Morning in Boynton Canyon begins with sound before light. A canyon wren runs its falling scale down the rock. Juniper smoke drifts from somewhere. Then the sun reaches the top of the western wall and pours down it, and the whole canyon, which a minute ago was the color of cold coffee, ignites. From the patio of a casita at Enchantment, you watch it happen with a cup in your hand and nowhere you need to be, and for a moment you understand why people have been coming to this canyon for as long as there have been people.
Enchantment was named to the Where to Stay: Nearby Nature category of the 2026 Sunset Travel Awards. Plenty of hotels have a view of Sedona’s red rocks. Very few are inside them. That is the difference here, and it shapes everything about the stay.
Where you are
Boynton Canyon is a box canyon on the northwest side of Sedona, about 110 miles north of Phoenix, walled by the same banded sandstone that made this town famous. The canyon opens onto the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness within Coconino National Forest, and it is held sacred by the Yavapai and Apache peoples, whose stories connect this place to the beginning of their people. Look for the slender spire called Kachina Woman near the canyon mouth; it is the landmark most visitors photograph without knowing its name.
Sedona itself sits at about 4,350 feet in the transition between the Colorado Plateau and the lower desert, which is why juniper, pinyon, Arizona cypress and prickly pear share the same slopes. It is also an International Dark Sky Community, one of the early towns to earn that designation, and on a clear night from Boynton Canyon the ceiling of stars is dense enough to cast faint shadows.
| Location | 525 Boynton Canyon Rd, Sedona, Arizona, inside Boynton Canyon |
|---|---|
| Setting | 70 acres bordered by Coconino National Forest and the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness |
| Stays | 218 casitas and suites with fireplaces, vaulted ceilings and patios |
| Spa | Mii amo, a destination spa that opened on the property in 2001 |
| Trail access | Trail House (opened 2020) with guides and bikes; Sedona has nearly 400 miles of hiking and biking trail |
| Nearby | Flagstaff about 30 miles via Oak Creek Canyon; Grand Canyon South Rim about two hours |
The stay itself
Enchantment’s adobe-toned casitas are scattered up the canyon slope, each with a fireplace and a patio angled at the walls, so the landscape is the art on every wall that matters. The resort runs a full program: two outdoor pools, tennis and pickleball, pottery and watercolor at the Artist Cottage, stargazing, and Camp Coyote for kids. Dining spans three concepts built around regional flavors.
The most interesting building on the property may be the smallest. The Trail House, opened in 2020, is a 4,000-square-foot hub designed as a gateway to the land, with a map room, a topographic table, bikes, gear and guides, several of whom come from Forest Service backgrounds. Enchantment has also set up the Boynton Canyon Foundation, which puts proceeds from guided adventures toward trail and ecosystem care. That is the kind of detail that separates a resort in nature from a resort that answers to it.
Then there is Mii amo, tucked at the far end of the canyon. Opened in 2001, it is one of the most celebrated destination spas in the country, and its treatments draw on the landscape and cultural traditions of the region. Many guests book the spa first and the rest of the trip around it.
The honest caveats: with 218 keys, this is a large resort, not an intimate hideaway, and its rates sit at the top of the Sedona market. Boynton Canyon is also one of Sedona’s most popular hikes, so the trailhead just outside the gate is busy by midmorning. Stay here and you have the canyon at dawn and dusk, which is precisely when it is at its best.
Out the door: the country within an hour
Boynton Canyon Trail
Right from the resort’s edge, the Boynton Canyon Trail (#47) runs about three miles one way into the canyon, gaining roughly 600 to 800 feet as it moves from open juniper into cooler forest beneath the walls. A short spur called the Vista Trail climbs to a saddle beside Kachina Woman. Go at first light, carry more water than you think, and please stay on the trail; the soil crust here takes decades to recover.
Fay Canyon and Devils Bridge
Fay Canyon, one canyon over, is a gentler, shadier walk with a hidden arch high on its east wall. Devils Bridge, Sedona’s largest natural sandstone arch, is a short drive east and one of the most photographed spots in Arizona. Expect a line to stand on it at midday; at sunrise, you may have it nearly to yourself.
