Feb 74 min read

Visiting Sedona in the Winter: Hikes, Sights, Hotels, and Restaurants

Sun peeking through snow covered trees and a deep blue sky between two orange rocks in the Arizona desert. — Snow and Ice covered trees with the sun poking through on a rich blue sky day surrounded by the red rocks of the Arizona desert and monumental rock formations.

Sedona in the winter is stunning, especially after a snow fall. I was lucky enough to visit in January during a snow fall and experience all the wonders Sedona has to offer in the winter. I would recommend this trip to anyone looking for great scenery and hikes. Let's dig into some of my favorite hikes and sights, as well as hotels and restaurant options in the area.

How to Get There

I recommend flying into Phoenix and renting a car to drive to Sedona. The drive is about 2 hours and very scenic.

Hikes

Snow and Ice covered trees and red rocks of the Arizona desert on an overcast day with the sun illuminating a red rock face cliff.

Below are 3 hikes I did while visiting. They are all beautiful and you can’t go wrong with any of them:

Doe Mountain - 1.5 mile hike round trip, 511 feet elevation gain, pretty easy, beautiful scenery at the top. Can be slippery at some points so be careful and wear shoes with good traction. Note: Need a Red Rock Pass for parking at the trailhead. An America the Beautiful National Park pass will also work.

Woman overlooking vast Arizona desert landscape of plateaus, scrub brush, snow and ice with red rocks — Doe Mountain

Woman overlooking monumental plateaus in the red desert of Arizona with scrub brush, snow, and ice, and a rich blue sky. — Doe Mountain

Birthing Cave - 1.9 miles round trip, 242 ft elevation change. Fairly easy, the biggest elevation climb at the end to get into the cave. Awesome views from the cave. Can be slippery in the cave so wear shoes with good traction and be careful. It can get crowded as the day goes on so try and get there early in the morning. Parking is on the road. No cell service once you leave the trailhead so download the route ahead of time. Trailhead is Long Canyon trailhead.

Snow and ice covered scrub brush and trees surrounded by red rocks looking out to a vast Arizona desert landscape with monumental rock formations on a rich blue sky day with the sun shining bright.

Boynton Canyon Trail, AKA "Subway cave" - 6.1 miles round trip, 964 elevation gain. Moderate to strenuous at the end, to climb up into the cave. The climb pays off as the views are amazing! About 3 miles into the hike, you will reach the turnoff for the Subway Cave trail…look for a large Alligator Juniper Tree for the turnoff. If you are unsure where that is, ask people that are walking by as most people have also headed to the cave. Once you reach the turn off, it will take approximately 15 minutes to get to the Subway Cave entrance. The climb to entrance to the cave is the most strenuous part of the hike. It is extremely slippery so good traction shoes are a must! Note: Park at the Boynton Canyon Road lot. Again you will need a Red Rocks Pass or an America the Beautiful Pass. The lot is fairly big but can get crowded.

Subway cave in Arizona with red rock walls, a grey sky, snow covered trees, and two women. — Subway Cave

Bonus Warm Weather Hike (I've Visited During the Summer)

Devils Bridge

4 miles round trip, 520 ft elevation gain, moderately challenging, some rock climbing involved but nothing too difficult. The majority of the trail is relatively flat…the last 1/2 mile is where the climbing begins. This trail gets very crowded and parking is limited so go early. Especially during peak seasons. Also, the line to take pictures on the bridge can get long so add time for that as well. Views are amazing! Note: parking is at Dry Creek Vista parking area/Mezcal trailhead. There is also a free shuttle from designated park and ride locations in Sedona on Thursday-Sundays.

Sights

Below are the top 6 sights I recommend seeing around the area:

Cathedral style building emerging from a rock formation outcropping in the red rock desert of Arizona with scrub brush. — Cathedral in the Rock

Cathedral in the Rock - parking is limited up top near the entrance, most have to park at the bottom of the hill, beautiful inside and out, anytime of year
Wineries/Wine Tasting - no need for reservations, tasting fees apply, open all year
Slide Rock Park - definitely a summer time activity when it’s warmer outside
Water to Wine - kayak to Alcantra winery, summer or fall
Pink Jeep Tour - sightseeing tour of the greater Sedona area in a pink Jeep. Spring, summer or fall
Walk around the shops downtown Sedona (anytime of year)

Hotels

Hotel with pool and background of monumental red rock formations on a partly cloudy day with blue sky and white puffy clouds.

The hotel I recommend staying at is the Courtyard Marriott. It’s on the outskirts of Sedona, but only a short drive to downtown Sedona with all the shops and restaurants. And a short drive to most hikes. Other hotel options that have great reviews include:

Residence Inn by Marriott - larger room options with kitchen
Hyatt Pinson Pinote - very centrally located to downtown
Amara - also very centrally located and higher end, spa on sight

Restaurants

Blue sky white puffy clouds overlooking a vast desert landscape of scrub brush and monumental red rock formations and plateaus. — View from the Hudson

The Hudson (lunch or dinner), beautiful views, sit outside on the porch if able, great for lunch or dinner

L’Auberge - stunning views of the creek, sit along the creek if able, brunch with bottomless mimosas, their prime rib is to die for, or go for happy hour.

Creekside breakfast table with a white plate with prime rib, a glass of mimosa, a white flower vase with yellow flowers, a sweaty glass of water, a basket of sugar, brown trees, green leafs — Sunday Brunch at L'Auberge

Mariposa (pricey but great views at sunset). Make a reservation for sure! Can go for happy hour to see the sunset.

Beautiful blue sky evening with sun basked red rock formations and plateaus and green trees and scrub brush. — Sunset View from Mariposa

Dahl and Diluca (Italian), sit away from the piano player if you want a more peaceful dinner. Amazing pasta and bruschetta!!!

Shorebirds (lunch or dinner) - modern, downtown Sedona, beautiful views. Steak was to die for!

Creekside American Bistro (lunch or dinner) - great views of the river, great drinks and sandwiches, downtown Sedona, centrally located to all the shops

Visiting Sedona: Would I Do It Again?

Yes! If you're interested in planning a trip to Sedona, or any other trip for that matter, please contact me, checkout our plans, or fill out the trip questionnaire to discuss your ideal adventure!

Until next time!

Andrea's Travel Adventures