Best Options for Sightseeing in Sedona with Elderly Parents
What are the best options for sightseeing in Sedona with elderly parents? Not the average question a retiree would get from a friend. But I do have the answer to it!
Author, Cynthia Ross Tustin – April 11, 2023
As people are healthy and active longer, those of us “of a certain vintage” find ourselves assisting even older active people. Honestly, my grandfather played golf until the ripe old age of 98.
I also get asked this question because of the research and writing I’ve done on the area, The Best 9 Outdoor Sedona Tours for Seniors! Hopping on a train and seeing the sights is a unique and relaxing way to see Sedona’s backcountry. But if your elderly parents can’t walk long distances, in the heat, then the Verde Canyon Railway Adventure is your absolute best option.
Don’t have time to research yourself? Then look no further than the Verde Canyon Railway Adventure. Get the details here. This one fills up fast!
Sedona Sightseeing Options for Elderly Parents
Sedona is a great place for sightseeing, for any age. And since the state of Arizona has been a mecca for retirees for decades, they have sightseeing for people with limited mobility or health issues down to a fine art. Great care has been taken to make the town, and much of the National Park lands wheelchair accessible. This means if you can wheel it, you can walk it!
Here are four great options for you and your elderly parents! And always remember, elderly doesn’t mean infirm…or boring!
Sightseeing in Sedona with Elderly Parents
Train Tour: Verde Canyon Railway Adventure
Rating: 5 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from over 1200 reviews
The Verde Canyon Railway Adventure is the best trip for elderly parents because it simultaneously provides you access to the most extreme terrain and the most ease and amenities!
Everything is included when you buy this tour. Knowledgeable guides narrate this 4-hour 40-mile loop through the canyon. This vintage locomotive makes a loop through the Verde Canyon, an area of rugged terrain that’s very difficult to access on foot.
Your trip begins and ends at the Verde Canyon Train Depot (also home to the John Bell Train Museum) in Clarkdale Arizona, just outside Sedona.
What to Expect on the Verde Canyon Railway Adventure
🚂 Fully restored 1953 diesel locomotive, only 2 left in North America
🚂 Access to open-air viewing car
🚂 Champagne toast, appetizers, bottled water
🚂 Restroom in each railcar
🚂 Wheelchair-accessible and service animals allowed
“Brought my family from out of town to enjoying a beautiful train ride through the Verde Canyon area.”
— William M. – April 2023, read more reviews
The canyons in Arizona are breathtaking and they have more than any other state in the US, and possibly the world. This amazing Sedona trip is more than a scenic train ride. It’s a history trip through ancient indigenous tribal lands of the Sinagua people and the American Wild West. And it’s ideal for older adults who don’t, or can’t, hike the backcountry!
Check the price and availability of the Verde Canyon Railway Adventure here
Sightseeing in Sedona with Elderly Parents
Guided Tour: Spiritual Tour Vortex Tour
Rating: 4 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from over 100 reviews
Sedona has always had a mystical quality, and the spiritual vortexes that surround the area add to it. The Spiritual Tour Vortex Tour highlights this fact. The vortexes are special places on Earth where energy is believed to be either entering the Earth or radiating outward.
This tour will take you to at least 2 or 3 Vortexes while receiving information on the vortexes. You don’t have to believe in the mystic to appreciate the history of the area and information on why so many cultures attribute spiritual aspects of the Universe to the Vortexes. You will be driven through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, then you can participate in ancient ceremonies, and have any questions about the nature of the Vortexes.
What to expect on the Spiritual Tour Vortex Tour
🚐 Transportation by air-conditioned minivan
🚐 Hotel/port pickup and drop-off
🚐 Professional Guide
🚐 Live Commentary
“Ron was extremely knowledgeable about Sedona, the vortexes, plant & animal life along with local history. He kept me enthralled the whole time. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting the Sedona area.”
— Susan W. April 2023 – Read more reviews
People believe that the mountains, deserts, and canyons surrounding Sedona hold immense metaphysical energy that has been best described as spiritual and serene in nature. This is because of the region’s inescapable magnetic and psychic pull, many interpreters of the otherworldly plane are drawn to Sedona and settle down to provide their services where the earth’s energy is strongest and their abilities are at their peak.
You can even finish the trip with a psychic reading if you wish.
Check the price and availability of the Spiritual Tour Vortex Tour here!
Sightseeing in Sedona with Elderly Parents
Sedona Helicopter Tour: Wild West Tour
Rating: 5 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from over 25 reviews
There is no easier, or effortless, way to see all of the majestic red rock landscape in and around Sedona than the Sedona Helicopter Tour: Wild West Tour. This guided tour ensures the absolute best views of canyons, rivers, and the windswept rock formations that make Sedona so incredibly unique.
