We recently spent one day in Sedona, Arizona. Now before you scream at me for only spending a day there, don’t. Sometimes that’s all you have. Do I wish I had more? Of course, but I will go back. I really hate it when people tell someone to skip a place because that’s “just not enough time”. It’s rude and terrible advice.
I once had someone bully me on social media because I only spent a day in London. A day was all I had and I had been to London before. I was more interested in the Lakes District of England and spent 10 days exploring that, which many tourists don’t do. This person was so relentless on social media that I deleted the reel. They did not understand my background, why I was in England, or anything else really. They simply told me I was “culturally insensitive” because I didn’t spend more time in London.
Here’s the reality of the situation: Americans do not get to travel like people from other countries. Quite frankly we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t. I get flack from Americans all the time because I “travel too much” and flack from those in other countries for “not traveling right” or “packing too much in to appreciate it”.
My point is, there’s no “right” way and we had one day in Sedona and it was perfect. Which is why I’m sharing what we did. Now this isn’t for everyone, it requires waking up before the sun, 15 miles of hiking, and going to bed well after sundown. But if you’re up for it, it’s worth it. Here’s how it went.
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One Day in Sedona Arizona
To be clear, we had a full day, meaning we arrived the day before, and left the day after. We didn’t drive in the day of or drive out the day of our one day in Sedona.
Sunrise Hike to Devil’s Bridge (4-5 miles roundtrip)
The Devil’s bridge hike is a must do if you only have time for one hike. It’s not too hard, it’s between 4 and 5 miles round trip and you’ll get epic photos. I love that we did it at sunrise because there were fewer people and we got to see the sun sneak over the the mountains. Also, there are a couple of places to start this hike so consult a map. We started it a little further away so it was about 5 miles for us instead of what I thought would be four.
Breakfast Break
We definitely took snacks on our early morning hike but when we travel we like to have “second breakfast” which usually involves visiting a coffee shop. Here it involved a donut shop and their apple fritter was the best I’ve ever had. Check out Sedonuts while you’re there.
Hike to Subway Cave (6-7 miles roundtrip)
This is a fun little hike and becoming more and more popular due to social media. The end is a bit of a climb and I wasn’t expecting that, but it’s well worth it.
Picnic Lunch (in the car)
Now it was definitely time for lunch so we ate on our drive back to our accommodations. But the drive is gorgeous too so you’re not missing anything by spending some time driving around!
20Shopping & Ice Cream in Downtown Sedona
Now after our lunch we decided we wanted to check out the town of Sedona. So we headed to the main shopping area. We had time to walk around, get ice cream, stop in a brewery, and then head back to rest before our evening hike. I do recommend taking some time to walk around the Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village, even if you aren’t looking to buy. It’s adorable and I did buy a candle made in Sedona.
Visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross
We meant to do this on our drive the day before but didn’t have time so we headed over to see what the hype was all about it. While is lovely on the outside and the views at the top are amazing the inside completely freaked me out. The cross has a very realistic “Jesus” and it was so terrifying, I didn’t even take a photo. However, it’s worth driving by it!
Rest Time is Needed Even in One Day in Sedona
I wish we had done something different here- keep reading to find out what!
Sunset Hike In Crescent Moon Ranch (about 5 miles how we did it)
I’m always up for a good reflection and the Red River Crossing is supposed to be a good one. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough water for it when we were there so the best reflection I got wasn’t of cathedral rock. However, it’s still beautiful that time of day and we had fun crossing over the river a few times. Our accommodation was also very close to Crescent Moon Ranch (a little under a mile) so we were able to walk in which saved us money.
One Thing I Wish I Knew Before Going
Now remember when we rested? I know what you’re thinking, good you needed it. But here’s what I didn’t know Crescent Moon Ranch was a lovely place for a swim. So I wish we had known that and put on our swim suits and headed there earlier since we only had one day in Sedona. We could have rested there and watched the sunset.
Where to Stay in Sedona: We loved our house we rented in Sedona and definitely recommend going that route, find your perfect accommodation using Vrbo!
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If you’ve been to Sedona, tell me what to add to my bucket list in the comments! We are planning another trip there within a year!
