Sedona sunrises are some of the best sunrises around. There’s just something about getting on the trail early in the morning. You’re up before the town gets busy. The sounds along the trails are only that of critters around, and the views are hidden until the day breaks.
The best sunrise hikes in Sedona offer 360 views, aren’t too long, and are easily accessible in the dark.
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Why Should I Wake Up For Sunrise in Sedona?
- Hiking for sunrise in Sedona offers some of the most peaceful hiking experiences possible.
- There aren’t many people awake or on the trails before dawn, making the trails more enjoyable and allowing you to get parking at the trailheads easily!
- Visiting Sedona in the summer? Sunrise hikes in Sedona are a great way to beat the heat!
- Up for sunrise means you’ll have more time to explore Sedona throughout the day.
- Better lighting for photos and video!
Sunrise Sedona Arizona FAQs
What time is sunrise in Sedona?
To find the current time for sunrise in Sedona, Google, “sunrise in Sedona time”. Or, check your weather app on your phone!
What is the best sunrise in Sedona hike?
Doe Mountain! It’s a great place to not only see the sunrise over Sedona, but also see the hot air balloons too!
What’s the easiest sunrise hike in Sedona?
Sugarloaf Summit is the easiest sunrise hike in Sedona. And even though its easy, the views are great!
Where can I watch sunrise in Sedona without a hike?
Cultural Park is a lovely place for sunrise in Sedona. You’ll see the red rocks changing colors, the sun cresting over the mountains, and even see the hot air balloons too!
Best campground to wake up to sunrise in Sedona?
Nolan Campground on FR 525 is the best place to just roll over and catch the sunrise in Sedona.
Learn more about FREE camping in Sedona here.
Ready to experience the energy that Sedona brings? Check below for the best prices on flights to Sedona. We recommend flying into Phoenix, renting a car (or RV), and driving the 1.5 hours to Sedona.
7 Sunrise Hikes in Sedona
- Doe Mountain
- Sugarloaf Summit
- Sunrise Ledge
- Steamboat Rock
- Cultural Park
- Nolan Campground 525
- Cathedral Rock Second Saddle
Sedona Sunrise Map
1. Doe Mountain Sunrise Hike
Catch the Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Show
Location |34.890154, -111.856546
Trailhead Parking | Doe Mountain Trailhead | 34.893448, -111.865196
Parking Pass Needed | yes
Hiking Distance | 2 miles round trip
Doe Mountain is a fantastic sunrise hike in Sedona. It’s an easy trail to follow straight from the Doe Mountain Parking Lot.
The trail starts out flat, and then soon becomes nearly a mile of switchbacks. Thankfully, the switchbacks are pretty flat, but you are climbing up the face of Doe Mountain here.
Completing the switchback, you’ll traverse along the top of Doe Mountain.
There is a viewpoint the main trail leads to, however, we thought the better view was further around the flat top of Doe Mountain.
Be careful when you walk along the edge of Doe Mountain, as the cliff is a big drop-off.
READ MORE | Kachina Woman Vortex | a great hike after sunrise at Doe Mountain
2. Sugarloaf Summit
Best Sunrise Hike in Sedona
Location | 34.876326, -111.794149
Trailhead Parking | Sugarloaf Trailhead | 34.87429, -111.796447
Parking Pass Needed | no
Hiking Distance | 1.5 miles round trip
Sugarloaf Mountain is maybe the best sunrise hike in Sedona. It’s right in town, offers 360-degree views of the sunrise, and is a quick 3/4 of a mile hike to the top!
The hike is on a well-defined trail, and there’s not much elevation gain for the views waiting at the summit.
From Sugarloaf Trailhead parking, you won’t actually find trail signs for Sugarloaf Trail. Instead, follow the Teacup Trail, to the trail junction, (where the trail T’s at Teacup and Thunder Mountain Trails.
At this point, take a right along Teacup Trail. You’ll walk straight towards the red rock cliffs, with Sugarloaf Mountain on your right, until you see a sign for Sugarloaf Loop at Summit.
