Is A Jeep Tour in Sedona Worth It? Here’s What You Need to Know

Planning a trip to Sedona and trying to decide if a jeep tour is worth it? Read on for my recommendations!

After you’ve hiked on Sedona’s seemingly endless supply of trails, eaten at one of the delicious local restaurants in town, and browsed the quirky shops, it’s time for a fun adventure activity – a jeep tour!

Jeep tours have become a very popular activity in Sedona and there are many options for off-roading tours of various remote areas around the city.

We had the privilege of doing a 4×4 offroading jeep tour on my most recent visit to Arizona (this makes my 4th visit to the beautiful state!) and I think it’s a great option for just about any group coming to this outdoor mecca.

In this guide, we’re sharing exactly what a jeep tour is like, which one we did, and what to know before you go.

>>Quick Link: This is the jeep tour we did and LOVED

Why Bother With a Jeep Tour?

In an area with so many hiking opportunities, is a jeep tour actually worth your time and money?

We do think it’s a unique and worthwhile activity – here are some reasons why:

First, you get to ride in an open-air, heavy duty jeep, which is a fun adventure in its own right.

Second, the jeeps take you on some very rocky, poorly maintained roads that are not accessible to regular vehicles (even SUVs). You’ll definitely be getting off-the-beaten-path on these tours.

Third, and related to #2, you get to see some beautiful places in Sedona not available to most people.

Finally, you’ll learn SO much about the different plants and animals native to Sedona, as well as the different mountains and rock formations, plus some history and geology.

The Company We Decided To Book With

Three main companies in Sedona offer jeep tours and they all do a good job. We decided to go with Red Rock Jeep Tours, and they were amazing to work with.

We had a little mix-up on the time we booked, and they were super chill and happy to work with us the day of to re-arrange the schedule. Our guide on the tour was extremely friendly and knowledgeable.

And the biggest plus is that Red Rock JeepTours offers private tours (for only your group) for essentially the same price as the group tours offered by the other companies.

We were extremely happy with having the tour just be private, with only our group, and that ended up being a big swaying factor in our decision to book this particular tour and experience.

When to Schedule the Tour

I think a jeep tour is best scheduled in the middle of your trip. It helps break up the hiking and gives you a chance to rest a little bit, while still enjoying the scenery and vibes of Sedona.

Plus, I always like asking local guides for restaurant recommendations, so doing the tour in the middle of your trip gives you a chance to take advantage of their recommendations.

What Our Jeep Tour Was Like

We met up with our guide at the jeep tour office, conveniently located in the middle of West Sedona. From there, we hopped into the jeep, which had a horseshoe-shaped seating arrangement so everyone was facing each other and everyone had an outside seat.

The first 10 minutes were just getting out of town, but as we wound around to more backroad areas, we quickly started getting lots of fun information about historic locations we were passing. We saw one of the original schoolhouses, and the ranch where Elvis shot a movie called “Stay Away, Joe” in 1967.

We learned that the town of Sedona was named after Sedona Schnebly, the wife of T.C. Schnebly, the first postmaster in town.

Our tour took us up a road that was originally a stagecoach road between Sedona and Flagstaff and was one of the first major roads in the area. It used to take 8 days to go between the cities, even though the two cities are only 30 miles apart!

One aspect of the tour that I really loved was hearing about the different rock formations that we passed. Sedona has some of the most beautiful red rock mountains that I’ve ever seen!

Our guide pointed out different cacti and desert plants as we passed them, sharing how they thrive in the desert, and how they were used by Native Americans.

One particularly interesting fun fact is about Thunder Mountain, a prominent mountain in Sedona that gets 3000-4000 lightning strikes a year, thanks to its high iron content. Juniper trees, very common around Sedona, have 100 ft deep roots and act like giant grounding rods for lightning strikes.

Juniper trees will not start wildfires due to lightning strikes because of the way they sweat the water inside them after being struck by lightning. 

The road we were driving up was very rocky, so the ride was very bumpy. This didn’t bother us – you just have to stay loose and flow with the bumps and roll with them. Personally, we felt like the bumps just added to the fun of the experience.

While we didn’t see any wild animals, we did hear about the variety of animals that live around Sedona. While it’s not particularly common to see animals on the tour, you have the best chance if you book the first tour in the morning or the last tour in the evening.

Finally, after winding up the road for a long time, we reached the Mogollon Rim of the Colorado Plateau, which offered beautiful views back over Sedona and the surrounding rock formations. This was a unique view that we hadn’t yet seen in Sedona, and I loved that we got to experience it.

Tips and Practical Information

Bring Water: You’ll be sitting under a shaded, yet open-air canopy, which is a nice reprieve from the heat and sun. However, the jeep kicks up just enough dust that you get thirsty – I couldn’t believe how parched I was on a 75°F afternoon!

Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute To Book: Jeep tours are popular and do fill up. I’d book your tour at least a few weeks in advance to make sure the time slot you want is available.

Visiting in Winter? A jeep tour will still be great in winter, but since it’s open air, make sure you’re bundled up!

Pregnant or Have Back Problems? Jeep tours are not recommended if you are pregnant, have back problems, heart problems, or other serious medical issues.

Children: Children are welcome on the tour, but must be at least 3 years old.

Tour Length: Jeep tours last 2 hours exactly, and the time passes quickly!

Reviews: We aren’t the only people who have loved this experience – this jeep tour has over 200 5-star reviews!

>>Get More Details, Check Prices and Availability, and Make Your Jeep Tour Reservation Here

So, Is a Sedona Jeep Tour Worth It?

Everyone in our group agreed – we had a fabulous time on the jeep tour and would recommend it to anyone. It was fun being in the open-air 4×4, bouncing around the bumpy road, hearing about the cool mountains, and admiring the beautiful scenery.

It was a great way to break up the heavy hiking we had been doing and was definitely a fun and unique experience!