Last Updated on September 18, 2026 by Themigonikitchen

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As busy working parents, it can be hard to find time to take weeks long trips outside of the summer. This is why we have done several 3-4 day trips – a way to see another area, adventure a little, but not miss too much work or school. What’s nice about these shorter trips is that they can be done any weekend, just adding a day of PTO here and there, or one missed day of school. This allows you to shop around for cheaper airfare deals, since you aren’t pigeonholed into school breaks only.

Arizona is a state we’ve booked often, because of its close proximity to our home state of Texas, flights are only a couple hours long. Sedona specifically has been on our list for a while for the gorgeous red rock views, zen vibes, upscale dining, and even wineries, for those interested.

What to keep your kids entertained during the flight and car rides? Check out our printable Southwest Desert Bingo Card in our Etsy shop.

How to Get to Sedona

Regardless of which airport you choose to fly into, you will likely need a rental car to get to Sedona. You have some options for airports.

You can fly into Phoenix Airport and rent a car (Drive time about 2 hours) – this is a bigger airport and often has more availability for flights. 

Alternatively fly into Flagstaff (Drive time 38 minutes). This puts you much closer to Sedona, but there are fewer flight options and cost may be a bit more. 

We opted for Phoenix because it was cheaper, and because we wanted to explore a bit of the city there too.

Book your rental car with Discover Cars for transparent pricing and flexible cancellation! 

Best Time of Year to Travel to Phoenix and Sedona with Kids

We got a great deal on visiting Sedona in January for this trip — generally a low season. You can sometimes expect snow, and possible rain, making hiking and tours more difficult (we’ll mention more about that later), but as a bonus, you don’t have any big crowds/parking difficulties to deal with and don’t have to worry about the insane heat that starts in late Spring.

For optimal hiking weather, I would opt for late Fall or early Spring but be prepared for more people! You will likely need to rely on the shuttle buses for busier trailheads. Luckily it is free, but we heard that at peak times, you may have to wait in long lines to board these shuttles, so something to consider.

Where to Stay in Sedona and Phoenix with Kids

• Hyatt Residence Club Sedona Pinon Pointe: We absolutely loved this property for kids. The room we booked had a mini kitchen, something we always appreciate when traveling with kids who need snacks, milk, etc. They also have a very active kids club with frequent activities (think crafts, movie nights, etc) and a kids play area for younger children with play mats, blocks, etc.  They do also feature a year round pool, although it was under maintenance when we visited. 
• Hyatt Regency Phoenix: Easy location to access restaurants on foot and comfortable/spacious rooms. Plus, only 4 miles from the airport! 

To be transparent, we frequently book Hyatt properties because we earn points/free nights!

Best Hikes and Things to do in Sedona with Kids

Note: Many trailhead parking sites get very full at busy times of the year, so there are free shuttles via Sedona Shuttle Service, often offered to help with this. Just factor this into your timing/scheduling. 

Another tip — Download the Alltrails App and select “Kid friendly” at the top to see a list of trail options near you with details for each one including distance, elevation, and more. 

Here are some of the most recommended hikes for families:

• Bell Rock Trail: 0.8 mile, 200 ft elevation gain (Will need Red Rock Pass for this trail) 
• Seven Sacred Pools via Soldier Pass Trail: 1.2 mile, 27m elevation gain. 
• Sedona View Trail (1.4 mi, 216 ft elevation) to the Airport Mesa overlook. This is the one we chose during our trip. 
• Fay Canyon Trail: 2.1 mi, 150 ft elevation

There are so many amazing hikes, so do some research and see what works best for your family.

For other activities and things to do, I highly recommend to check out the Pink Jeep Tours. We had one booked but unfortunately didn’t get to do it due to weather, but so many people told us about what a unique and fun way to see the red rocks up close. The Sedona Trolley Tour is another great option with kids! It takes you to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, so you don’t have to fight for parking. Finally, this was a little off the beaten path, but we checked out the little ghost town of Jerome and enjoyed the Kaleidoscope shop and quirky shops around town.

