I'm going to Scottsdale in March. Many friends tell me I should take a day trip to Sedona. Others say it's boring. Have you been there and what would you rave/rant about? Thanks so much.

The Sedona area has absolutely breathtaking red rock scenery and great hiking, etc. The town of Sedona leaves me cold. Very upscale touristy. So, I guess it depends on your interests.

Sedona is gorgeous with its red rocks and clear sky. We travelled to Sedona and visited Montezuma Indian Ruins which was amazing. We also found Petrified National Forest fascinating. We stayed at Junipine Resort right by the creek. A little out of the way but very nice views. When we drove back to Los Angeles, we took the backroad around the artist town of Jerome. Isn't a vacation about relaxing and exploring new places. If you have never been there and have the opportunity to go, do it!

My husband and I were in Sedona for 3 nights last October and could have stayed longer. The scenery and surroundings were absolutely spectacular. The center of town itself was rather touristy with the usual types of shops ... one visit through there was enough. We stayed on the outskirts at Enchantment right in the Boynton Canyon which was beautiful. If you enjoy the outdoors and like outdoor activities there's plenty to do. If you are just going to go into town and shop ... one day would be plenty. It depends on what you like to do.

Sedona's red rock scenery is gorgeous. If you like the outdoors (hiking, etc.) you will love Sedona. Actually, I thought the shops there were much better than most of the shlocky ones you find in a lot of touristy areas. Of course, there is the T-shirt type stuff, but I actually found stuff interesting to look at. I love the southwest, and I think Sedona is definitely worth a visit. But you have to decide if it has what you like to do. We took some scenic drives on our own, and a jeep tour. While boarding our Jeep, I overheard a man snap to his wife that he was he was sick and tired of looking at red rocks. So what we found lovely he found boring. Different strokes...

Sedona was rated the most beautiful place in the US by US Today Magazine. It is defintely worth the drive up from Scottsdale to see. If you are into natural beauty and the outdoors it will blow your socks off. We love it because we love the outdoors and hiking. If you go be sure to get a trail map from one of the forest stations and explore out of your car. Don't go for shopping and the town. There is plenty of really great shopping in Scottsdale.

It's definitely worth a day trip, if not an overnight. The scenery is fantastic, and it's an interesting contrast to Scottsdale. Figure on an easy 90 minute to 2 hour drive. We stopped off at Montezuma ruins on the way there, and also arranged for a 2 hour pink jeep tour (broken arrow) which I highly recommend. If you do decide to stay overnight, you can also check out the former ghost town of Jerome. Lots of great eating-recommend Robert's Creekside.

Sedona is easily one of the most beautiful places in the world. There's really no debating that.

Your friends who suggested you skip it didn't say it wasn't beautiful, they said it was boring. That's another issue entirely. I agree that the town of Sedona lacks sufficient retail diversity to keep a well travelled person busy for more than a couple days (unless you're an art gallery fanatic).
But Sedona's attraction is not the town...it's the views. The town is an adequate side attraction but wouldn't draw many tourists 2 hours from PHX if it were in the middle of a desert.

Visit Sedona to see the sights, not specifically the town. If your friends claim Sedona isn't beautiful enough to warrant a visit, I'd like to hear a defense of that statement.

Agree that Sedona is about views and the outdoors.

We climbed (believe it was Bell Rock) to about mid level at sunset and the views of the red rocks with the sunset was indescribably beautiful and wonderful.

Suggest that you combine, as some of the other posters have suggested, a trip to Sedona with some of the other attractions of the SW, such as Montezuma's Castle, Monument Valley, or anywhere in Navajo Country.

Thanks everyone for their input. I will definitely be spending a day in Sedona. And bringing my camera.

Just signed up for a week in Oak Creek Canyon for first week of March. My "other half" plans on practicing the fine art of doing absolutely nothing ... & Sedona area is perfect for that. ((look further in fodor's site)) Spa / hike / shadows / color .... mmm mmmm good for the senses. We're gonna hit Taliesin or Desert Botanical Garden on the way out (from LA). Also plan on going to Jerome for I dunno what. (anyone have suggestions?) New Audi Allroad will want to go "play" on every other scenic drive I can find. I say you simply can't go wrong getting out of town and into those canyons! Beautiful.

We visit Sedona quite often and stay a week at a time. It is one of the very few places that we like to go back to. The attraction is not the town itself but the spectacular scenery. Make sure that you drive up Oak Creek Canyon just north of Sedona.

I definitely second the recommendation to drive up Oak Creek Canyon ... it's a spectacular drive. Then work your way back to 17 and back to Scottsdale.

We went to Sedona on the way to Grand Canyon. It was definitely worth the stop, and my husband and I get bored easy!!! The red rocks are so unique!!! What have you got to lose by just stopping for a few hours? Then you can say you've been there.... Have a nice trip.

I went to Sedona a couple of years ago because several people highly recommended it. I wasn't struck by the scenary as much as others, but I was struck by the feeling I got being there. It is a very new agey kind of place. Our first stop was in the chapel of the hills, where we lit candles. I know this sounds really odd, but I got an eerie (a good eerie) feeling that stayed with me all the time we were there. I'm not supersticious or into paranormal stuff, so it was just weird and spooky. It is well worth a day trip just to experience the aura around that place.