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When I think of Sedona, AZ, I think of hiking trails, Mexican food, and Instagram photo spots. Sedona is one of the most Instagram-worthy places in the world. If you, like me, are someone who loves taking photos, prepare to take full advantage. Luckily, finding the best places for photos in Sedona isn’t too hard, because the photo ops are endless. This blog post tells you about 4 of my favorite spots in Sedona to capture gorgeous photo with red rocks in the background.
But let’s get one thing straight: This blog post is NOT about getting the best photos on the hiking trails. Rather, this is for the people who want to dress up and get more of the influencer-esque photos with red rocks in the background. Think flowy dresses, fedoras, and maybe even using your rental car as a prop 😉. If you want to show off your wild-west aesthetic, keep reading to discover the best Instagram-worthy red rock spots in Sedona, AZ…
- Are you a solo traveler? Shop my favorite cell phone tripod that I bring to take all my own photos here!
Sedona Photo Pro-Tip
Take Advantage of Golden Hour
Sedona is in the desert, which means the sun is almost always shining. During peak sun hours, the red rocks can look almost washed out, especially in photos.
To ensure you get the best photos with *the* reddest of red rocks, take advantage of golden hour. Golden hour is the last hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise. It’s when the sun provides primetime photo lighting.
This photo of Cathedral Rock was taken during golden hour.
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Four of the Most Instagram-Worthy Red Rock Spots in Sedona
1. Airport Mesa
I’ll never forget my first solo trip to Sedona and having no less than 12 people tell me, “you HAVE to go see Sedona at sunset from Airport Mesa!”
I’ll confess, I didn’t go that time. But I should have. During my second solo trip, my AirBNB host offered to drive me up to check it out, and I immediately knew I was coming back here every single time I came to Sedona. The views you get are just too good.
When you get here, there will be a small parking lot on your left, and you’ll have some options. You can walk up to the right near where Airport Loop Trail starts and get some photos on the landing. If you have the right shoes on, you can go to the left and climb on top of the large rock near the vortex site where people will be watching the sunset. Or, you can continue up the road past the small parking lot and pay $5 to park in the (much larger) Sedona Airport Scenic Overlook parking lot.
- Pro Tip: All of these areas will likely be crowded, because this area is so accessible and so well-known. Your biggest struggle will be parking. If you aren’t lucky enough to find a spot in the small lot, get someone to drop you off or Uber. If you go up to the Airport Scenic Overlook lot, it will be more hectic, but there are way more parking spaces.
Airport Mesa Photography Pro Tip
Airport Mesa is a great place to come for photos because you can get epic shots of the sunset in addition to incredible “golden hour” photos.
The photo above this section was taken during golden hour. You can see how the red rocks look extra vibrant and red, and the lighting is perfect.
If you turn in the opposite direction (looking towards the city of Sedona), you can get epic sunset photos from Airport Mesa. I took the photo below during monsoon season after it rained earlier in the day, so the sky was extra colorful. Notice that while the sky looks beautiful, the red rocks look dark. This would not be good lighting if you wanted the red rocks in the background, but it would be a perfect sunset shot.
The small parking lot is below me. You can see some of the cars are parked parallel to the road so people can run up and grab a quick photo.
2. The Parking Lot at Mariposa Restaurant
Mariposa is one of my favorite restaurants in Sedona, so I would recommend coming here and killing 2 birds with one stone. In other words, getting bomb photos and then eating afterwards. Not only will you get gorgeous photos in the parking lot, but Mariposa is arguably the most Instagrammable restaurant in Sedona.
- Pro Tip: If you do choose to eat here, this restaurant is on the upscale side, so dress accordingly! Unless you’re a solo traveler and intend on sitting at the bar, make a reservation.
Their parking lot is relatively flat and spacious, although I do remember it being a bit windy when I was there. This was my only difficulty: I had to act quickly to keep my tripod from blowing over in the wind. The large space allowed me plenty of options to stage this photo. This rental car proved to be a great prop, as you’ll keep seeing…
3. Red Rock Scenic Byway
Red Rock Scenic Byway is a stretch of road on US Route 179 that you drive through as you’re entering Sedona. I remember coming here and getting really excited because the views of the red rocks were epic as I was driving in. The photo that was taken here happened by chance, but it’s my favorite non-hiking photo that I have from Sedona. I remember thinking this area was so beautiful that I just had to pull off and look at it. A lady who happened to be there with her husband offered to take my picture.
- Pro Tip: IMO, this route is the best way to enter Sedona from Phoenix because the views are just so beautiful. I have driven into Sedona where my GPS did not bring me in this way and instead took me through Cottonwood and Page Springs. To ensure you enter the city from this direction, put “Chapel of the Holy Cross” in as your destination point and then change it to your actual destination after you get here.
As you drive along this road, you will pass several spots where you are able to pull off and take in the views of the red rocks. This photo shows Courthouse Butte in the background (Bell Rock, although obviously not pictured, is to the left).
4. Chavez Ranch Rd. near Crescent Moon Park
I know you probably read this at thought “umm, okay, that makes no sense…” so let me explain.
Crescent Moon Park is a park in Sedona with great views of the red rocks…specifically, Cathedral Rock. At the time of this post, you have to pay $12 in order to enter and park here. That may not seem terrible if you are going to enjoy the park, but if your M.O. is solely to get a bomb photo, this seems a little pricey. But don’t worry. There’s a spot very close to Crescent Moon Park with equally great views of the red rocks fo’ free.
To get here, I still put Crescent Moon Park in my GPS as my destination point. Once you turn on to Upper Red Rock Loop Rd, you’ll go about 2 miles and turn left on Chavez Ranch Rd.
After almost half a mile, your GPS will tell you to turn onto Red Rock Crossing Rd. DON’T DO THIS. This is where you would go to get to the Crescent Moon Park/picnic site. Instead, you want to go straight and continue on Chavez Ranch Rd. until you come to a gate with a parking lot on your left. This parking lot is free, and you can take as many photos as you like!
The photo below was taken in this spot with Cathedral Rock in the background. The photo at the beginning of this post with the red Mustang was also taken here, except from a different viewpoint and with different rocks in the background.
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