Red rock Arizona

Route description

From Phoenix, I-17 climbs north out of the saguaro desert onto the high country. Leave it for AZ-179, which runs past Bell Rock and through the Village of Oak Creek into Sedona, surrounded by red sandstone buttes.

Sedona is a base for walks among the buttes, and the drive north through Oak Creek Canyon on AZ-89A is one of the most scenic in the state. Many trailheads need a Red Rock Pass for parking and fill early, so start at dawn or use the local shuttle where it runs.

Southwest of Sedona, AZ-89A runs through Cottonwood and climbs steep switchbacks to Jerome, a former copper-mining town clinging to the hillside with galleries in its old buildings. Beyond Jerome, 89A crosses Mingus Mountain on narrow hairpins, so long motorhomes and trailers are better routed around it.

The road descends to Prescott, where Whiskey Row’s old saloons face the courthouse square. Return to Phoenix via AZ-69 and I-17. Spring and fall are the best seasons, as summer is very hot in the desert around Phoenix.