Red Rock Scenic Byway
Red Rock Scenic Byway is an All-American Road in Arizona. Within Arizona it covers roughly 17 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Red Rock Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Route 179 — Sedona's Red Rock Scenic Byway — is a short but spectacular run through the red sandstone formations of the Coconino National Forest into Sedona. It passes beneath landmarks like Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, and Cathedral Rock, with the Chapel of the Holy Cross built directly into the rock above the road. The vivid red buttes against a blue desert sky have made it one of the most photographed drives in the Southwest.
- Bell Rock & Courthouse Butte
- Cathedral Rock
- Chapel of the Holy Cross
- Sedona red rocks
- SR-179
Designated for its scenic and recreational qualities
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Places to stop along Red Rock Scenic Byway
Bell Rock
A bell-shaped red sandstone butte beside the highway, circled by an easy trail. A Red Rock Pass is needed to park.
Courthouse Butte
A massive butte next to Bell Rock, circled by a flat four-mile loop trail through juniper and red rock.
Cathedral Rock
Sedona's most photographed spires, reached by a short, steep scramble from the trailhead or seen from Oak Creek at sunset.
Chapel of the Holy Cross
A modernist 1956 chapel built into the red rock, with a towering cross window overlooking the valley.
Website
Where to Stay along Red Rock Scenic Byway
3 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Red Rock Scenic Byway.
Campsite and lodging links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.
Photos of Red Rock Scenic Byway
What is an All-American Road?
All-American Roads are the top tier of America's National Scenic Byways. To earn the title a road has to be a destination in its own right — offering features so exceptional, across several intrinsic qualities (scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational), that they can't be found anywhere else.