I took this photo during a February snowstorm that dusted the red rocks. The most common question I get about it is “how often does it snow there?”
The short answer is that Sedona gets snow two or three times a year. But of course, I’d like to tell you why — and why its complicated.
First, “Sedona” is used as both the name of the town itself, and the red-rock-dominated region that surrounds the town.
Sitting at a fairly high elevation of 4,360 feet, Sedona the town is what you might call “high desert”, with hot summers and cool winters. Cool — but not necessarily cold. To get snow “in town” in Sedona, a cold front must move in off the Pacific, typically happening between late December and March.
This usually happens two or three times each winter, but sometimes less — such is the randomness of nature.
However, the town of Sedona is at the floor of an elevated valley, so the buttes, mesas, and plateaus surrounding the city top out much higher. For example, in the photo above, the sharp peak on the left — known as “Ship Rock” — tops out at just over 6,000 feet.
And hidden is the fog behind is the Wilson Mountain, a mammoth two-tiered mesa that reaches 7,122. Elevation is important because the higher you go, the colder the temperatures, and the more often rain turns to snow when a storm passes.
Wilson is one of many areas of mountainous “Sedona” terrain that hits 7,000 feet, and these areas get dozens of inches of snow each year. No snowfall data exists for these areas, but nearby Flagstaff (also at 7,000 feet) averages 100 inches of snow per year. The town of Sedona, in contrast averages about 10 inches of snow.
So even if a storm isn’t cold enough to drop the snow level down to town, Sedona’s mountaintops often get dusted, frosting the trees and the sandstone rock faces within view of the city.
On last item of note: if you drive up Highway 89A from Sedona up into Oak Creek Canyon you will climb from from 4,300 feet in Sedona to 6,400 feet at Oak Creek Vista. Through much of the upper reaches of Oak Creek Canyon, the colder weather makes and keeps snow, and is within the general Sedona region as well.
Well damn, this Daily Dose ended up longer than I intended! I get carried away sometimes, ha! Hope you enjoyed my ramble about the Sedona snow.
Stay warm and be well,
-Jake
This photo is included in my Arizona 2025 Wall Calendar, available now with free shipping!
