Slide Rock State Park
A natural rock water slide you can actually ride.
About $30/vehicle May through September, about $20 October through April, plus $5/person over age 4 (under 6 free). Bring water shoes and go early; it opens at 8 AM, takes its last entry about an hour before close, and fills fast. No pets.
Chapel of the Holy Cross
A landmark chapel built right into the red rock, finished in 1956 to a design by Anshen & Allen and conceived by Marguerite Brunswig Staude.
At 780 Chapel Road, just off SR-179. Free to enter, donations appreciated. Visitor parking fills by midday, so arrive early. It welcomes all faiths, with panoramic views, a 90-ft cross, and especially good light at sunset.
Red Rock Scenic Byway (SR-179)
The designated All-American Road into town, a short drive past Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte with pullouts the whole way.
About 7.5 miles of SR-179 between the I-17 interchange and the village. No pass needed to drive it, though pullouts that double as trailhead lots may. Easy to combine with a run south to Bell Rock or the Village of Oak Creek.
Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive (89A North)
The forested canyon climb toward Flagstaff, with switchbacks, the creek alongside, and an overlook at the top.
Head north on 89A from Uptown; the road follows Oak Creek up the canyon and tops out at Oak Creek Vista, open roughly 9am to 4pm, with craft vendors in the warmer months. Slide Rock and the West Fork trail sit along the way. The switchbacks near the top are slow, so take your time.
Airport Mesa Scenic Overlook
A drive-up viewpoint over West Sedona, the easy sunset spot when nobody wants to hike.
Up Airport Rd, about 10 minutes from the house. $3 cash to park, and the receipt is your pass for the day. It fills well before sunset, so arrive 30 to 45 minutes early. This is the overlook, not the vortex saddle (that one's on the Vortexes page). Views reach Thunder Mountain, Chimney Rock, and Coffee Pot.
Red Rock State Park
A quiet creekside park with easy, well-marked trails and a visitor center, calmer than the famous trailheads.
About 15 minutes southwest. It's a state park, so the Red Rock Pass doesn't work here; there's a per-person day-use fee instead. No swimming or wading (for the creek slides, that's Slide Rock). Gentle loops like Eagle's Nest give big red-rock views without the crowds.
Jerome (day trip)
A former copper-mining town turned artist colony, perched on a mountainside above the Verde Valley.
About 45 minutes southwest on 89A through Cottonwood and Clarkdale. Park free in the lot on Perkinsville Rd past the fire station and explore on foot; the streets are steep. A half-day covers the galleries, the valley views, lunch somewhere like the Haunted Hamburger, and the mining history at Jerome State Historic Park.
Montezuma Castle National Monument (day trip)
A 1,000-year-old cliff dwelling set into a limestone wall, remarkably intact.
About 40 minutes south near Camp Verde. $10 per person, which also covers Tuzigoot National Monument, and National Park passes work. Open 8am to 5pm. The loop is a flat, paved third of a mile, easy for any age. Montezuma Well, a free spring-fed sinkhole 11 miles up the road, pairs well if you have time.
