What a Sedona jeep tour really costs
The six tours we compare run from ~$67 to ~$130 a head. Here is what the difference buys, and the costs that never appear in the headline figure.
The short answer
Budget roughly ~$67 per person for the shortest ride and ~$112 to ~$130 for everything else, then add a tip. The cheapest ticket is ninety minutes on sealed road. The rest are two to three hours on dirt, rock or a mix of the two, and that is where most of the money goes: time in the jeep and how far off the tarmac it takes you.
All six, cheapest first
| Tour | Price | Time | What the money buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Creek Canyon Pavement | ~$67 | 1.5 h | Canyon road on tarmac, live guide, water and blankets |
| Red Rock Range | ~$112 | 2 h | Mild dirt roads under Thunder Mountain, certified guide |
| Guided Vortex | ~$124 | 2.5 h | Several vortex sites, small group, bottled water |
| Rim Run Supreme | ~$124 | 2.5 h | Real off-road wagon trail, film sites, pickup and water |
| Scenic Rim | ~$129 | 2.5 h | The climb onto the Mogollon Rim, hotel pick-up, live narration |
| Ancient Ruins | ~$130 | 3 h | A 700-year-old Sinaguan cliff dwelling and rock art |
All six offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure and let you reserve now and pay later. Prices move a little with the season and the date you pick, so treat these as a guide and check the live figure before you book.
Why the cheapest tour is half the price
The Oak Creek Canyon tour costs about half of the others because it does half as much. It is ninety minutes long and it never leaves the pavement, which the listing says twice. You still get a live guide, the canyon walls and the top of the Colorado Plateau, and for some people that is exactly right: anyone who cannot take a rough ride, anyone with a tight afternoon, or anyone who wants the scenery without the bouncing. It is not a cut-down version of the others. It is a different, gentler product.
What the extra $62 buys on our pick
The gap between the cheapest ticket and the Scenic Rim tour is about $62 a head. For that you get an extra hour, real trail instead of tarmac, hotel pick-up in Sedona and the one thing no other tour here offers: the climb of roughly 2,000 feet onto the Mogollon Rim, out of the desert and into Ponderosa pine. It also carries the deepest review base in town, 4.8 from 308 travellers. If you are only doing one jeep tour, that is the one we would spend the money on.
The costs that never make the headline price
- Gratuities, on every tour. Tips are excluded across all six and are customary in Arizona. The Red Rock Range listing says outright that a guide gratuity is recommended.
- An automatic 18% for bigger groups. On the AZ Safari tours, parties of six or more are charged an 18% gratuity upfront at check-in. A family of six on the vortex tour should add that to the total before comparing.
- Food and drink on the Pink Jeep tours. Not included on Scenic Rim, Red Rock Range or Ancient Ruins, so bring your own water. The AZ Safari tours include bottled water.
- Getting to the start. Only Scenic Rim and Rim Run Supreme include pickup. The other four meet in uptown Sedona, which is free if you are staying in town and a drive and a parking space if you are not.
- A car seat, if you have small children. Under-fives on the AZ Safari tours need a full car seat, and you are expected to bring it.
What about the $100 fee?
One listing, Red Rock Range, carries a notice about a $100 per-person National Park Service fee for non-US residents. It is the most confusing line on any Sedona booking page, because Sedona's red rock trails are national forest, not national park. We have pulled it apart in a guide of its own. In short: do not budget for it blindly, and do ask the operator before you travel.
A realistic total for two
Two people on the Scenic Rim tour: two tickets at ~$129, a tip for the guide and a couple of bottles of water. Pick-up is included, so there is no taxi to add. On the pavement tour the same couple pay far less for the tickets, and if they are staying in uptown they can walk to the meeting point. The difference between the two outings is real, but it is smaller than the ticket prices suggest once you count the hotel pick-up and the extra hour.
The one we would spend the money on
~$129 per person, 2.5 hours, hotel pick-up in Sedona and the climb onto the Mogollon Rim. Rated 4.8 out of 5 from 308 reviews, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
In short
Ninety minutes on tarmac costs ~$67. Two to three hours on real trail costs ~$112 to ~$130. Add a tip on every tour, an automatic 18% for groups of six or more on AZ Safari, and your own water on the Pink Jeep runs. If the budget only stretches to one, our pick is where the extra money shows most.