Follow the Summit trail, up the spine of Sugarloaf Mountain. This is the only section of the trail with much elevation gain.
From here, find a comfortable spot and enjoy the sunrise over Sedona.
READ MORE | What To Do After Sunrise at Sugarloaf Mountain | A PERFECT One Day Sedona Itinerary
HIKE NEXT | Keyhole Cave | An easy, secret cave to hike to near Sugarloaf Mountain!
3. Sunrise Ledge
A Secret Cliff Dwelling
Location | 34.90914, -111.86676
Trailhead Parking | Bear Mountain Trailhead | 34.89324, -111.86503
Parking Pass Needed | yes
Hiking Distance | 4.2 miles
Looking for a sunrise hike in Sedona where you likely won’t see another soul? Look no further than Sunrise Ledge!
Sunrise Ledge is a secret cliff dwelling at the top of Fay Canyon, that has remnants of an illicit still in it, and a couple of caves nearby.
To get to Sunrise Ledge, park at Bear Mountain Trailhead, and take the trail up towards Bear Mountain, until the trail flattens out on the second red rock shelf.
At the second red rock shelf (when the trail flattens out) and starts going straight towards the red rock face, hang a right to follow the edge of the cliff.
There is a faint social trail, at these coordinates, 34.899277, -111.869031. It’s where I’m standing in the image below!
Follow that trail along the edge of the canyon walls, enjoying the views of Sedona all around.
This trail is a marked trail on the offline map app, Maps.Me. Learn more about Maps.Me here.
After almost two miles, you’ll come across a creek (likely dried up and black in the summertime). Here, you’ll cross over the creek and make your way onto the flat red rock top with absolutely amazing views down Fay Canyon and into Sedona.
Enjoy the views from here, or walk along the edge, but up into the canyon, until you find a safe place to climb down a layer into an old cliff dwelling with remnants of an illicit still.
The cliff dwelling coordinates are 34.909149, -111.866768.
4. Steamboat Rock
Epic Hike Up the Spine of a Mountain
Location | 34.88947, -111.75142
Trailhead Parking | Midgley Bridge Parking | 34.88545, -111.74154
Parking Pass Needed | yes
Hiking Distance | 3.7 miles
We almost didn’t hike Steamboat Rock when we were in Sedona, but shoot, are we glad we did. Steamboat Rock ended up being one of our favorite hikes in Sedona!
From the trailhead, you follow Wilson Canyon Trail until it forks just after a creek, .5 miles in on the hike.
At that point, take the left fork, along the Jim Thompson Trail.
Stay on the Jim Thompson Trail until it makes a big hook.. this is obvious as you’re hiking.
At the end of the hook, instead of following the trail left, go straight (over some sticks), and start climbing up the spine of Steamboat Rock!
The trail is on Google Maps, but really it’s just following the path of least resistance up the spine of the mountain.
At one point, the trail butts right up against a red rock cliff. We scaled the wall, and it was a bit sketchy. On the way down, we found the trail actually goes to the right and you can easily get up and down the red rock face to continue up the spine.
5. Cultural Park
Super Short Hike With Longer Options
Location | 34.85256, -111.83148
Trailhead Parking | Cultural Park | 34.85256, -111.83148
Parking Pass Needed | no
Hiking Distance | .2 mile loop
Cultural Park is a super popular starting point for many mountain biking trails in Sedona. It’s off Highway 89A, making it super easy to access.
The hikes in this area are more like walks, as there isn’t much elevation gain or loss once you get on the trails.
Sunrise at Cultural Park is great if you aren’t up for an early morning hike, or wake up late and don’t have time to get on the trails before the sun comes up!
Park in the upper parking lot of Cultural Park, and then walk along the botanical trail, for easy sunrise views. Alternatively, jump on any of the longer trails in the area for a bigger morning hike.
6. Nolan Campground on 525
Sunrise From Camp
Location | 34.88294, -111.91004
Trailhead Parking | 34.88294, -111.91004
Parking Pass Needed | no
Hiking Distance | none
Nolan Campground is a really nice campground. In fact, it’s our favorite free campground in the Coconino National Forest in Sedona.
