Girls Weekend In Sedona, Arizona

Enjoy a perfect Girls Weekend in Sedona, Arizona! Our guide includes popular Sedona hikes, Sedona wineries, and the best Sedona restaurants to help you plan the perfect weekend trip to Sedona, no matter your interests or budget.

Planning A Girls Weekend In Sedona

My bestie Alicia and I were celebrating 15 years of friendship. We met in Army Basic Training; she had the top bunk and I had the bottom bunk. And we’ve been best friends ever since! We decided Arizona would be a fun place to meet up, hang out, do some hiking, and take some photos. Alicia is an awesome photographer (check out her Instagram), and I’m not just saying that because she’s my bestie lol!

Turns out Sedona was the perfect place for our Girls Weekend! We had such an incredible time and made so many new memories!

Is Sedona A Good Place For A Girls Trip?

Yes! Sedona is the perfect place for a girls’ trip, whether you’re just hoping to reconnect with a friend as Alicia and I were or are looking to plan a bigger celebration, like a bachelorette party or birthday.

The small city has been growing in popularity over the last few years, for many reasons, and after experiencing it myself, I can see why!

Sedona is stunning. You’ve likely seen the gorgeous red rock formations and desert scenery on your Instagram feed, as it’s hard to NOT take a million photos. But more importantly, it offers a little bit of something for everyone.

Outdoorsy? You can spend weeks here and never run out of new trails to hike. Need to relax? The area has endless spas for all the self-care you could need. Just want to wine and dine? Spend some time exploring the wineries and then check out the many restaurants.

You can see my recommendations for hikes, wineries, and restaurants below. We sampled a LOT so I could point you straight to the best ones. (You’re welcome!)

What Is The Best Time Of The Year To Visit Sedona?

Sedona is a year-round destination. However, the most popular (and best) times to visit are in the spring and fall. March to May and September to November offer mild temperatures that are neither scorching hot nor so cold you must bundle up – the perfect weather for hiking and relaxing.

Summer in Sedona is beautiful but HOT (so be sure to bring lots of water!). Winters are mild, though temperatures can hover around 30F.

How To Get To Sedona, Arizona

Sedona does have an airport but unless you’re planning a super luxury trip (or flying a private jet), you will like want to fly into Phoenix. The Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport offers direct routes on most airlines (even budget airlines like Spirit and Frontier) from many cities and is just a 2-hour drive from Sedona.

The Phoenix To Sedona Drive

Getting to Sedona from Phoenix is really easy. Actually, for anyone looking into day trips from Phoenix, we highly recommend Sedona because the trip from Phoenix to Sedona is just under two hours. That’s if you drive it straight, without pulling over at all. Which may be hard to do, since the landscape is pretty cool.

For our Sedona girls’ weekend, we had a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. We named her “Red” and she was the perfect companion for our weekend in Sedona. We loved the smooth ride, comfy seats, the 7″ HD touchscreen display audio system, and especially the panoramic glass roof. There was also plenty of room for our bags and camera gear.

Where To Stay In Sedona

There are plenty of hotels in the area, but we think one of the best places to stay in Sedona is in an Airbnb. With the amount of Sedona attractions there are, we don’t think you’ll be spending much time at your accommodations so you don’t need anything super fancy. Plus, chatting with your host could lead to finding some hidden gems in Sedona.

Pro Tip: Click here to join Airbnb and earn $40 off your first booking of $75 or more.

Things To Do On A Girls Weekend In Sedona

You made it to Sedona for the weekend…now what? The possibilities are endless! If you only have a weekend in Sedona, I recommend prioritizing what you want to do the most as I promise the weekend will FLY by. We focused on hikes, wineries, and food. A perfect weekend, if you ask me!

Hiking In Sedona

One of the main reasons we chose Sedona for our girls weekend getaway was to hit the Sedona hiking trails and take landscape photos. We had researched ahead of time which Sedona trails we might want to check out, but once we got into town, we also asked some locals we chatted with. Not surprisingly, everyone had their own opinions of which were the best hikes in Sedona.

We were able to do a few Sedona hikes, including the Bell Rock Hiking Trail and the Crescent Moon Ranch Hiking Trail. Neither was difficult, both were well marked, and both offered beautiful landscapes.

• Bell Rock Hiking Trail. There are two Bell Rock trails – one is a loop that’s just under a mile and the other is Bell Rock Pathway, which is 3.6 miles and gives you views of Courthouse Butte and other landmarks. Both are great options, depending on what you’re looking for, but just make sure you head to the right one! (Bell Rock is also considered one of Sedona’s vortexes so you may run into some yoga or meditation groups while you’re there.)
• Crescent Moon Ranch Hiking Trail. This is a 1.9 out-and-back trail that’s quite easy and has some pretty stunning views!
• Chapel of the Holy Cross. Not necessarily a hike, since you can drive most of the way up, but the Chapel of the Holy Cross is also beautiful and one of the top Sedona attractions. There are a few small parking areas along the road as you head up, so it’s up to you whether to park as soon as you see an open spot or keep going in the hopes you’ll find another open spot. The chapel itself is small but beautifully built right into the landscape. And the views are spectacular!
• Cathedral Rock. Cathedral Rock Trail is one of the most famous hikes in Sedona as the views are said to be the most photographed in the entire state. The trail is short but not necessarily easy and quite technical, so it’s not for everyone.

