Uptown Sedona
Uptown is the walkable, shop-lined tourist heart of Sedona, centred on the junction of SR 89A and SR 179 that locals call "the Y" and running north along 89A. It's where the town began in 1902.
Galleries, gift shops, jeep-tour outfitters, restaurants, ice cream. Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village, Hyatt Piñon Pointe and Sinagua Plaza are all here.
What it isn't: close to trailheads. Uptown is for an afternoon of eating and browsing, not a hiking base — the red rock trailheads are all a drive away, mostly via West Sedona.
The facts
- What it is
- Commercial / tourist district
- Where it is
- SR 89A at the SR 179 junction ("the Y")
- Good for
- Shopping, dining, galleries, booking tours, walkable evenings
- Not good for
- Trailhead access — everything requires a drive
- Parking
- Four free all-day city lots plus metered spaces on Main Street
Parking is the thing to get right
Most visitors pull straight onto Main Street, find a metered space, and pay. You don't have to.
Four city lots are free with no time limit at all: Jordan Road (which also takes buses and RVs), the Red Rock News lot, the City lot, and the Fire Station lot. Four more are free with a three-hour limit. The Main Street meters run 9am–6pm daily and are free outside those hours.
Full detail, including the new parking garage, is on the Uptown parking page.
The practical move: park once in a free lot, walk everything. Uptown is compact and the traffic through the Y is the slowest in town — you do not want to be repositioning your car.
What Uptown is actually good for
An afternoon out of the sun. Sedona's trails are unshaded and its afternoons are hot for much of the year; Uptown is the obvious place to be between about 11am and 4pm in summer.
Booking things. The jeep tour outfitters are based here, so it's the natural place to sort out tours.
Tlaquepaque. An arts-and-crafts village built as a Mexican colonial courtyard — shaded, genuinely attractive, and the most pleasant twenty minutes of shopping in town even if you buy nothing.
Sunset positioning. Uptown is a few minutes from Airport Mesa, which makes it a sensible place to eat before heading up.
What you're paying for is convenience and atmosphere. Prices are tourist prices, and the best food-per-dollar in Sedona is generally west along 89A.
Frequently asked questions
Is there free parking in Uptown Sedona?
Yes — four city lots are free with no time limit (Jordan Road, Red Rock News, the City lot, and the Fire Station lot), plus four more free with a three-hour limit. The Main Street meters run 9am to 6pm.
Is Uptown Sedona walkable?
Yes, it's the most walkable part of Sedona — a compact strip of shops, galleries and restaurants along SR 89A. Park once and walk.
Should I stay in Uptown Sedona?
It's good if you want to walk to dinner and shops. It's less good as a hiking base — the trailheads are all a drive away, mostly out through West Sedona.
What is 'the Y' in Sedona?
The junction of SR 89A and SR 179 at the south end of Uptown. Directions all over town are given relative to it.
Facts on this page last verified July 28, 2026. Fees, hours, and access rules change seasonally — confirm with the official source before a long drive.