Phoenix to Sedona Drive: Distance, Routes, Stops and Best Timing

The Phoenix to Sedona drive is about 115 miles and takes roughly two hours without stops: north on I-17 for just under 100 miles, then west on State Route 179 for the last 15. It is an easy, well-signed drive on a divided interstate almost the whole way, and the final stretch into town is one of the prettiest roads in Arizona. After more than twenty years of meeting guests who have just made this drive, we have strong opinions about when to leave, where to stop and which way to come in.

How far is Sedona from Phoenix?

The Sedona Chamber of Commerce’s directions page puts it at 113.4 miles and about two hours from central Phoenix. In practice:

From Sky Harbor Airport: about 120 miles, two hours in light traffic. Add 20 to 30 minutes for the rental car center and getting out of the city.
From Scottsdale: roughly the same two hours. Most of north Scottsdale reaches I-17 by way of the Loop 101.
From the far north Valley (Anthem, Happy Valley): about 90 minutes.

You also climb. Phoenix sits near 1,100 feet and Sedona is around 4,350, so expect Sedona to run 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the Valley. In October that means leaving Phoenix in shorts and wanting a light layer by evening.

The two routes for the Phoenix to Sedona drive

There are really only two sensible ways to do this, and they share the first 90 minutes.

Route A: I-17 to Exit 298 and the Red Rock Scenic Byway

This is the standard route and the one we recommend for a first arrival. Take I-17 north toward Flagstaff, get off at Exit 298, and turn left onto SR 179. From the exit it is about 14 miles to the junction with SR 89A in the middle of Sedona (locals call it “the Y”).

The reason to come this way is the reveal. SR 179 is the Red Rock Scenic Byway, a 7.5-mile All-American Road, and a few minutes after the exit the red rocks appear all at once: Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte first, then Cathedral Rock off to the left. The road passes through the Village of Oak Creek and a series of roundabouts before dropping into Sedona. Yield to traffic already in the circle and you will be fine.

Route B: Exit 287 through Cottonwood and wine country

The alternative is to leave I-17 earlier, at Exit 287 in Camp Verde, take SR 260 west to Cottonwood, then turn right on SR 89A and come into West Sedona from the southwest. It is a little longer, usually 15 to 20 minutes more, but it has two real advantages.

First, it sidesteps SR 179, which is where arrival traffic stacks up on busy weekends. If your lodging is in West Sedona, Route B can be the faster choice on a Saturday at midday. Second, it runs straight through Verde Valley wine country. You pass Old Town Cottonwood’s tasting rooms and the turn for Page Springs Road, where several of the wineries and vineyards we visit are tucked along Oak Creek. If you plan to taste on the way in, agree on a designated driver first, or save the tasting for a day when someone else is driving.

Traffic, timing and the I-17 flex lanes

I-17 is the only direct highway between Phoenix and northern Arizona, and everyone uses it at the same times. The pattern is predictable:

Northbound is slowest Friday afternoon and evening, and Saturday morning.
Southbound is slowest Sunday from late morning into the evening, and on the last day of any holiday weekend.
SR 179 into Sedona backs up from late morning to mid-afternoon on weekends and through most of October, the busiest month on our calendar.

The best plan we know: leave the Valley before 8 a.m., or wait until after 6 p.m. on a Friday. Heading home on a Sunday, be on the road by 10 a.m. or stay for an early dinner and drive after dark.

The good news is that the worst bottleneck on the route has been rebuilt. ADOT opened a third lane in each direction on the 15 miles between Anthem and Black Canyon City in May 2025. North of there, the steep, winding eight-mile climb to Sunset Point now has Arizona’s first flex lanes: two extra lanes, separated from the main roadway by barrier, that carry traffic in whichever direction is heaviest. According to ADOT, they typically run northbound Monday through Saturday and southbound on Sunday, with no tolls and no vehicle restrictions. Overhead signs and gates make it obvious whether they are open to you.

A crash on the grade can still close the highway for an hour or more, and there is no quick detour. Check AZ511 before you leave, and again at Anthem while you still have options.

