Red Rock Scenic Byway

State: Arizona
Length: 7.5 miles / 12.0 km
Time to Allow: This byway can be driven in less than one hour.

The Red Rock Scenic Byway only takes up 7.5 miles but offers several hours of fun with quite a few activities along the way. As the short byway is in south Sedona, the best place to start is in the tranquil town. Nearby find tons of wilderness, including the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness, Munds Mountain Wilderness, and the Coconino National Forest.

Encounter two lakes along the route, too, including Oak Creek and Dry Beaver Creek as you explore route 179. Plan a few days to properly enjoy Sedona and the surrounding nature in central Arizona. Sedona offers several interesting rock formations, including Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, and Courthouse Butte. These giant red rocks provide unique shops to visit, with rock layers working up into massive hills. Stop at the Courthouse Vista Trailhead parking area for stellar views of the rock formations.

You also need to see the iconic Chapel of the Holy Cross built right into the rocks. If you arrive during business hours, you can view the inside of the chapel before moving on to more trailheads. Finally, make sure to check out the Sedona Vortexes, one of four “earth energy” vortexes that are easy to get to with very easy hiking. Power emanates from the vortexes and, for many, inspires peace and spirituality. These are the reason so many spiritual retreats and healing spas have popped up in the area.

Take some time in town to enjoy the Tlaquepaque Arts and Shopping Village with landmarks and stores galore. Do some off-roading at the Arizona Safari Jeep Tours or go fishing. You can even take a balloon ride and enjoy stunning landscape views. You will have no problem finding lodging as Sedona offers so many options for tourists. If you want to camp, check out the Oak Creek Canyon, as it’s thickly forested and offers fascinating wildlife along with fishing. For those in an RV, try out the Rancho Sedona RV Park as it’s only for RV’s and offers incredible views of surrounding red rocks along with cottonwood trees.

The byway leads down to the Village of Oak Creek, where you can visit an art gallery dedicated to local artists. Several trails dot the area, too, for more outdoor exploring. Stay the night to check out the Sedona Stargazing, although the stars are the best the enter year accept during July to August. During this time, you might encounter a monsoon and may want to avoid the area if clouds start rolling in.

While you can just keep driving to Interstate 17 or move on to a new location, the area offers spectacular options to commune with nature. As a matter of fact, you can even see some petroglyphs in the area before stopping for some incredible meals in town. Visiting a spas in Sedona are a must, like the Blue Sage Day Spa, where you can experience true bliss. Keep in mind that a few parts of the byway require a small $5 fee.

More Arizona Byways

You can check out additional Byways in Arizona by clicking on the list of byways below, or by going to the Arizona Byways home section. To find even more of scenic byways in the United States, visit our scenic byways map.