Sedona Hiking and Outdoor Exploration
With its diverse selection of hiking trails, Sedona, Arizona is a mecca for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. The area’s strikingly beautiful landscape is etched with trails of varying difficulty that allow hikers to experience the red rock vistas and magnetic sense of peace for which Sedona is internationally known. There are a variety of hikes from gentle rolling walks to intense, elevated hikes. Sedona area hikes offer solitude, serenity, and an opportunity to explore the unspoiled beauty of the countryside (please follow the rule Leave No Trace). Hiking the Sedona area is not only filled with incredible vistas, but there are amazing ruins, pictographs and petroglyphs to see and learn about as well, not to mention the intense spiritual vibes and high concentration of vortexes – sites that are believed to strongly emit energy that promotes healing and meditation!
Hikes towards Flagstaff, throughout Coconino National Forest and south beyond Cottonwood can usually be done in a day. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the inn, or ask Steve what hike he would personally recommend. Hiking the beautiful red rocks of the Sedona area is unbelievable!
If you want to go farther afield there are tours to Antelope Canyon – one of the most spectacular slot canyons in America! Towering wave-like canyon walls, divine rays of light beams, a multi-faceted eco-system, a sacred monument … all make up Antelope Canyon. It is one of the most photographed/visited slot canyons in the American Southwest. (Slot canyons are tiny canyons formed when water finds its way into a crack or fissure in the bedrock). Divided into the Upper Canyon and Lower Canyon, it is accessible by tour only and is a Navajo Tribal Park.
Here are a few tour operators that will take you on this amazing trip!
Pink Jeep Tours
360 Adventures
First Class Charter & Tours
Click on Sedona Hiking Trails for hikes in the area, difficulties, and how to get there. Always remember to bring lots of water (hydration is important), wear appropriate shoes, hiking boots are best (NO flip flops or sandals), plan your hike accordingly – tell someone where you are going, and make sure you are finished before sunset.
Sedona Hikes and Hiking Gear:
Adobe Jack Airport Loop Bear Mountain Bell Rock Pathway Boynton Canyon Brins Mesa Broken Arrow
Canyon of Fools Cathedral Rock Cibola Pass Courthouse Butte Courthouse Butte Loop Devils Bridge
Doe Mountain Trail Fay Canyon Mescal Trail Sacred Mountain Sedona Philosophy Soldiers Pass
Sugarloaf Loop Trail The Hike House Thunder Mountain West Fork at Oak Creek Wilson Mountain Trail
Photo credit Visit Sedona
Arizona State Parks, Historic Parks & National Monuments
There are beautiful state parks with hiking, sightseeing, and educational “ranger” programs for more outdoor adventures:
Red Rock State Park
Slide Rock State Park
Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Fort Verde Historic State Park
Jerome Historic State Park
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Tuzigoot National Monument
Birding Adventures
The Sedona area boasts upwards to 350 species of birds. While we are blessed to have a variety of “resident” desert birds year long, we receive an abundance of migratory birds nesting and feeding along the riparian corridors and waterways in the area. Birding Northern Arizona offers a variety of tours, from a few hours to an entire day (with a picnic lunch)! They also have free bird walks every Wednesday from Jay’s Bird Barn here in Sedona.
Remember, El Portal Sedona Hotel offers guests personalized concierge services for the Sedona area, so if you have any questions on hiking trails or other outdoor adventures, please as Steve, Terri, or any other staff member – we are here to make sure you get the most out of your Sedona vacation!