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Red Rock Loop Road in Sedona AZ is a road in West Sedona off of 89A that loops through some really scenic viewpoints of Cathedral Rock. This road is an easy drive in Sedona, and is a great way to enjoy some of Sedona’s scenery without the crowds.
We drove the entire Red Rock Loop Road in Sedona AZ, and believe it’s best done from the furthest side of Sedona, then driving easy back towards Sedona ending at the stop light near Cultural Park, Upper Red Rock Loop Road. (The last stop light when leaving Sedona heading towards Cottonwood on 89A).
Starting the Drive
Not the Stoplight Entrance
Entering Red Rock Loop closer to Cottonwood, just enjoy the drive. You can stop at a few of the pull-offs right at the beginning, but we honestly recommend skipping them.
There are some HUGE drop-offs from the pavement to the dirt, and we even got stuck and had to back completely out of the road leading to the Red Rock Loop Trail because 4×4 high clearance was needed!
So take our advice, and just enjoy the drive for the first 3-4 miles. The views get better and better as you continue on the drive.
Red Rock State Park
We say, skip it!
Coordinates | 34.815720, -111.831325
Red Rock State Park is a stop along the Red Rock Loop Road that we skipped. We didn’t want to pay the state park fees just to go in and enjoy it for a short time. However, if you’re up for visiting the state park, it would be the first official stop on Red Rock Loop Road in Sedona AZ.
Learn more about this Arizona state park here.
Looking to camp in Sedona, but don’t have a rig? Have you heard of RVShare?! It’s just as the name implies! People who own RVs rent them out for others to travel in!
Modern Cliff Dwelling | no stopping
Coordinates of Home | 34.824116, -111.822218
A few turns past the Red Rock State Park, you’ll find a modern cliff dwelling up in the red rocks.
The coordinates listed above are from the actual home. You’ll start to see the home just before the coordinates, as you turn a sharp corner on Red Rock Loop Road.
Aside from all of the pretty homes and views, the first spot that made us literally stop in our tracks was the modern cliff-dwelling home.
While we don’t recommend stopping in your tracks like we did.. we do recommend you slowly drive by this home! It’s a house that’s literally built right into the cliff. And it even has a gondola to access the home!
After seeing so many ancient cliff dwellings throughout Sedona, it was awesome to see a modern take on how people used to live in the area!
Unique Cathedral Rock Viewpoint
Coordinates | 34.827184, -111.814759
As you continue past the modern cliff dwelling, you’ll begin to see views of Cathedral Rock. There’s a cemetery to the left with a large area to safely pull off the road and enjoy the views to the right.
We saw a couple of people walking into the grass here, but it seemed like it was private, so we just enjoyed the views from the parking area and then continued on the road.
READ MORE | Secret Slick Rock (our favorite sunset spot in Sedona)
Secret Slick Rock Trailhead
Coordinates | 34.829958, -111.799425
This is by far our favorite sunset spot in all of Sedona. Secret Slick Rock Trailhead is off of Chavez Ranch Road, a little detour on the Red Rock Loop Road in Sedona AZ. However, the detour is well worth it.
While we recommend this place for watching the sunset in Sedona, it’s also a great place to have a picnic or just go out for a short hike on one of Sedona’s easiest trails.
The trail to the viewpoint of Cathedral Rock from Secret Slick Rock is less than a mile round trip, and there is only one short section of elevation gain when getting to the slick rock!
The parking here is super limited, so you may have to be patient to find parking, or park at one of the other little trail spurs along the way and walk a little bit further to the slick rock viewpoint.
If it’s summer and you’re looking for a place to dip into Oak Creek, you can access Oak Creek by parking at Secret Slick Rock trailhead, and then walking down the road (blocked to vehicles) and then along the fence to the water.
READ MORE | Swimming in Oak Creek at Red Rock Crossing
Upper Red Rock Loop Road Sedona AZ Stops
Lover’s Knoll
Coordinates | 34.836307, -111.820623
Like most other stops along the Red Rock Loop Sedona AZ, this is another viewpoint of Cathedral Rock.
The parking lot here is pretty big and there are a couple of really level spots — great for those looking to cook in the parking area.
Be careful as you drive into the parking area. There is a rather big drop-off in two different spots that we watched multiple cars scrape on. If you’re paying attention when pulling into the parking lot, these drops are easy to avoid!
Parking here offers some peace and quiet in the red rocks of Sedona, and the knoll offers great views of Cathedral Rock.
Hiking up Lover’s Knoll is pretty straightforward, just go right up the face of the hill. At the top, there are a couple of different places to take photos and get creative with your photography with trees and flowers up on the hill.
Personally, we liked the next stop better than this one for photography purposes. However, with such easy access, it’s great to visit both!
No Name Pull-Off on Red Rock Loop Road Sedona AZ
Coordinates | 34.843046, -111.826124
If looking for a place to park in Sedona with a great view, this no-name pull-off is the one for you! We sat and worked at this pull-off for multiple days, and even though the parking area is small, it was never an issue to others visiting the area.
The parking lot is tricky getting into, but doable in low clearance vehicles. Just be super-mindful of how you park, allowing others to pull in and out easily. Likewise, be VERY careful pulling into this pull-off as it’s on a blind corner and cars go super fast!
The views from the pull-off are of Cathedral Rock and a small red rock valley. We enjoyed setting up a table and chairs outdoors, working and picnicking from this viewpoint.
Be sure to walk down and around the red rocks here, as the view changes as you maneuver your way around the rocks!
Our Experience on Red Rock Loop Road in Sedona AZ
We drove on the west side of Red Rock Loop Road in Sedona AZ multiple times, going to the no-name viewpoint a few different times, and Secret Slick Rock more times than we can remember.
Every time we drove this side, we kept thinking we need to drive the entire loop. But we waited until we were just a bit more east, so we could take the drive from the east side of the loop to the west — which in our opinion offers better views.
And holy smokes! Are we glad we did this! It’s a gorgeous drive all around, but seeing the modern cliff dwelling was super special. It’s probably the most unique home we’ve ever seen!
Remember, when driving this loop (the Red Rock Loop Road in Sedona AZ), there is no dispersed camping. However, we’ve done a complete post on dispersed camping in Sedona, that I think you’ll like to read.
If you’re limited on time, we don’t recommend doing this entire loop and making all the extra stops. However, we do fully recommend catching sunset from Secret Slick Rock, and you can find more of our Sedona recommendations below!
More On Sedona!
If you fancied this guide to Sedona, we think you might like some of our others! After spending over a month in and out of Sedona, doing more hikes than my legs would like to remember, we’ve got loads of Sedona tips to share!
Itinerary| One Day in Sedona Itinerary | sunrise + breakfast + two cave hikes + sunset
Arches| 4 Arches in Sedona | more than just the popular Devils Bridge
Sunrise | 7 BEST Sunrise Hikes in Sedona | trust us, they’re worth getting up early for!
Sunset | 31 Sedona Sunset Locations | yes.. 31 of them
Camping | Where to Legally Camp for Free in Sedona | dispersed camping in Coconino National Forest
Recommended Gear For Sedona
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
Don’t need to purchase anything for your trip… No worries! You can still support us by saving and sharing this post with the images below! And hey, that way you have easy access to it later.. another win-win!
