Things to Do in
Sedona with Kids
A 4-day red-rock adventure for families with kids ages 5–12 and adults. Splash down Slide Rock’s natural water slide. Bounce over the rocks in a Safari Jeep. Hike easy, jaw-dropping trails that everyone can finish. Get a day-by-day plan, plus tips on where to stay.
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A trip your kids will beg to repeat, and one you can actually relax on.
Looking for the best things to do in Sedona with kids? Sedona, Arizona wows kids without wearing parents out. We mapped the top family activities stop by stop. This is the plan we give every family.
The red rock formations look straight out of a cartoon. The trails are short enough for little legs. Most of the best views are a five-minute walk from the car. We built this Sedona with kids itinerary for families with kids roughly ages 5 to 12, plus the grown-ups.
Four easy days, paced so nobody melts down by 3pm. Kids splash down the natural water slide at Slide Rock State Park.
They bounce up the rocks on a Safari Jeep tour. They walk the flat Bell Rock Pathway. They earn a Junior Ranger badge at Red Rock State Park.
We built in pool time, ice cream, and easy viewpoints. These family-friendly activities keep the days feeling like a vacation for you, not a project.
Go in fall (late September through October) or spring if you can. Days are warm but not scorching. Crowds are thinner than summer. The creek at Slide Rock is comfortable for swimming.
Pack water shoes and sun hats. Book the one hotel for all four nights so you never repack.
Safari Jeep tours, Slide Rock parking (it fills by mid-morning), and family-friendly Sedona hotels all sell out in peak weeks, book your stay first, then the jeep tour, and arrive at Slide Rock early. A hotel with a pool is worth its weight in gold with kids.
Easy Red-Rock Welcome · Bell Rock & Sunset
Ease everyone in with the gentlest, most jaw-dropping intro to Sedona: the Bell Rock Pathway. It’s wide, mostly flat, and stroller-friendly for the first stretch, with the giant red bell of Bell Rock and the spires of Courthouse Butte rising right in front of you. Let the kids scramble the lower red slabs (totally safe and totally thrilling for a 5-year-old), then turn back whenever little legs say so.
In the late afternoon, head up to Airport Mesa for the classic sunset view as the rocks light up on fire. It’s a two-minute walk from the car, so even tired toddlers can make it. Early dinner, pool time back at the hotel, and everyone sleeps well tonight.
- 2.8 mi out & back · 488 ft gain · kid-friendly · easy turnaround whenever little legs are done · Red Rock Pass to park
- 483 Airport Rd · 2-min walk from parking · panoramic sunset over the red rocks · go 45 min early for parking
- Grab a Red Rock Pass ($5/day) online or at the visitor center, you need it to park at most trailheads, and rangers do check.
- Bell Rock Pathway is the perfect first hike: turn around whenever the kids are done, no summit pressure. The lower red slabs are a natural playground.
- Pick a hotel with a pool. After a morning outside, an afternoon swim resets everyone and buys you a happy dinner.
Red rock countryAirport Mesa sunsetSlide Rock State Park · Nature’s Water Slide
Oak Creek CanyonRed rock countryToday is the one the kids will talk about for years: Slide Rock State Park, where Oak Creek has carved an 80-foot natural rock slide through smooth red sandstone. Kids (and brave grown-ups) slide down the chutes into the creek pools, splash in the shallows, and clamber over the rocks. Get there early, parking fills by mid-morning and the park closes when it’s full.
The drive up through Oak Creek Canyon is half the fun, a winding ribbon of red walls and green trees. Bring water shoes (the rock is slippery), towels, sunscreen, and a picnic. Spend the morning sliding, dry off over lunch, and head back for pool time and a low-key afternoon, day two is all about the water.
- Natural 80-ft rock water slide in Oak Creek · arrive before 10am (fills up) · water shoes a must
- Easy · Coconino National Forest · stunning red-walled canyon drive up Hwy 89A with photo pullouts
- Pool timeHead back to the hotel for an easy pool afternoon and a low-key reset
- Be at the gate by 9–9:30am. Slide Rock closes its lot when full (often by 10–11am in peak season) and reopens only as cars leave.
- Water shoes with grip save the day, the slide rock is slick and the creek bottom is rocky. Little ones love the shallow pools even if they don’t slide.
- Late September water is refreshing-to-chilly. Bring towels and a warm layer for after, and a dry change of clothes for the car.
Safari Jeep Adventure + Cathedral Rock & Tlaquepaque
Strap in for the highlight reel: a Safari Jeep Tour. The famous red-rock route bounces up, over, and down the red rocks on trails you’d never reach by car, kids shriek with delight the whole way, and the guides are brilliant with families (they’ll point out “dinosaur rocks” and let kids feel like explorers). It’s the single most kid-loved thing to do in Sedona.
In the afternoon, drive to the Cathedral Rock viewpoint from Back O’ Beyond Road for the iconic photo (no hiking required), then cool off at Tlaquepaque Arts Village, a shady, Spanish-style courtyard with fountains, sculptures, ice cream, and easy strolling. A relaxed afternoon to balance the morning’s adventure.
