Where to Stargaze in Sedona: Best Spots for a Night Under the Stars

• Sedona Stargazing offers rare, in-town access to dazzling dark skies, where high elevation and minimal light pollution reveal the Milky Way, constellations, and celestial events with remarkable clarity.
• As an officially designated Dark Sky Community, Sedona preserves the night for both wildlife and visitors, creating an environment where the cosmos can be experienced in its purest form.
• From private rooftop viewing at Ambiente to iconic red rock vantage points, discover the most breathtaking places and practical tips for an unforgettable night beneath the stars. 

Why do we gaze at the stars?

A glittering night sky can evoke profound emotions such as wonder, solace, and inspiration. Gazing at the cosmos is a humbling reminder that we’re connected to something much larger than ourselves. Here on Planet Earth, we’re just one of billions of star systems orbiting the galaxy. This feeling of awe, sometimes called the 11th emotion, links us with something beyond our consciousness.

You can experience this quiet reverence on a clear night in the high desert terrain of Sedona. This is the rare city where you can stargaze without driving beyond the city limits. Under a Sedona night sky, the 4,500-foot altitude and low light pollution allow you to see the magnificence of the universe above. Billions of stars, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and nebulae are visible, many of them with the naked eye; more with binoculars or telescopes. 

Sedona is a Dark Sky Community, earning the designation in 2014 from DarkSky International, a non-profit organization leading the global movement to protect the night skies for present and future generations. By committing to eliminate unnecessary light pollution across the entire community, Sedona is conserving dark skies for the benefit of nocturnal wildlife and habitats, reduced energy consumption, and the rare pleasure of seeing the Milky Way. According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one third of the world’s population is unable to see the Milky Way due to the luminescent glow of artificial light. Sedona minimizes glare and light leakage from outdoor man-made lighting by using dark-sky friendly techniques, like fully shielded, downward pointing lights. This greatly reduces light pollution, enabling everyone in Sedona to have access to a stunning view of the cosmos. 

While you can just look up and see Sedona stars, there are specific vantage points that offer extraordinary viewing opportunities. We’ve selected five Sedona stargazing locations, in and around Sedona, for extraordinary stargazing and night sky photography. 

Top Five Spots for Stargazing in Sedona

1. Ambiente, a Landscape Hotel: Effortless and Luxurious

Ambiente offers the ideal stargazing platform for guests: a private rooftop deck accessible by an outdoor circular staircase. Each freestanding guest Atrium features a rooftop deck designed with a daybed for two and a firepit. There’s even rooftop F&B service. With an unobstructed 360-degree view of the sky, it’s the ideal cozy spot for spending an evening seduced by the night sky.

Guests can take it up a notch by booking Ambiente’s private rooftop stargazing experience. Universal Access Tours sends a professional astronomer with a selection of custom telescopes to lead you on a tour of the galaxy. It’s like a bedtime story for adults, from tales of constellations depicting mythical Greek heroes like Perseus, who slew Medusa, to the Scutum-Centaurus arms of the Milky Way. 

2. Baldwin Trailhead: The Night Sky Photographers’ Hero Shot

One of Sedona’s most recognizable landmarks is Cathedral Rock. It’s also one of the main vortexes, believed to have an uplifting energy. At night, its spires are illuminated by a halo of celestial light. In spring and summer, the vision is even more spectacular when the twinkling Milky Way casts a glow over the spires as it arches across the sky. Images like these can be captured from the Baldwin Trail, a 1.6-mile loop trail with spots along the way to sit and look at the stars or set up a camera and tripod. Walk farther along the trail for views of two other vortexes, Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock, softly lit by the stars.

3. Fay Canyon Trail: Meteor Showers and Shooting Stars

If you’re timing your stargazing around a meteor shower and want a front row seat to lots of shooting stars, head to Fay Canyon Trailhead where you’ll have a wide open view of the sky. Northwest of Uptown Sedona, this is an easily accessible trailhead, and usually it’s uncrowded.

Located off Boynton Pass Road, the secluded paved trailhead has plenty of parking. The 2.2-mile out-and-back trail is flat and sandy, so you could do a night hike as well. Otherwise, walk a little ways along the trail past the tree-lined entrance until you reach an opening where you have a clear view of the sky. Set up a folding chair or lay out a blanket and listen to the silence of the night as you watch for shooting stars above. 

4. Beaverhead Flat and Scenic Overlook: Off The Beaten Path

Just a few miles south of the Village of Oak Creek, Beaverhead Flat feels especially night-sky dark and remote, but it’s close to town. This is an easy-to-get-to roadside viewing site (no hiking required) that delivers expansive views. The constellations cover the sky, and you feel enveloped by billions of stars. It’s also a great spot to see the Milky Way, especially during the summer months when the galaxy is at its brightest.

The scenic overlook has lots of open space for photographers to set up their cameras with tripods for long-exposure shots and for viewers to find a place to sit and enjoy Sedona stargazing.  

5. Aerie Trailhead: Stars Over Red Rocks

On the west side of Sedona, down Boynton Pass Road and past the trailhead for Doe Mountain, is the parking lot for Aerie Trailhead. This trail is popular with mountain bikers by day, but in the evening, this place is a stargazer’s paradise. The view is so magnificent, you don’t even need to get on the trail to stargaze, just get out and look up. Arrive in time for twilight to take breathtaking shots of the red rock formations with a star-studded sky above.

The moon and the stars have always shown us the way. From celestial navigation that guided explorers across oceans and deserts; phases of the moon that guided farmers as to when to plant, to astrological charts that help people navigate life’s ups and downs.

A few tips to help you enjoy the celestial show:

• Dress warmly as nights are cooler at higher elevations.
• Bring a blanket or folding chair; a red-light flashlight or headlamp (red light is designed to preserve natural night vision); and any equipment you might want to augment the experience, like binoculars, telescopes, camera and tripod.
• Load a stargazing app on your Smartphone to help identify stars and planets.
• Check the calendar for meteor showers, phases of the moon, and Milky Way season: the best stargazing is when the sky is darkest, during the new moon phase.

Come to Arizona, stargaze from your private rooftop at Ambiente, and see what the stars and the moon do for you.

Whichever Sedona stargazing experience you choose, Sedona’s Dark Sky Community will keep the lights off for you.