

Climb the short Eagle's Nest Trail for a classic Cathedral Rock view without the crowds of the main trail.

Time needed

2 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Kids
• Nature
• Outdoors

Experience · Uptown Sedona

4.Red-rock jeep tour

Open-air jeep tours, led by companies such as Pink Jeep Tours since 1960, bounce over rocky backcountry trails like Broken Arrow, climbing slickrock steps and stopping at viewpoints that would otherwise mean long hikes.

Choose a rough-road tour such as Broken Arrow only if everyone is comfortable with steep, bumpy descents.

Time needed

2–3 hours

Cost

Expensive

Book ahead

Popular tours sell out at weekends and in spring and autumn; book a few days ahead.

• Kids
• Views
• Active
• Iconic

Nature · Oak Creek Canyon

5.West Fork of Oak Creek Trail

Sedona's most popular canyon walk follows a tributary of Oak Creek between towering walls, crossing the stream on stepping stones many times. The maintained trail runs about 5.5 km each way, and maples and oaks turn red and gold in late October.

Bring shoes you don't mind getting wet, and expect a parking fee at the Call of the Canyon trailhead.

Time needed

2–4 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Outdoors
• Nature
• Photo spot
• Kids

Historic site · Red Canyon

6.Palatki Heritage Site

Cliff dwellings built by the Sinagua people around 1150–1350 and pictographs spanning thousands of years sit beneath red cliffs west of Sedona. Volunteers and rangers explain the sites along short trails.

The last stretch is a rough dirt road; drive slowly and check conditions after rain.

Time needed

1.5–2 hours

Cost

Low cost

Book ahead

Visits require a reservation in advance; book by phone or online before you drive out.

• History
• Off the beaten path
• Kids

Museum · Uptown Sedona

7.Sedona Heritage Museum

Set in a pioneer family's farmhouse and apple-packing shed in Jordan Historical Park, the museum covers ranching, orchards and the many Western films shot among the red rocks.

Take a look at the restored apple-sorting machine in the packing shed, a reminder that Sedona was once orchard country.

Time needed

1 hour

Cost

Low cost

• History
• Rainy day
• Kids

Rainy-day ideas

• Sedona Heritage Museum — Take a look at the restored apple-sorting machine in the packing shed, a reminder that Sedona was once orchard country.

Where families should stay

Family travel tips

• Hike in the morning and save creek play for the warm afternoon.
• Bring water shoes for Slide Rock and the West Fork stream crossings.
• Montezuma Castle's short paved trail is easy with young children and strollers.
• Pack more water and snacks than you expect; trailheads have no shops.
• Stay in West Sedona for supermarkets, family-sized rooms and quick access to trailheads.

Day trips for families

• Grand Canyon South Rim (About 2 hours 15 minutes by car) — The South Rim's viewpoints at Mather Point, Yavapai Point and along Desert View Drive look into the mile-deep canyon.
• Montezuma Castle National Monument (About 30 minutes by car) — A five-storey Sinagua cliff dwelling tucked into a limestone alcove high above Beaver Creek, reached by a short paved loop.
• Flagstaff (About 45 minutes by car) — A mountain town at about 2,100 metres with a historic Route 66 downtown, breweries and Lowell Observatory, where Pluto was discovered in 1930.
• Verde Canyon Railroad (About 40 minutes by car to Clarkdale) — A heritage train from Clarkdale runs through a remote canyon along the Verde River, past red cliffs, a tunnel and Sinagua ruins, on a round trip of about four hours with open-air viewing cars.
• Meteor Crater (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car) — A meteorite impact crater about 1.2 km wide and 170 metres deep in the high desert east of Flagstaff, with viewing platforms on the rim and a visitor centre.

When to go with children

The best months overall are March–May and September–November. March–April and October are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.

Questions travellers ask