ArboursAbroad contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase using one of the affiliated links, we may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. See our Disclosure Policy for more information.
We’ve been to Sedona a handful of times, all on extended trips to see the famous red rocks and these are things to know about Sedona we wish we knew before visiting.
Sedona is a beautiful place to explore. The hiking is phenomenal. And the views will literally take your breath away, and the people — they’ll make you want to pull your hair out!
To make your trip to Sedona a bit less stressful, we’ve put together this list of things to know about Sedona before you get there!
- Parking Passes | What are they and how to get it for free.
- Sedona’s New Shuttle Systems | The Sedona shuttles + the flaws of the system to avoid.
- Drinking Water | It’s hot and dry, be prepared!
- Trailhead Parking | And the chaos it brings.
- Sedona Bathrooms | Why do the bathrooms not have sanitizer?
1. Parking Passes
If driving yourself, you should know at most of the trailheads in Sedona you must pay for parking. However, there’s a catch!
You can get free parking in Sedona at all the trailheads with a national park pass! Any form of the America The Beautiful Interagency Pass gives visitors free parking.
It’s not well broadcasted that you can get free parking with that pass. In fact, at many trailheads, the sign that says you can use that for free parking isn’t even at or near the pay station! It’s well worth getting the America The Beautiful pass if you’re spending mulitple days in Sedona and/or are going to be going to any US National Parks or national forest service areas.
If you don’t have or want a national park pass, the other alternative is the Red Rock Pass. This pass can be purchased online prior to arrival or via a card at the pay stations.
I would not recommend getting this pass prior to arrival because you may not use it certain days as some trailheads don’t require it, and you don’t want to have it if you don’t need it! Many popular trailheads also use the Sedona Shuttle (more on that below).. in which case, you again would not need the pass.
2. Shuttle to Major Trailheads
Free Sedona Shuttle
With the rising popularity of Sedona, and the small parking areas at many of the trailheads, a shuttle system has been put into place. And while on paper it looks great, the reality of it isn’t so much.
The Sedona Shuttle runs to and from the following trailheads. You can find more information here.
- Dry Creek Trailhead (Devils Bridge – popular arch in Sedona)
- Mescal Trailhead (Devils Bridge alternative)
- Soldiers Pass (Popular cave hike in Sedona)
- Cathedral Rock (popular Sedona vortex hike)
- Little Horse Trailhead (I think people park here when the Cathedral Rock parking is full)
The problem with the shuttle system, is there is limited space on the shuttles, and there aren’t enough shuttles running.. even in the high/busy seasons.
And… the shuttle hours are 7AM to 5:30PM, which makes people hike in the most heat and the worst lighting for photography.
And I think one of the worst things about the shuttle system is that both Cathedral Rock parking (with nearly 40 spaces) and Soldier’s Pass Parking (about 14 spaces) get closed when the shuttle is running. Taking away lots of valuable parking from those who can’t make the shuttle or wish to visit outside of shuttle times.
All this to say, while the shuttle system sounds great.. we’ve witnessed many people super upset about not getting on the shuttle’s.. and with only one shuttle about every 50 minutes, this can really ruin a day. Always have a back-up plan!
Sedona Connect | Shuttle On Demand
The Sedona Connect Shuttle is a shuttle service running throughout Uptown and West Sedona. This is a great way to get to and from restaurants for breakfast or lunch, to the trailheads right in town, or up to Airport Mesa, for $2 each ride.
This shuttle runs 6:30AM to 6:00PM, so a bit better timing then the Sedona trailhead shuttle, but still not great for when people really could use the shuttle service.
To use Sedona Connect, you need to download the TransLoc App to book rides, or you can call for rides and pay cash.
Verde Shuttle | Cottonwood to Sedona
The Verde Shuttle is a city shuttle bus that takes riders between Cottonwood and Sedona. In goes through West Sedona, up to Uptown Sedona, and down to the Poco Diablo Resort.
This shuttle is not for getting to and from trailheads, but instead getting around town, and is a great option if you want to go to dinner in Sedona — especially when staying in Cottonwood.
The Verde Shuttle runs daily from 6AM to 10PM and costs $2 a ride or $6 for a day ticket!