Best Things to do in Phoenix with Kids

1. Children’s Museum of Phoenix
2. The Desert Botanical Garden
3. South Mountain Park/Preserve & Dobbins Lookout
4. Arizona Science Center
5. Phoenix Zoo

Our Actual Sedona and Phoenix Itinerary with Kids

Here’s exactly how we structured our time in Sedona and Phoenix with our toddler plus all the amazing, family-friendly restaurants we visited!

Day 1: Arrival in Phoenix and drive to Sedona

Arrive mid morning in Phoenix, get your rental car.

We always like trying local foods when we travel and heard about Fry bread being a common Native American specialty, so we headed straight to Fry Bread House for lunch before making our drive to Sedona, while our daughter took her afternoon nap in the car during the drive. 

We arrived just in time for afternoon check in at the Hyatt, got set up in our room and made our way to do a little hike before dinner.

We opted for the Sedona View Trail to the Airport Mesa overlook. This took us about an hour with lots of stops to enjoy the views. 

Afterwards, we grabbed dinner at Oak Creek Brewery and Grill, for some beers for mom and dad and burgers all around. 

After dinner, we wandered a little around the Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village before turning in for the night.

Day 2: Trolley Tour and Tasty Eats

We were supposed to do the Pink Jeep Red Rock Range tour = a milder (less bumpy) today, but unfortunately this got cancelled due to rainy weather. Instead, we had a slow breakfast at the cozy Pump House Station Eatery & Market and did some leisurely driving around taking in the views.

Around 10:45, we boarded the Sedona Trolley Tour, which was a great rainy day activity. It takes you all the way up to the famous Chapel of the Holy Cross, which was great because parking is tricky there. They allowed 15-20 minutes to explore and then continued on with the tour, which lasted about 1 hour.

Afterwards we grabbed a quick lunch nearby and some ice cream at Black Cow Cafe (our daughter loved the Prickly Pear flavor).

We did a little shopping for some keepsakes and then headed back to our hotel for some quiet/nap time.

In the afternoon, we really enjoyed some of the kid friendly activities the hotel was offering, including a craft time and also used the kids play area with lots of fun toys to play with.

For dinner, we went to Hideaway House and had a wonderful Italian meal. Our daughter loved her macaroni and cheese.

Day 3: Exploring Jerome and Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden

For breakfast, we headed to Rascal Modern American Diner and feasted on delicious pancakes. 

Then we decided to go explore the small town of Jerome, considered to be one of America’s largest “ghost towns”. It’s a quirky city that was recommended to us by a local as a fun place to explore. We loved the eerie aesthetic that was even more pronounced with the gloomy rainy weather. We explored a few shops including Nellie Bly Kaleidoscopes (the world’s largest gallery of kaleidoscopes), Desert Grave Espresso, and the Laughing Mountain Gift Shop. 

We had a quick lunch at Wildflower before making the drive back to Phoenix. 

We opted to head straight to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix and really loved exploring all desert flora and even spying some hummingbirds. 

After, we went to check in to our hotel, the Hyatt Regency Phoenix, and walked to the nearby Blanco Cocina + Cantina for some tacos. 

Day 4: Children’s Museum and Pizzeria Bianco

We started the morning bright and early visiting the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. We stayed about 2 hours before walking to the famous Pizzeria Bianco for lunch. The notoriously do not take reservations, so we tried to be one of the first few in line to get a table, and were actually able to be seated just before noon. 

After lunch, we did a little scenic drive to the Dobbins Lookout in the South Mountain Park/Preserve, while our daughter took her afternoon nap and to get some last minute views.

We headed to the airport after for a late afternoon flight back to Dallas.

Sedona and Phoenix both have a lot to offer for families and makes a great long weekend trip!

If you have more time in Arizona, you can also consider visiting Tucson – we did a 4 day stay there as well and also really enjoyed it!