The distance from Albuquerque to Sedona by car is 350 miles, with a 5h25m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Albuquerque to Sedona drive are El Malpais National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park and Flagstaff AZ.
Planning an Albuquerque to Sedona road trip itinerary
The Albuquerque to Sedona drive takes you from the biggest city in New Mexico to arguably the most spectacular town in Arizona.
5 great Albuquerque experiences to book
- 🎈 Admire the sunrise on a hot air balloon ride across the desert.
- 🌅 Alternatively, take your balloon ride at sunset.
- 🎬 Get on the trail of Walter White with a Breaking Bad filming locations tour.
- 🚴 Take a bike tour – and see Albuquerque’s top natural sights.
- 👻 Listen to spooky historic tales on an Old Town ghost tour.
In Albuquerque, the must-dos are the Sandia Peak Tramway cable car and Petroglyph National Memorial. Explora and the ABQ BioPark are good bets with kids in tow, while the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum explores one of the greatest places in the world for hot air ballooning.
Fabulous Albuquerque experiences include a sunrise hot air balloon flight, old town ghost walks and nature tours by bike. You can also pay a visit to the castle-like Turquoise Museum and old town food tours focusing on New Mexican flavours.
Great Albuquerque accommodation choices include the historic, adobe-style Casas de Suenos and the old town’s art-filled Hotel Chaco.
Desert town Sedona sits in an inspirational setting amid red rock buttes, canyons and forest. It’s no wonder so many artists choose to live there.
The surrounding desert trails and state parks are magnificent for hiking and biking. Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte are big favourites, while Red Rock Crossing is an astonishing place for a swim. Non-walkers can check out the views from the Airport Scenic Overlook, the Chapel of the Holy Cross and the Schnebly Hill Vista Overlook.
You can also explore on a scenic helicopter flight, outback Jeep tour, guided ATV adventure or e-biking at Cathedral Rock.
Other Sedona experiences include Verde Valley wine tours, Jeep tours of the mystical Sedona vortexes, glassblowing workshops and nighttime stargazing sessions.
For great Sedona accommodation that makes the most of the views, try the Sky Ranch Lodge or Amara Resort.
5 great Sedona experiences to book
- 🚙 Get to red rock views others cannot reach on an off-road Jeep tour.
- 🚆 Ride the Verde Canyon Railroad, passing cliff dwellings, desert scenery and wildlife.
- 🌀 Discover the science and spirituality of Sedona’s vortexes on a specialist tour.
- 🚲 See Sedona’s highlights the easy way on an e-bike tour.
- 🌌 Take a Sedona night sky tour and hear the stories of the constellations.
Albuquerque to Sedona distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Albuquerque to Sedona is 350 miles. That makes for a driving time of around five hours and 25 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-40 and AZ-89a.
The best stops to add to an Albuquerque to Sedona road trip itinerary are El Malpais National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park and Flagstaff AZ.
Albuquerque to Sedona road trip attractions: El Malpais National Monument
A short diversion to the south from San Rafael, El Malpais National Monument covers a landscape formed by volcanoes. Get a special permit, and you can go caving in the lava tubes. Otherwise, there are several satisfying hiking trails. The 4.8 mile return hike to the top of cinder cone El Calderon is arguably the highlight.
The most popular sight is the Ice Cave by the Bandera Volcano. This is privately owned, and there’s a small charge to enter.
Albuquerque to Sedona drive: Petrified Forest National Park
Petrified Forest National Park in eastern Arizona gets its name from the vast fossil deposits of petrified wood. Most come from the Late Triassic period, and the short walk to the Giant Logs is arguably the best place to see what it’s all about.
But this national park has much more to it than the petrified wood. It is part of the Painted Desert, and several walking trails show off the multi-coloured Badlands. Try the one mile Blue Mesa Loop or 1.2-mile Tawa Trail from Tawa Point to the Painted Desert Visitor Center for particularly impressive, yet accessible, scenery.
Best stops between Albuquerque and Sedona: Flagstaff, Arizona
5 great Albuquerque experiences to book
- 🎈 Admire the sunrise on a hot air balloon ride across the desert.
- 🌅 Alternatively, take your balloon ride at sunset.
- 🎬 Get on the trail of Walter White with a Breaking Bad filming locations tour.
- 🚴 Take a bike tour – and see Albuquerque’s top natural sights.
- 👻 Listen to spooky historic tales on an Old Town ghost tour.
Flagstaff AZ is largely known as a gateway to the Grand Canyon. You can take a Grand Canyon day tour from here, but you can also do a day trip to Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.
Other Flagstaff experiences include haunted pub crawls, and an adventure course of wobbly bridges, ropes and ziplines. Stargazing enthusiasts can also take a tour of the Lowell Observatory and the Walnut Canyon National Monument is just to the east of the city. The latter is home to several ancient cliff dwellings.
It’s also worth visiting the Museum of Northern Arizona and Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, while the Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater National Monument are to the north of the city.
Good Flagstaff accommodation options include the utterly charming Little America, and the great value Elev8.
More New Mexico and Arizona road trips
- Getting to Albuquerque: The best stops on the Amarillo to Albuquerque drive, Austin to Albuquerque drive, El Paso to Albuquerque drive, Houston to Albuquerque drive, Lubbock to Albuquerque drive and Tulsa to Albuquerque drive.
- Interstate road trips from Albuquerque: What to see on the Albuquerque to Flagstaff drive and Albuquerque to Tucson drive.
- Getting to Sedona: The best stops on the Tucson to Sedona drive and Williams to Sedona drive.
- Where to stop on the Sedona to Santa Fe drive.
