Sedona
“A town built at the base of light itself.”
- Signature
- Red rock high desert
- Best for
- hikes · photography · vortex sites
- Where
- United States
- Peak months
- Apr · May · Sep · Oct
Sandstone towers glowing crimson, and the light photographers travel for.
Sedona is one of those places where the light is the attraction. Red rock formations glow crimson at dawn and sunset, monsoon storms bring dramatic rainbows in summer, and the high desert stays photogenic year-round. At 4,350 feet elevation, Sedona avoids Phoenix's brutal summer heat but sees occasional snow in winter.
Below, we distill ten years of climate records into month-by-month verdicts. The best months are April, May, September, and October — mild days, cool nights, low rainfall, and ideal hiking. July and August bring the North American Monsoon's dramatic afternoon storms. Winter is the quietest and cheapest, with occasional snow dusting red rock.
Sedona, four ways.
Every destination is really four destinations, worn by the seasons. Here — the four faces of the year in Sedona.
When to book, when to skip.
When Sedona is at its best
No months are especially difficult here.
Twelve months, read them each.
Now, book Sedona.
You have the weather. You have the season. Only one thing left.