- The most kid-loved Sedona activity · bumpy open-air red-rock 4x4 · family-friendly guides · minimum age 5 · book ahead
- Iconic photo from Back O’ Beyond Rd, no hiking needed for the view (the full trail is short but steep, save it for older kids)
- Shady courtyards, fountains, sculptures, ice cream · easy stroller-friendly stroll
- Book the Safari Jeep red-rock tour in advance, it sells out, and morning slots are cooler and less wiggly for little kids. Hats and a tight grip on water bottles!
- For the famous Cathedral Rock photo without the steep hike, drive Back O’ Beyond Road to the viewpoint, the actual summit trail is too steep/exposed for under-10s.
- Tlaquepaque is the perfect low-energy afternoon after the jeep: shade, fountains to splash hands in, and ice cream.
Cathedral Rock
Red rock viewsJunior Rangers & an Easy Last Hike
For when they’re olderOne last sunsetFinish gently at Red Rock State Park, the most family-friendly park in the area: flat, shaded nature trails along Oak Creek and a visitor center with hands-on exhibits. The highlight for kids is the free Junior Ranger program (ages 6–12): grab the activity booklet at the Visitor Center, complete the activities as you walk the trails, then bring it to a Park Ranger, take the Junior Ranger Pledge, and get sworn in with your very own Junior Ranger button, a guaranteed highlight and the best free souvenir of the trip.
If everyone’s still got energy, add the short, flat Fay Canyon trail (about 2 miles round trip, big red walls, easy turnaround) for one last easy hike. Then it’s ice cream, a final red-rock photo, and home with a carful of happy, tired kids. (Traveling around September 30? You’ve nailed the timing, warm days, golden light, smaller crowds.)
- Ages 6–12 earn a Junior Ranger button: pick up the activity booklet at the Visitor Center, complete it on the easy creek trails, then take the pledge with a ranger to get sworn in, free
- ~2 mi round trip · flat & easy · towering red walls · easy turnaround for little legs
- Pick up the Junior Ranger booklet at the Red Rock State Park visitor center first thing, kids complete it as you walk the easy creek trails, then get sworn in for a button.
- Fay Canyon is one of the few flat, short, big-payoff hikes for little kids, save bigger trails (Devil’s Bridge) for when they’re older.
- Late September/early October is ideal: warm days, cool mornings, golden light, and far fewer crowds than summer.
Now build your Sedona family trip.
You’ve seen all four days. Open the free drag-and-drop planner and tune it for your kids’ ages, your dates, and how much you want to pack into each day.
What we actually learned in Sedona with kids.
Rent a car & get a Red Rock Pass
You’ll drive between trailheads and parks, and almost every red-rock parking area needs a Red Rock Pass ($5/day, $15/week). Buy it online or at the visitor center and keep it on the dash.
Stay in one hotel for all 4 nights
With kids, staying in one place beats hotel-hopping, unpack once and make it home. We base at the affordable, pool-equipped Super 8 by Wyndham Sedona in West Sedona, minutes from the red rocks, so every night you return to the same beds. Book early; family rooms sell out in spring and fall.
Mornings out, afternoons easy
Hike and play in the cooler morning, then do pool/shade/ice cream in the afternoon. It keeps little ones happy and beats the midday heat and crowds.
Slide Rock: go early, and brace for cold water
The lot fills by mid-morning and the park closes when full, so arrive by 9 to 9:30am. The creek is ice-cold mountain runoff year-round, in the 50s to 60s by late September. Most kids love wading anyway, but warn them it’s a cold splash, and bring a wetsuit or rash guard if they want to fully slide. Pack water shoes, towels, and sunscreen.
Book the Safari Jeep ahead
The red-rock jeep tour is the kids’ #1 highlight and sells out. Book a morning slot in advance, cooler, calmer, and great light.
Right-size the hikes
Stick to flat, short trails (Bell Rock Pathway, Fay Canyon, Red Rock State Park). Skip steep/exposed routes like the Cathedral Rock summit and Devil’s Bridge with under-10s, enjoy those from the viewpoints.
Check the jeep tour age limits
Open-air 4x4 tours are a core Sedona highlight, and your 5 to 12 crew is perfectly positioned. Just check each operator’s age rules first: some rugged trails are off-limits to kids under 3 or 4. Arizona Safari Jeep Tours is a highly rated, family-friendly pick.
The early-bird rule
Popular trailheads and Slide Rock parking fill completely by 8 to 9am. To keep this itinerary running smoothly with kids, hit the trails first thing in the morning, or save them for late afternoon when the lots clear out.
Beat the heat with shade, water, and a car cooler
The red sandstone bakes families fast, so aim your trail goals at short, shaded water walks like the West Fork of Oak Creek, where the canyon stays cool and kids can dip their feet. Keep an insulated cooler of iced, kid-friendly drinks in the car for every stop. And mind the creek at Slide Rock: the current through the chutes can move quickly, so keep a hand on younger sliders.
Everything you’ll actually want to know.
Ready to go? Get your
Sedona family route.
Where to stay with a pool, the order to do everything so nobody melts down, when to book the jeep tour, and the exact red-rock loop, everything you need for a smooth Sedona trip with kids.
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