Destinations · United States
Sedona & the Grand Canyon
Red rock, deep sky, and a canyon that does not photograph.
Sedona is red sandstone formations, hiking straight from town, and a wellness and spa scene that has grown around the landscape. The Grand Canyon’s South Rim is about two hours north. The thing nobody prepares you for is that the canyon does not translate to a photograph — the scale simply does not survive a camera. Add Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend to the north, or Monument Valley further on, and you have one of the great road trips.
What a week actually costs
Indicative shapes, not quotes — an advisor verifies real prices for your exact dates before anything is offered.
Under $2,000 for the long weekend
Two people in a Sedona lodge, a hire car, trails each morning, a sunset at Airport Mesa, a day trip to the South Rim.
$8,000–20,000
A family in a red rock villa, a private guide for the canyon, a helicopter flight, a Pink Jeep tour, Antelope Canyon with a Navajo guide, and a spa day.
$45,000+
A private ranch or estate, a chartered aircraft to the canyon and Monument Valley, a private astronomer for a dark-sky night, and a celebration dinner on the rocks.
What to watch for
- Elevation is 4,300 feet in Sedona and 7,000 at the canyon rim. Altitude affects older travellers and anyone with heart or lung conditions. Take the first day slowly and drink far more water than feels necessary.
- Hiking into the canyon is not a casual walk. Every step down must be walked back up in heat, and people are rescued from it every week. Rim walks are magnificent and enough.
- Antelope Canyon is on Navajo Nation land and can only be visited with an authorised Navajo guide. Book well ahead.
- Summer monsoon storms in July and August bring flash floods in slot canyons. Guides cancel for good reason; do not push them.