Sunrise from Nolan Campground is perfect because you get to see all the red rock formations light up, and even have the chance of hot air balloons landing right next to you!
Yes, that really did happen! We woke up to a hot air balloon landing just steps away from our van!
READ MORE | Finding the PERFECT Free Campsite in Sedona, Arizona
7. Cathedral Rock Sunrise
Head To The Second Spire
Location | 34.81775, -111.7925
Trailhead Parking | Cathedral Rock Trailhead | 34.82517, -111.78854
Parking Pass Needed | yes
Hiking Distance | 2.3 miles
Visiting Cathedral Rock is an absolute must when in Sedona. However, that means the crowds at Cathedral Rock are insane!
To avoid the crowds, get up for sunrise and watch the sun come up from Cathedral Rock!
Cathedral Rock is a very well-traveled trail, so you don’t need any guide to get up the rock. However, you do need to know, the secret spot at Cathedral Rock, is after the “end of trail” sign.
At the “end of trail” sign, go to the left, then stay on the right side of the red rock spires. You’ll soon run into the second saddle of Cathedral Rock, and have a much more private sunrise experience.
READ MORE | The Cathedral Rock Vortex + 6 Other Vortex Sites in Sedona
ATTENTION | The Cathedral Rock Trailhead parking on Back O Beyond Road is closed during busy seasons and on every weekend of the year. There is a new (terrible) shuttle system in place. Check shuttle times and when the parking lot is open here.
Sunrise Hikes in Sedona In Our Experience
We visited Sedona in the winter, and honestly, woke up to many cloud-covered skies for sunrise. However, we also experienced some beautiful sunrises in Sedona.
Hiking for sunrise offers a more intimate experience on the trails, as the birds are slowly waking, and there are way fewer crowds of people. The sunrise hikes we did do were some of our favorite hikes in Sedona.
There were a few times we got on the trails much later than we originally planned. On those mornings, we reminded ourselves that even hiking as the sun comes up is a beautiful experience on its own.
Don’t stress if you hit the trails later than planned.
Snag Flights To Sedona Here
Have you booked your flights yet? We always use Momondo to book our flights, and it never fails to have the best deals on flights all across the globe.
Find and Compare Cheap Flights with Momondo!
More On Sedona!
Sedona made us avid hikers. We went to Sedona to mountain bike and ended up hiking more miles than we rode! From sunrise hikes to over 31 sunset locations in Sedona, and of course trail guides and more.. we’ve got all your Sedona needs here!
Sedona Vortex | Boynton Canyon Vortex | aka, Kachina Woman Vortex
Sedona Guides | All Our Sedona Guides in One Place
Arches in Sedona | 4 Arches in Sedona to Find
Sedona Sunsets | 5 BEST Sunsets in Sedona Locations
Sedona Itinerary | One Day Sedona Itinerary From Sunrise to Sunset
Recommended Gear For Sedona
Find Our Complete Sedona Packing List With a Printable Checklist Here
Recommended Gear for Photography in Sedona
This is our complete photography gear guide, and most of these things came in super handy when shooting in Sedona.
We shoot with a Canon R5, and alternate between a wide-angle lens, this telephoto (zoom) lens, and this basic everyday shooter.
With harsh lighting mid-day, we threw on this filter for the lens to cut out some of the light.
Recommend Gear for Hiking in Sedona
These are hands down the best hiking shoes in Sedona. In fact, we did an entire post on them and what else to pack for hiking in Sedona here.
Grab the complete packing for Sedona checklist with links to all our gear here.
For all of our hikes, we used our Garmin watches to track our distance and Jay’s even tracks elevation. They both have features for contacting help if you fall or need it. So we love them!
Lastly, we used our maps.me app all the time! You can pin locations on it, and it has a lot of the trails (even the social ones) on it — making it the best trail app for Sedona!
Save + Share Here