Fun Fact: We stayed hydrated during our Sedona hikes thanks to our LifeStraw water bottle.

Wine Tasting In Sedona

Call us crazy, but we had no idea there were so many Sedona wineries or Sedona wine tours. What a pleasant surprise it was to discover that there were a few wineries near Sedona and that we could enjoy some wine after our days’ adventures (it’s like when we were road tripping across the Midwest and discovered over 100 Iowa wineries!).

After one of our day hikes, we decided to do some wine tasting.

If you’re wanting to do some Sedona wine tasting, Oak Creek Vineyards & Winery is the place to go. Since the weather was so nice, we decided to do our wine tasting outside on their patio. Whenever we were done with our current selection, we simply walked inside and were poured the next wine on the list.

Oak Creek also has snacks and we HIGHLY recommend their Gourmet Plate which has a selection of aged cheeses and cured meats, dried apricots, olives, sweet peppers, fig jam, crostini, and cheese crisps. Holy moly, it was delicious! So eating that, while sipping on delicious wines, and enjoying views of the vineyard and rolling hills with my bestie just made it such an awesome day.

Made in Arizona Wine and Gifts is another great place to do some Sedona wine tasting in Uptown Sedona (a perfect stop after doing some shopping). Hopefully, Anna Lee is there because she is awesome and we were all laughing and having a great time during our wine tasting.

That was all we had time for on our girls trip to Sedona, but Page Springs Cellars and Burning Tree Cellars are other highly recommended wineries.

If you want to make a day of it (and not worry about driving from place to place), you can join a wine-tasting tour with SIP Sedona or Wine Tours of Sedona.

Off-Roading In Sedona With Pink Jeep Tours

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for this during our weekend getaway but it’s on my list for the next time I visit Sedona. Pink Jeep Tours have become one of the most popular things to do in Sedona because not only is off-roading super fun in general, the jeep tours can get you to places like Broken Arrow without needing to hike. They also have day tours to the Grand Canyon if you’re planning a longer trip to Sedona and less adventurous tours on paved roads to places like Antelope Canyon.

Take A Yoga Class

If yoga is your thing, then you’re in luck because yoga in Sedona is HUGE. There are studios, of course, but lots of the classes actually take place outside. Sedona is said to be home to many energy vortexes so you’ll find a lot of the classes take place at these locations. I don’t know much about vortexes or this side of Sedona, but it’s worth researching if it interests you! If you’re an early riser, check out this sunrise yoga, and if you prefer to combine it with hiking, this is a good option.

Enjoy A Spa Day

Sedona is a destination designed for self-care and what better way to kick off (or finish) your girls getaway than to indulge in some luxurious self-care? There are many, many options so I recommend asking your hotel or Airbnb owner for recommendations (and your hotel may even have its own spa!) but A New Day Spa and A Spa For You are both highly-rated spas in Sedona.

Learn A Bit About Local History And Culture

I love to learn about the destinations I visit and if you do too (or you simply want a break from hiking), there are lots of historical and cultural sites around Sedona. A few worth checking out include Tuzigoot National Monument, Montezuma Castle, and Hopi Cultural Center.

Where To Eat In Sedona

So, we’ll just start off by saying the food in Sedona is amazing. What we’re going to list are just some of the best Sedona restaurants. It’s a good thing we did all that hiking, because there are so many good places to eat in Sedona!

Here are a few of our recommendations:

Mariposa

Of course, Mariposa will always be considered one of the best restaurants in Sedona with a view. You can see for miles from the parking lot, courtyard, and thanks to its large floor-to-ceiling windows, you can also enjoy spectacular views from inside the restaurant. And the Latin-inspired food is pretty amazing as well!

Pump House Station

Another one of the best Sedona restaurants is Pump House Station. We heard about this Sedona eatery thanks to our Airbnb host. The restaurant itself is rustic and cozy, with a nice outside patio area. We started our evening outside, but as the temperature dropped we decided to move indoors.

We had so much delicious food here, we almost had to be rolled out! To start, we had a Creamsicle Martini that was heavenly. Next we had the House Made Flatbread with creamy brie cheese, fresh figs, bacon, and shaved brussels sprouts. This was our appetizer, but it totally stole the show. My mouth is watering as I type this.

Then we had the Shrimp Fettuccine Pasta and Flan for dessert (I’m a sucker for flan). Everything was so incredibly fresh and every dish was prepared perfectly and had intense flavor. We will definitely be going back the next time we’re in Sedona.

Creekside American Bistro

Another one of the best Sedona restaurants with a view is Creekside American Bistro. We went there for breakfast one morning and it was so peaceful to sit outside and enjoy the view while we ate our yummy Avocado Toast. It was the perfect way to start the day!

Thai Spices

We also want to mention Thai Spices. You guys should know by now that I’m addicted to Pad Thai, and the Pad Thai we had at Thai Spices was one of the best we’ve had in years. We felt like we were back in Thailand! Alicia also liked her Ginger Pina Colada a lot. The food here is so authentic and Thai Spices has actually won the Best Sedona Restaurants Award for 15 years!

Final Thoughts On Our Sedona Girls Weekend

Alicia and I had so much fun on our Sedona Girls Weekend! We loved driving around in our Mitsubishi Outlander, exploring the Sedona trails, checking out the Sedona wineries, and eating at some of the best Sedona restaurants. And of course, spending time with each other. Here’s to many more years together!

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