Palatki Heritage Site
About half an hour away on a dirt road, Palatki preserves Sinagua cliff dwellings and an extraordinary gallery of rock art spanning thousands of years. Reservations are recommended, and the rangers and volunteers who guide visitors are some of the best storytellers in the region.
Oak Creek Canyon and Flagstaff
North of town, Highway 89A climbs through Oak Creek Canyon beside a clear, sycamore-shaded stream, one of the loveliest drives in the Southwest, and up onto the pine forest around Flagstaff. From there the Grand Canyon’s South Rim is an easy day.
When to go
March through May and late September through November bring the best walking weather, with warm days and cool nights. Summer is hot, often above 95 degrees in town, and July through September brings monsoon storms, lightning and brief flash floods; hike early and be off exposed ridges by early afternoon. Winter is quietly wonderful: cool, clear, occasionally dusted with snow, and far less crowded.
Two practical notes. Many Sedona trailheads require a Red Rock Pass or an interagency pass to park. And the free Sedona Shuttle runs to several of the most crowded trailheads, which saves both frustration and the roadside vegetation that overflow parking destroys.
What our place data shows
Run Enchantment against the Ideal Location trail atlas and the numbers are remarkable: 87 mapped trails within five miles of the resort and 162 within ten, among them Boynton Canyon, Fay Canyon, Brins Mesa, Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, Devils Bridge and Chimney Rock Pass. Very few hotels anywhere in the country sit inside a trail network this dense. Only its neighbor Ambiente, a few miles away, scores higher in this series.
Our nonprofit directory also shows how many people are working to keep this landscape intact. Within five miles of the resort: the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund, Keep Sedona Beautiful and the Oak Creek Watershed Council. Sedona welcomes millions of visitors a year, and the trails you walk here are maintained in large part because of groups like these.
Our EARTH read
A provisional, editorial read against the five dimensions of Ideal Location’s EARTH framework, based on public information rather than a verified assessment. Here is how the EARTH Watchlist works.
| Experiences | Exceptional. You sleep inside the canyon, not beside a view of it. |
|---|---|
| Adventures | Exceptional. Trails from the door, a dedicated Trail House and guides. |
| Rejuvenation | Exceptional. Mii amo is among the best destination spas in the West. |
| Togetherness | Strong. Pools, fire features, family programs and group adventures. |
| Home | Good. Beautiful casitas, though scale keeps it from feeling intimate. |
The verdict: the strongest nature-and-wellness pairing on the Sunset list, and a benchmark for what a large resort can do when it treats its canyon as a partner. If your idea of a Sedona trip is walking out your door into the red rock at dawn, this is the place to do it.
Questions travelers ask
Where is Enchantment Resort in Sedona?
Enchantment Resort is at 525 Boynton Canyon Road, inside Boynton Canyon on the northwest side of Sedona, Arizona, about 110 miles north of Phoenix. The 70-acre resort borders Coconino National Forest and the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness.
Can you hike from Enchantment Resort?
Yes. The Boynton Canyon Trail begins beside the resort and runs about three miles one way into the canyon. The resort’s Trail House offers guides, bikes and route advice, and Sedona has nearly 400 miles of hiking and mountain biking trail.
What is Mii amo?
Mii amo is the destination spa at Enchantment Resort, opened in 2001 at the far end of Boynton Canyon. It offers treatments inspired by the landscape and regional traditions and is widely ranked among the top spas in the United States.
When is the best time to visit Sedona?
Spring (March to May) and fall (late September to November) have the best hiking weather. Summers are hot, with monsoon storms from July to September, and winter is cool, clear and less crowded.
Do you need a Red Rock Pass at Boynton Canyon?
Many Sedona trailheads on national forest land, including Boynton Canyon, require a Red Rock Pass or an interagency pass displayed in your vehicle. Guests walking from the resort do not need to park at the trailhead.
Landscape photographs are freely licensed via Wikimedia Commons, with photographers credited beneath each image. Property details were checked against the hotels’ own published information and the sources noted in the text as of September 2026; rates and seasons change, so confirm before you book.