Sedona Arabella Miller Schnebly, a prominent early resident, is remembered in the names of both the town of Sedona and the high mesa to the east (Schnebly Hill). Sedona has a beautiful location in wooded Oak Creek Canyon, beneath eroded red rock buttes and cliffs; the combination of spectacular scenery, easily-accessed backcountry and good facilities make the area the second most visited attraction in Arizona, after the Grand Canyon.

The original town center, by the junction of highways 89A and 179, is now the location of most of the galleries, gift shops, bars and restaurants, bordered by a small residential area to the north, but development is restricted by the surrounding cliffs; most of the town lies a few miles west, on a mesa (Grasshopper Flat), 300 feet above the creek. Here are found various hotels and larger stores, while the local airport is nearby, and higher still, built on Table Top Mountain to the south. From the highway intersection, AZ 179 heads south, passing beneath several more isolated sandstone formations including Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte then enters the Village of Oak Creek, a similarly scenic community that contains several golf courses and has a smaller selection of shops & hotels.