Rainy Day in Sedona: 10 Things to Do When the Weather Breaks

Rain in Sedona stops a lot of visitors cold. They booked for red rocks and sunshine, and suddenly it's gray and drizzling, and they're standing in the rental kitchen wondering what went wrong. Here's what I tell guests when this happens: a wet day here is genuinely one of my favorite kinds of day. The crowds thin out, the rocks turn dark and vivid, and the whole town slows down in a way that's hard to manufacture any other time.

That said, you do need a plan. So here's what I actually do — or point guests toward — when the weather rolls in.

Get Out Early, Before Everyone Else Retreats

The first hour of light rain is magic. The red rock is damp and intensely colored, the air smells like wet juniper and sage, and the trails are almost empty. If you're willing to layer up and walk in light drizzle, a short loop like the Airport Mesa trail gives you the full panorama without the usual shoulder-to-shoulder situation. Bring waterproof shoes. Avoid anything with creek crossings if it's raining hard — Oak Creek can move fast.

If you ask me, this is the best thing on this whole list. Don't skip it because you're worried about getting a little wet.

Visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is one of those places that photography can't quite capture. It's built directly into the red rock cliff face, and on a gray day the contrast between the stone and the overcast sky does something strange and beautiful. It's free, open most days, and the short walk up from the parking area is easy even in light rain.

Just know that parking is limited. Go early or go late.

The chapel sits at about 4,000 feet — on overcast days, the low clouds sometimes sit right at the cliff line.

Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village

I'll be honest: I'm not a big shopping guy. But Tlaquepaque is genuinely worth your time even if you're not buying anything. It's a 1970s arts complex built to look like a Mexican village — covered walkways, stone archways, ivy-covered walls. It handles rain gracefully. Most of the walkways are covered, the galleries are serious (not souvenir-shop serious), and there's a good spot for lunch at Oak Creek Brewery & Grill right next door.

Plan an hour, maybe two if you're the browsing type.

Browse the Uptown Galleries

Uptown Sedona gets a bad reputation as a tourist trap, and some of it is earned — yes, there are T-shirt shops and crystal vendors. But mixed in are several genuine fine art galleries with significant work, and on a rainy day the gallery owners actually have time to talk. Some of the best conversations I've had about Sedona landscape painting happened on slow Tuesday afternoons when it was drizzling outside.

Most of Uptown's galleries are within a quarter-mile stretch — easy to cover on foot even in light rain.

Find a Good Breakfast Spot and Actually Sit There

People rush through meals in Sedona because they feel like they should be outside. A rainy morning is your permission to not do that. Coffee Pot Restaurant on Copper Cliffs Drive is the kind of place where locals actually eat — enormous portions, 101 kinds of omelets, booths that invite you to linger. Go around 8am and you'll get a table without waiting.

Sedona Heritage Museum

Small, free, and almost always uncrowded. It's tucked into Jordan Historical Park in Uptown, in a 1930s apple orchard homestead. If you're curious about what this place looked like before the tourism economy took hold — the farming years, the early Hollywood westerns shot out here — it's worth an hour. The docents know things you won't find on any website.

Drive the Red Rock Scenic Byway

Highway 179 south toward the Village of Oak Creek is one of the most scenic drives in the state, and in the rain the low clouds add drama that a clear day can't touch. You can do the whole out-and-back in under an hour. Stop at the Bell Rock vista pull-off and just look.

Oak Creek Canyon

Drive north on 89A into Oak Creek Canyon. The canyon walls get darker and more dramatic in wet weather, and Slide Rock State Park — normally a zoo in summer — is almost empty on a rainy day. Even if the water is too cold and fast for swimming, the walk along the creek is worth it.

Get a Treatment at a Spa

Sedona has a lot of spas. Quality varies. The ones attached to the larger resorts (Enchantment, L'Auberge) are genuinely excellent but expensive. If you want something more mid-range, Sedona Zen Spa in Uptown is straightforward and good. Book ahead — the rainy-day idea occurs to a lot of people at once.

Just Stay In

Sometimes the right answer is to do nothing. Make coffee, sit near a window that faces the rocks, and watch what happens when the rain moves through. The light changes fast. You'll see things shift in an hour that you'd never catch if you were out hiking with your head down.

If you end up out here on a gray day and make it to the chapel, go in the late afternoon — the light through the cross-shaped window is worth timing your visit for.