This trip is wheelchair accessible, comfortable, and airconditioned.
What You Can Expect From the Sedona Helicopter Tour: Wild West Tour
🚁 Beverages, bottled water, coffee, or tea
🚁 Alcoholic beverages
🚁 Pilot/guide
🚁 Live commentary while on board
🚁 Headsets to hear the guide clearly
“The entire experience was outstanding! The staff was extremely personable. Even gave us notes on what to do during our stay here. The pilot was the best! We loved the history he shared with us at the different sights we flew by.”
— George M. August 2022 – Read more reviews
Your pilot guide will explain the natural and cultural history of the area, including the story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
This area is renowned for its “cinematic beauty.” Almost 100 movies were filmed here during the 1940s and 1950s. It’s one of the reasons that the Sedona Film Festival just celebrated its 30th anniversary, and many films continue to be made here.
Check availability for the Sedona Helicopter Tour: Wild West Tour here!
Sightseeing in Sedona with Elderly Parents
Night Sky, Galaxy and Star Story, and Sedona Story Tour
Rating: 5 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from over 34 reviews
The Night Sky, Galaxy and Star Story, And Sedona Story Tour is a 2-hour tour through the heavens that will leave you and your family speechless. The Red Rock Country around Sedona is as spectacular at night as it is during the day. And the citizens of Sedona are committed to keeping it that way.
Eco-tourism is key to the area, and so is preservation. The sky is as protected as the landscape. This trip is pure infotainment! It’s a fantastic mix of ancient (Babylonian/Greek/Roman) constellation stories, that also includes local indigenous star associations. And none of the UFO stuff that some other tours. This Sedona tour for seniors is not for Mulder and Sculley!
What You Can Expect From the Night Sky, Galaxy and Star Story, And Sedona Story Tour
🔭 Chairs
🔭 Blankets
🔭 Laser pointer
🔭 Planisphere
🔭 Constellation image big screen
🔭 Geo poster worth a thousand words
🔭 Kokopelli, play-doh milky way, hula zodiac and milky way, planetary size models
🔭 Completely wheelchair accessible
“Chad is an amazing host and tour guide to the stars and history. We all learned something new and walked away with a greater understanding of our place in the stars! Highly recommend.”
— Kysa, April 2023 – Read more reviews
Sedona is one of only a handful of places to receive a Dark Sky Community Designation. There are only 20 in the entire world that make this kind of commitment to the reduction or elimination of light pollution.
Dress for the weather. Bring snacks. And enjoy an evening under the stars, learning the secrets of the cosmos!
Check availability for the Night Sky, Galaxy and Star Story, and Sedona Story Tour here!
Take the Verde Canyon Railway Tour. It offers the most comprehensive views of the canyons and Red Rock Country in the most unique and comfortable way. And because it uses an old ore line, it passes through parts of the backcountry that would otherwise be inaccessible to tourists and hikers.
Yes, crime is relatively low. Most “wilderness” areas fall under the jurisdiction of the National Park Services. Caution should always be used when traveling in unfamiliar, wild terrain, especially at night.
Sedona is a well-known desert town in the state of Arizona. It’s surrounded by red-rock buttes, steep canyon walls, and pine forests. People flock here noted for its mild climate and vibrant arts community. Many New Age shops, spas, and art galleries are located in “Uptown Sedona”. On the town’s outskirts, numerous trailheads access Red Rock State Park, which offers bird-watching, hiking, and picnicking spots.
Let’s Recap The Options For Sightseeing in Sedona with Elderly Parents
If you’re lucky enough to have healthy, active, elderly parents don’t miss an opportunity to spend quality time with them. Sedona is well-known for its vibrant senior community and is well set up for older people who may need a bit of assistance now and then.
All four of these tours are wheelchair accessible. Not that your parents are necessarily in a wheelchair, but it means the terrain is flat and easy to walk. The tours offer comfortable rides with air-conditioning. They are interesting, have incredible vistas, offer time in nature, and are designed not to be too strenuous. Enjoy!
Cheers,
Cynthia
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Cynthia Ross Tustin retired early to pursue her passion for writing. Turns out, she's equally passionate about retirement! This author has spent 1000s of hours researching all the best that retirement has to offer. What you'll find here is a well-curated resource of amazing places to go and fun things to do as your retirement approaches. Not retired, no problem! There's plenty here for all of us that are "of a certain vintage"!