Drive up Airport Mesa just before the light goes gold and you will understand immediately why people come to Sedona and never quite leave. The overlook wraps around the butte's edge and the whole red rock world opens beneath you: Courthouse Butte, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock rising in the south, the canyon threading toward Oak Creek. If you want something quieter, the Soldier Pass Trail leads into a part of Sedona most visitors never find, past a collapse sinkhole and a chain of shallow pools caught in the sandstone. For the most dramatic perspective of all, drive the unpaved stretch of Schnebly Hill Road as it climbs toward the rim. The scale up there is genuinely hard to absorb. Give it more time than you think you need.
Within 25 miles · ranked by scenic score
12 Places Worth Seeing
Sedona, AZ
Airport Mesa Vortex Overlook
Airport Mesa is a flat-topped butte in central Sedona that provides 360-degree views of the surrounding red rock formations including Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, and Thunder Mountain. The mesa top is the location of Sedona Airport and a recognized vortex site. A short loop trail along the mesa rim offers unobstructed views in all directions.
Sedona, AZ
Soldier Pass Arches and Seven Sacred Pools
The Soldier Pass Trail provides access to several unique geological features including the Devil's Kitchen sinkhole, the Seven Sacred Pools (a series of natural tinajas in sandstone), and a natural sandstone arch. The trail traverses typical Sedona red rock terrain through juniper and cypress woodland. The Seven Sacred Pools hold water seasonally and reflect the surrounding red rock formations.
Sedona, AZ
Schnebly Hill Road Overlook
Schnebly Hill Road is a partially unpaved road that climbs from Sedona to the Mogollon Rim, offering some of the most dramatic aerial perspectives of Sedona's red rock formations. The Schnebly Hill Vista at the top provides a sweeping 180-degree panorama of the entire Sedona basin. The road follows the historic route used by settlers before SR 179 was built.
Sedona, AZ
Thunder Mountain (Capitol Butte)
Thunder Mountain, also known as Capitol Butte, is a prominent flat-topped mesa rising to 6,355 feet in north Sedona. The formation's layered white Kaibab limestone cap contrasts dramatically with the red Schnebly Hill Formation sandstone below. It is one of the most recognizable formations on Sedona's northern skyline.
Sedona, AZ
Sedona Dark Sky Viewing at Schnebly Hill
Sedona was designated an International Dark Sky Community in 2014, and the upper Schnebly Hill Road area provides some of the darkest skies accessible from town. At approximately 6,500 feet elevation above the city lights, the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye on clear moonless nights. The red rock silhouettes provide distinctive foreground elements for astrophotography.
Oak Creek, AZ
Slide Rock State Park
Slide Rock State Park is located in Oak Creek Canyon and features a natural water slide formed by smooth red sandstone in Oak Creek. The park encompasses the historic Pendley Homestead apple orchard established in 1912. The red rock creek bed and surrounding canyon walls create vibrant color contrasts throughout the year.
Sedona, AZ
Devil's Bridge
Devil's Bridge is the largest natural sandstone arch in the Sedona area, spanning approximately 54 feet. The arch sits at an elevation of about 4,600 feet and offers panoramic views of the surrounding red rock landscape. The formation is composed of the same Schnebly Hill Formation sandstone that defines much of Sedona's geology.
Sedona, AZ
Chapel of the Holy Cross
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is a Roman Catholic chapel built into the red sandstone buttes of Sedona, designed by sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude and completed in 1956. The modernist structure features a 90-foot cross integrated into the facade and is built between two red rock pinnacles at an elevation of approximately 4,400 feet. The chapel was inspired by the Empire State Building and designed with consultation from Frank Lloyd Wright.
Sedona, AZ
Cathedral Rock
Cathedral Rock is one of the most iconic red sandstone butte formations in Sedona, rising approximately 4,967 feet above sea level. The formation is reflected in Oak Creek at Red Rock Crossing, creating one of the most photographed scenes in Arizona. It is also considered one of Sedona's four main vortex sites.
Sedona, AZ
Crescent Moon Ranch / Red Rock Crossing
Crescent Moon Ranch is a day-use recreation area on Oak Creek that provides the classic reflection view of Cathedral Rock. The site was a working ranch homesteaded in 1880 and retains several historic ranch structures. Oak Creek flows through smooth red rock channels at this location, creating natural foreground elements for Cathedral Rock compositions.
Sedona, AZ
Red Rock State Park
Red Rock State Park is a 286-acre nature preserve and environmental education center along lower Oak Creek. The park features riparian habitat with cottonwood and sycamore trees set against red rock formations including Cathedral Rock. Five miles of interconnected trails provide access to creek-side and elevated viewpoints.
Village of Oak Creek, AZ
Munds Wagon Trail to Cow Pies
The Munds Wagon Trail climbs from the Village of Oak Creek through a series of sandstone terraces known locally as the Cow Pies due to their rounded, stacked formation shapes. The elevated rock platforms provide 360-degree views of Courthouse Butte, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, and the distant Mogollon Rim. The smooth sandstone surfaces create natural leading lines and foreground texture for compositions.
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