Jeep tours in Sedona: where they leave from and how to plan one

Sedona has six off-road tour operators, and the first useful thing to know is that they aren’t all in the same place. Which end of town you start from changes how much time you ought to leave.

Uptown, on State Route 89A. Pink Adventure Tours checks in at 204 N State Route 89A, on the corner of Forest Road. Earth Wisdom Tours is a few doors along at 293 N State Route 89A. Arizona Safari Jeep Tours sits just off 89A on Jordan Road, open from 7 in the morning until 6 at night, seven days a week. This is the busy end of town, and it’s where people lose the extra time they left themselves.

The west side, at 2900 W State Route 89A. A Day in the West, Red Rock Western Jeep Tours and Sedona Offroad Adventures all check in at that one address. They’re separate brands with separate names, phone numbers and booking sites, but they share a depot and publish the same contact address, so underneath they’re one operator. Keep that in mind if you’re calling around for availability. You may be reaching the same people three times. Sedona Offroad Adventures runs Hummers rather than Jeeps.

Parking is the part to sort out first, if you’re leaving from Uptown. Pink Adventure Tours puts the clearest summary of it on their own site. There are free lots in Uptown with posted time limits, and paid parking along 89A where the pay stations want your license plate number. Take a photo of your plate before you walk off. You can also pay through the Passport Parking app using zone number 846, which adds a small fee. If you’re pairing a tour with a trailhead later, the Sedona Shuttle runs free to five popular trailheads, and the Verde Shuttle costs a dollar a ride within Sedona.

Pink Adventure Tours says on its own site that its tours sell out fast. Booking ahead is worth more here than six operators might lead you to think.

One note on range. Earth Wisdom Tours says its routes run in the Coconino National Forest, on forest and private roads, and in association with the Yavapai-Apache Nation, so it covers ground the others don’t.

Would you rather drive yourself? The nearest option isn’t in Sedona at all. Northwoods Powersports Adventures rents ATVs and UTVs for self-guided trips from Cottonwood, down the valley.