Sedona Side by Side Rentals: Self-Drive ATV and UTV Rentals by the Hour or Day

Rental prices at a glance

The table lines up the three bookable rentals. Pick the half day if you want a focused ride and the full day if you want to cover several trails at a relaxed pace.50 for a full day.

Models and seating

Sedona Off-Road Center runs Honda Talons for rent and lists 2-passenger, 4-passenger and 6-seat Honda Pioneer options, with access to Outlaw Trail, Diamondback Gulch, Vultee Arch Trail and Schnebly Hill Trail. ATV Sedona keeps a fleet of Polaris RZR models plus the Ranger 1000 and the Slingshot. Sedona Slingshot Rentals offers 2024 CanAm Maverick X3 machines with 2 or 4 seats. Northwoods Powersports in Cottonwood claims to be the only rental company in the Sedona area offering ATVs.

For a two-seat half day, the Honda Talon rental at Sedona Off-Road Center is the established pick. For a whole day of riding, choose the full-day Vortex side by side.

Included gear and extras

Sedona Slingshot Rentals includes helmets, goggles, trail maps, a cooler, water and ice. ATV Sedona supplies navigation plus plastic maps, a cooler and ice water, and completes waivers before arrival or at check-in while staff review vehicle, route, safety and equipment. Sedona Off-Road Center includes detailed maps and an ice chest with ice on the half day, with group discounts available.

The trailhead is about a 10 minute drive from the ATV Sedona shop. Ask your operator whether you ride from the lot or trailer the machine.

What costs extra: a security deposit is required at booking with Sedona Off-Road Center, and reviewers mention filling in insurance forms at check-in with ATV Sedona. A Red Rock Pass costs $5 daily, $15 weekly or $20 annually at Coconino National Forest fee sites, per the Forest Service pass program, and Honanki day-use costs $5 per vehicle per day via that pass.

Routes by difficulty and length

Outlaw Trail is a 10.5-mile loop and Diamondback Gulch is a 6-mile loop, both reachable from the Sedona Off-Road Center base. Schnebly Hill runs 11 miles one way and is a classic rough climb with big views, also on that operator's access list. Broken Arrow is a 4-mile round trip. Ranch Loop is 6.5 miles, Cliffhanger 5.5 miles one way and Powerline 6.5 miles one way.

Two routes need paperwork. The Soldier Pass OHV route, 2.5 miles round trip, requires a permit booked at least 72 hours ahead on Recreation.gov. Casner Mountain, 6.75 miles one way, needs a free permit limited per year, arranged by calling the Red Rock Ranger Station.

Stay on open, authorised roads. The Forest Service rule is do not drive off an open and authorised road, obey speed limits and minimise noise in neighborhoods. The Forest Service also reports severe flooding with many closures in the Red Rock Ranger District, so check its alert page before you ride.

A guided option such as the Schnebly Hill Road jeep tour covers that rough climb without you driving it.

A quick fit check

Choose the two-seat Honda Talon half day at $339 if you are a couple or a pair who wants a proven machine on a proven route. Choose the full-day Vortex rental at $575 if you want to link several trails in one day. Choose the $200 Cottonwood UTV if you are a family or group of up to 4 watching the budget.

Skip the rental and take a guided ATV tour in West Sedona if you have never driven off-road, or a hummer or jeep tour if you want someone else to drive. Children matter too: Sedona Off-Road Center requires the primary renter to be 21 or older with a credit card in their name, and children must be 5 or older, per its FAQ. Arizona law under ARS 28-1179 requires anyone under 18 to wear a properly fitted US DOT-rated helmet on an OHV, and an adult may not allow a child to ride without one.

Crowds and seasons

Sedona Off-Road Center tells renters to book two to three weeks in advance for weekends, holidays and spring break. Leave it later and your preferred machine is often gone.

Red Rock State Park weather averages a July high of 97°F and an August high of 94°F. Ride early in the day in summer. The shoulder months are kinder, with average April highs of 73°F and October highs of 77°F. Winter rides are cool, with average January highs of 56°F and lows of 30°F, and the area averages around 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rain from December through March, so check trail conditions after storms.

Stick to mapped routes

The Forest Service lists 11 OHV routes in the Red Rock Ranger District, and those are the routes rental maps cover. Unmapped shortcuts risk a closed route or a fine. If you want scenery without the guesswork, a Pink Jeep Scenic Rim Tour covers the famous viewpoints with a driver who knows the roads.

Deposits, insurance and paperwork

Sedona Off-Road Center requires a security deposit at booking, and its FAQ says the primary renter must be 21 or older with a credit card in their name. Reviewers of ATV Sedona mention filling in insurance forms at check-in. Waivers there are completed before arrival or at check-in.

Those are operators' own published figures, not the tour prices on this page.