What's happening in Sedona this week?

Sedona's week splits at Thursday. From Thursday through Sunday the free Sedona Shuttle runs to the busiest trailheads, including Cathedral Rock and Soldier Pass, and both trailhead lots close to private cars on those days, so park at the Park and Ride lot off SR 89A and ride in rather than circling SR 179 for a space that won't open up. On Friday afternoons from about 3pm, the Phoenix crowd drives two hours up the I-17, and the roundabouts on SR 179 between the Village of Oak Creek and Tlaquepaque tend to stay jammed until dark, with brake lights stacked under Bell Rock. Saturday is the worst day in town. Monday to Wednesday is the quiet stretch, when the lots reopen and the trails empty out, though Cathedral Rock's small lot is still likely full before 8am in the cooler hiking months. If your trip includes a weekday, put your one big hike on it.

Sedona's slickrock swings hard between morning and afternoon in the cooler months. At 7am the sandstone feels cold and gritty under your palms, but by 2pm the same slickrock radiates heat and the air smells of warm juniper and dust. Start Devil's Bridge or Cathedral Rock by 6:30am. By 10am on a Saturday the queue for the Devil's Bridge photo can run 45 minutes. Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time all year, so drivers coming from California or Utah are often an hour off when they plan for sunset. At Airport Mesa Viewpoint the lot is tiny and the crowd claps when the sun drops behind Capitol Butte, so arrive 45 minutes early or walk up from the Airport Road pullouts. National Forest lots need a Red Rock Pass, $5 a day. Hang it from the mirror, because rangers do ticket.

Oak Creek Canyon on SR 89A is where Sedona's fall colour turns, with maples and sycamores along the West Fork Trail going red and gold for a few weeks each autumn. The Call of the Canyon lot fills by 9am on weekends, so go on a weekday. In the cooler months, the water at Slide Rock State Park is likely in the low 50s°F, the algae on the chute is slick, and the creek is loud enough to drown out conversation. Skip swimming and walk the orchard path instead. On Mondays, when you want a lighter day, Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, 20 miles southwest, has flat lagoon loops and much thinner crowds than Red Rock State Park on a weekend.

Evenings end early here. Many kitchens in Uptown Sedona and West Sedona stop seating around 8:30pm, so book dinner for 6pm and plan on a dark, cold walk back once the temperature drops into the 40s. The Chapel of the Holy Cross sits off Chapel Road with a short, steep climb from a small lot, and a weekday at opening means you'll hear wind against the glass instead of tour-bus engines. If you remember three things this week, make them a weekday sunrise hike, an Airport Mesa sunset, and an Oak Creek Canyon morning. For anyone travelling alone, TTDI rates Sedona 8.7/10 for solo-traveler safety (see the TTDI Solo-Safety Index), though phone signal drops out in Oak Creek Canyon north of Slide Rock.