Sedona

Most visitors drive up from Phoenix on Interstate 17, and this is the obvious first stop, just off the motorway about 30 minutes south of town. Tucked into a recess high in a limestone cliff above Beaver Creek, a five-storey dwelling of about 20 rooms was built by the people archaeologists call the Southern Sinagua, roughly between the 12th and 15th centuries. Early settlers wrongly assumed it was Aztec and named it after the emperor Montezuma. It became one of the first national monuments in 1906. A short, flat, paved loop leads beneath the cliff; the rooms themselves are closed to protect them.

Nearby Montezuma Well, a separate unit of the monument, is a limestone sinkhole fed by springs, with small cliff dwellings around its rim and an ancient irrigation channel still carrying water.

TipThe adult entry pass ($10, under-16s free) is valid for seven days and also covers Tuzigoot National Monument near Cottonwood. Montezuma Well has no entrance fee.

Driving north on State Route 179, the first great landmark is Bell Rock, a rounded, bell-shaped butte standing beside the road at the northern edge of the Village of Oak Creek. Next to it rises the larger, flat-sided Courthouse Butte. The easy Bell Rock Pathway runs past both, and you can scramble some way up Bell Rock's lower ledges on your own. The Courthouse Butte Loop, about 4 miles (6.5 km), circles both rocks and is quieter than the paths near the road.

TipBell Rock is one of the traditional vortex sites and its car parks fill by mid-morning. Arrive early, and display a Red Rock Pass or an accepted federal pass.

Built straight into a red rock spur in 1956, this small Catholic chapel was the idea of the sculptor and rancher Marguerite Brunswig Staude, and its plain concrete form with a tall cross set into the front wall makes it one of the most striking modern religious buildings in the country. A ramp climbs from the road to the entrance, and the big window behind the altar frames the valley below. The views across to Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte are as much of a draw as the building.

TipParking at the top is very limited. If the upper lot is full, you will be sent back down to wait or park on the street below. Please remember it is an active place of worship and keep your voice low inside.

Sedona's most photographed formation is a cluster of slender red spires that seems to glow from inside at sunset. The trail from the Back O' Beyond trailhead is short, only about 1.2 miles (2 km) round trip, but very steep, with sections where you climb up rock chutes using your hands. It ends on a saddle between the spires with a wide view over the valley. Hikers who dislike heights often stop halfway, and that is still well worth it.

The classic postcard view of Cathedral Rock, reflected in Oak Creek, is from the other side at Red Rock Crossing and Crescent Moon Picnic Site, reached from West Sedona.

TipWhen the Sedona Shuttle is running, the Cathedral Rock trailhead car park is closed to private vehicles, so take the free shuttle from the North SR 179 park-and-ride. Crescent Moon is a concession site with its own daily fee, which a Red Rock Pass does not cover.

On the banks of Oak Creek just south of the Y, this shopping village was built in the 1970s in the style of a Mexican colonial town, named after the crafts centre of Tlaquepaque near Guadalajara. Stone archways, fountains, vine-covered walls and courtyards shaded by old sycamores link dozens of galleries, craft studios, shops and restaurants, and a small chapel sits in one corner. It is an easy place to spend an evening, and many of the galleries sell serious regional art rather than souvenirs.

Airport Mesa rises right in the middle of town, and a short scramble up a small hill near its base, about halfway up Airport Road, leads to one of the most popular vortex sites and a 360-degree panorama. In one direction you see Uptown and the walls of Oak Creek Canyon; in the other, Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte. The longer Airport Loop trail, roughly 3.5 miles (5.5 km), circles the mesa and is far less crowded than the summit knob.

TipThis is Sedona's best-known sunset spot, so the small car park fills well before sunset. Come an hour early, walk up from town, or go to the scenic lookout near the top of the mesa instead.

Sedona's largest natural sandstone arch spans a gap high on a cliff face north of West Sedona, and walking across its flat top, with a sheer drop either side, has become one of Arizona's most famous photographs. The short final climb to the arch uses rock steps. Most hikers start from Dry Creek Vista, which makes a round trip of roughly 4 miles (6.5 km); only high-clearance vehicles should drive the rough dirt road to the upper trailhead, which cuts the walk to about 2 miles.

TipQueues for photos on the arch can be long by mid-morning. Start at first light, or ride the free shuttle on its Dry Creek Vista route. The bridge is wide, but stay well back from the edges.

West of town, Boynton Canyon is a deep box canyon held sacred by the Yavapai, who tell of their people's origins here. The main trail runs for about 3 miles (5 km) into the canyon, past the Enchantment Resort and through cypress and oak forest to a wall of rock at its head. Near the start, a short spur called the Boynton Vista trail climbs to a saddle between two rock formations, another of Sedona's vortex sites, with fine views back down the valley.

TipThe trailhead car park is small and fills early. Bring plenty of water, as the canyon floor holds heat on summer afternoons.

At the end of a dirt road beneath red cliffs northwest of town, Palatki protects the ruins of Sinagua cliff dwellings and an alcove covered in rock art, from ancient pictographs to more recent markings left by later Yavapai and Apache people. Volunteer guides from the Friends of the Forest explain what the symbols may mean. The nearby Honanki site, a few miles further along a rougher road, has larger dwellings and some of the area's most extensive rock art.

TipPalatki has generally required a free timed reservation, booked through Recreation.gov, and a Red Rock Pass for parking. Check current hours and road conditions before driving out, as the dirt road becomes slippery after rain.

North of Uptown, State Route 89A follows Oak Creek into a narrow gorge that climbs about 14 miles (22 km) to the rim of the Colorado Plateau. Red and cream cliffs give way to ponderosa pines as the road rises, and the creek is lined with picnic sites, swimming holes, campgrounds and small lodges. At the top, a series of tight switchbacks leads to the Oak Creek Vista lookout, where Native American artisans often sell jewellery and the whole canyon opens below. It is one of the most scenic drives in Arizona, and the route on to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.

TipParking along the canyon road is restricted and patrolled. Use only marked pull-outs and official car parks.

Oak Creek has worn a smooth, slippery chute into the sandstone bed here, and sliding down it into the pools below has been a summer tradition for generations. The park is the old Pendley homestead, a historic apple farm whose orchards, irrigation channels and 1930s cabins still stand. Outside summer, it is a quiet place to walk along the creek. The water is cold even in July.

TipEntry is by vehicle only: $30 for up to four people from May to September and $20 from October to April, with no reservations. On summer weekends the car park often fills by late morning, and cars are not allowed to queue on the highway, so arrive at opening.

Often named Arizona's best trail, the West Fork of Oak Creek winds through a narrow side canyon whose walls tower hundreds of feet overhead. The maintained path runs about 3.3 miles (5.3 km) each way, crossing the shallow stream more than a dozen times on stepping stones, past the ruins of an old homestead near the start. It is cool and shady in summer, and in late October and early November the maples and oaks turn the canyon red and gold.

TipThe trailhead at the Call of the Canyon day-use area is a concession site with a $15 daily parking fee; a Red Rock Pass and the America the Beautiful pass are not accepted. The car park fills early on autumn weekends. Expect wet feet after rain or snowmelt.