The best stops between Phoenix and Sedona

You can drive straight through, but a couple of well-chosen stops turn two hours of interstate into part of the trip. In order, heading north:

Rock Springs Cafe, Exit 242 (Black Canyon City). Open since 1918 and one of the oldest restaurants in Arizona, known statewide for pie. The Jack Daniel’s pecan is the signature. It is about 45 minutes north of central Phoenix, which makes it a natural breakfast stop on the way up or a pie stop on the way home. Check the current hours before you count on it.

Sunset Point Rest Area, milepost 252. The best rest area in the state: clean restrooms, shaded picnic tables, and a wide view west over Black Canyon to the Bradshaw Mountains. It is also the top of the long climb, so it is a kind place to give the car and the dog a few minutes. Keep pets on a leash and off the hot pavement in warm months.

Arcosanti, Exit 263. Paolo Soleri’s experimental desert town, begun in 1970, is a few minutes off the highway near Cordes Junction and famous for its bronze wind bells. Visits are by guided tour and advance booking is recommended. Two notes for this month: Arcosanti’s visitor page says the site is closed to the public October 1–14 for an event, and the café is temporarily closed, so confirm before you exit.

Montezuma Castle National Monument, Exit 289 (Camp Verde). If you make one stop, make it this one. A five-story, 20-room cliff dwelling built by the Sinagua people roughly 900 years ago sits high in a limestone alcove above Beaver Creek, and the paved loop below it takes 30 to 45 minutes. The Park Service lists entrance at $10 per adult, free for ages 15 and under; the pass is good for seven days and also covers Tuzigoot National Monument near Cottonwood. America the Beautiful passes are accepted, and Veterans Day, November 11, is a free entrance day for U.S. residents. The monument is 90 minutes north of Phoenix and only about 15 minutes from Exit 298. Check the current hours with the park before you go.

Montezuma Well, Exit 293. A detached unit of the same monument, four miles farther up the interstate, with no entrance fee. It is a spring-fed limestone sinkhole ringed with small cliff dwellings and a short shaded trail down to an ancient irrigation ditch. Far fewer people stop here than at the Castle.

Red Rock Ranger Visitor Center, SR 179. Once you leave I-17, the Forest Service’s visitor center at 8375 SR 179 is on your right before the Village of Oak Creek. It is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, except Wednesdays, when it opens at noon. Stop for maps, trail conditions, restrooms and a first proper look at the red rocks from the patio.

Courthouse Vista, SR 179. If you want to stretch your legs under Bell Rock before checking in, Courthouse Vista is the easy pull-in. Parking requires a Red Rock Pass ($5 per day, $15 per week or $20 per year, sold at a machine on site) or an America the Beautiful pass. There is no drinking water at the trailhead, so bring your own.

What to bring, what to book and when to go

Bring:

A full tank or a full charge from the Valley. There are stations at Anthem, Black Canyon City, Cordes Junction and Camp Verde, with long quiet stretches between them.
At least a quart of water per person in the car, year-round. A closure on the grade can mean a long wait with no services.
A layer for Sedona evenings from October through April, and sun protection every month.
Your America the Beautiful pass if you have one. It covers Montezuma Castle and Red Rock Pass parking.
For dogs: a leash, a bowl and water. Leashed dogs are welcome on most Sedona-area national forest trails; for the national monuments, check the pet rules with the park first.

Book ahead:

Rental car. Reserve early for October, March and April, when Sky Harbor prices climb.
Lodging. Fall weekends fill weeks in advance. Our guides to why October is such a good time to visit and Sedona in November cover what each month is like.
Dinner on arrival night. Popular Sedona restaurants book out on weekends, and after a two-hour drive nobody wants a 90-minute wait.

When to go: For the easiest drive, travel midweek and arrive before noon. If you can only come on a weekend, drive up Thursday night or early Friday. In winter, I-17 between Phoenix and Sedona rarely sees snow, but the stretch north of Camp Verde toward Flagstaff does, and a storm up there slows the whole corridor. In July and August, afternoon monsoon storms can bring sudden heavy rain and blowing dust, so mornings are the safer bet.

Once you’re here, park the car

The nicest thing about this drive is that it ends somewhere you do not need to keep driving. Sedona is compact, the trailheads are close, and the tasting rooms of the Verde Valley are 20 to 30 minutes down the road. On tasting day, let us do the driving: our Wine Tours of Sedona outings have been running since 2004, and the Tour Chooser will match you to the right one in about a minute.