The best road trip stops on the Sedona to Santa Fe drive are Petrified Forest National Park, El Malpais National Monument and Albuquerque. The distance from Sedona to Santa Fe by car is 412 miles, with a 6h5m driving time.
Planning a Sedona to Santa Fe road trip itinerary
The Sedona to Santa Fe drive takes you from central Arizona to the capital of New Mexico.
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.
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.
Santa Fe is one of the oldest cities in the US, with the Palace of the Governors dating back to 1610, and has a huge arts scene. The glut of adobe architecture also makes the New Mexico capital highly photogenic. These buildings are best seen on an architecture walking tour.
Fab Santa Fe experiences include history walks covering the city’s past, on-the-move photography classes and New Mexican food tours through the evocative Santa Fe Plaza. You’ll find the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Loretto Chapel and New Mexico Museum of Art around here. Other key attractions, such as the Museum of International Folk Art, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture and the Santa Fe Botanical Garden are a couple of miles away on Museum Hill
If you want memorable Santa Fe accommodation, try the Hacienda in the Railyard Arts District or the adobe-style La Fonda on the Plaza.
5 great experiences in Santa Fe to book today
- 🏛️ Santa Fe architecture walking tour – Discover Santa Fe’s distinctive architectural styles on an architecture-focused walking tour.
- 🎨 Meow Wolf’s House of Eternal Return – At Meow Wolf’s House of Eternal Return, experience a groundbreaking, huge scale, immersive art installation.
- 🚂 New Mexico scenic train ride – See New Mexico’s extraordinary landscapes on a scenic train ride.
- 🚴 Santa Fe e-bike tour – On a guided e-bike tour, see Santa Fe’s hidden highlights.
- 🎈 Hot air balloon flight – Float above the mesas, buttes and canyons in a hot air balloon.
Sedona to Santa Fe distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Sedona to Santa Fe is 412 miles. That makes for a driving time of around six hours and five minutes. The quickest route is along the I-40 and I-25.
The best stops to add to a Sedona to Santa Fe road trip itinerary are Petrified Forest National Park, El Malpais National Monument and Albuquerque.
Sedona to Santa Fe 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.
Sedona to Santa Fe 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.
Best stops between Sedona and Santa Fe: Albuquerque, New Mexico
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.
More Arizona and New Mexico road trips
- Getting to Sedona: The best stops on the Phoenix to Sedona drive, Tucson to Sedona drive and Williams to Sedona drive.
- The best stops on the Las Cruces to Santa Fe drive, Amarillo to Santa Fe drive and Flagstaff to Santa Fe drive.
- 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.
- Road trips from Albuquerque: The best stops on the Albuquerque to Santa Fe drive.
- Getting to Flagstaff: The best stops on the Amarillo to Flagstaff drive, Albquerque to Flagstaff drive and Gallup NM to Flagstaff drive.