Honestly, this is the best shuttle to use if planning a night out drinking!
3. Drinking Water
Drinking water is honestly hard to come by in Sedona. There aren’t many public water spigots. If you’re on a road trip to Sedona, I’d recommend purchasing a large refillable water jug to refill water bottles, or bringing large bottles of water to leave in your car.
You’ll likely be able to fill up these waters at your accommodation, as drinking from the tap is fine.
There are two water bottle refill stations that we’ve found in Sedona to be free. One is at the Sedona Library, and the other at Posse Grounds Park. Other than that, you can refill water at pay stations at grocery stores in town.
Remember, even short hikes you should bring water on. It’s a very dry landscape, and hikes are often tougher than expected — especially with the elevation! Our favorite way to carry water on a hike is in a backpack like this.
4. Parking at Trailheads
Honestly, I’m just gonna say it with this one.. be prepared for complete chaos when trying to find parking at trailheads. More often than not, it’s a total sh*tshow and zoo.
People get angry. Horns are honking. People drive and walk around like vultures trying to find parking. It’s literally crazy.
Just plan ahead for an extra 20-30 minutes to find parking.. and then be mindful of those circling around you when you’re leaving.
And I can’t stress this enough.. do not park in no parking zones! The amount of tickets we’ve seen slapped on cars is unreal.
Always park inside the lines, pay attention to the signs with parking arrows, and be prepared to be stern in your efforts to find parking.
If at all possible, car pool with others. Meet not at a trailhead and all pile into one vehicle.. it’s not fun trying to find parking for one car let along multiple cars!
5. Things To Know About Sedona Bathrooms
No Hand Sanitizer
I will never understand why a public bathroom, that’s paid for by the visitors, aren’t kept fully stocked.. and never have hand sanitizer.
Did we not learn anything from 2020 about the importance of washing/sanitizing our hands!?
There’s literally not a single pit toilet that has hand sanitizer in it in Sedona. Hand sanitizer is something you would never think you need to pack for Sedona, and yet, it’s super important to bring!
I would even suggest bringing toilet paper with you from your accommodation, as there are times when there’s not even toilet paper in the bathrooms!
Pit Toilets
And if you didn’t catch it above.. it’s worth mentioning again. There aren’t bathrooms with flushing toilets at the trailhead.
In fact, there aren’t even bathrooms at all the trailheads. The trailheads that have bathrooms, have pit toilets. So be mentally prepared!
New to pit toilets?
Pit toilets are cement rooms with a toilet seat and a hole that goes down into a big chamber with everyone else’s poop and pee. They smell and often have remnants of everyone else’s bathroom all in what I call the “poop shoot”.
Trailheads With Bathrooms in Sedona
- Mescal Trailhead
- Dry Creek Trailhead
- Boynton Canyon
- Faye Canyon
- Doe Mountain/Bear Mountain
- Cathedral Rock
- Little Horse
- Bell Rock Vista
- Courthouse Vista
- Yavapai Vista
Sedona In Our Eyes
We’ve visited Sedona a handful of times, and each time we learn something new. However, these things to know about Sedona are things we feel are super important and often left out of Sedona travel guides.
They’re all things we’ve learned via witnessing them first hand. And honestly, if we didn’t have our campervan in Sedona for many of these occasions, we would have been so much more stressed out.
I’m glad you’re here and reading this post. My hope is that these little tidbits on Sedona make your trip there more enjoyable.
Check out more of our Sedona content below!
Sedona Itinerary | The perfect way to spend one day in Sedona.
Camping For Free | A comprehensive guide to the new camping rules in Sedona and where you can camp for free.
Sunsets in Sedona | Out of 31 different sunset locations we’ve been to in Sedona, these are our top 5 favorites!
Sharing Photos | We’ve been there.. have a ton of Sedona photos, but can’t come up with a caption? Check out these free Sedona captions!
Internet Safety While in Sedona
We recommend having a VPN when visiting Sedona or really anywhere. VPNs protect your privacy and security when using the internet from public spaces. You also get access to your home country’s subscriptions abroad — aka, Amazon, Netflix, and the like.
Grab Special Deal for a 2-Year VPN Plan.
