The Look of Each Desert
Palm Springs sits on the floor of the Coachella Valley, flat and bright, with bare mountains rising straight up behind town. Its beauty is partly man-made: clean-lined desert modernism from the 1950s and 60s, pink and turquoise doors, palms against a blue sky. Canyons with native palm groves start at the edge of town, while Joshua Tree's boulders and twisted yuccas lie about an hour away.
Sedona is all about the rock. Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte rise beside the road as you drive in. The formations change color with the light, glowing red and orange at sunset. The town is surrounded by national forest and wilderness, with hundreds of miles of trails. At night, as an International Dark Sky Community, it offers some of the darkest skies in the country.
Palm Springs feels like a stylish retreat with the desert as backdrop. In Sedona, the landscape is the main event.
Where You Will Stay
Palm Springs runs on small boutique hotels rather than big resorts. The Movie Colony and Warm Sands neighborhoods are full of restored mid-century and Spanish-style inns with a handful of rooms. Korakia Pensione and Sparrows Lodge have a quiet, rustic feel, while The Parker Palm Springs is playful and colorful, with gardens and a spa. Many small inns are kid-free. Private vacation rentals with their own pool are common and can cost less than a hotel suite. Full-service golf and spa resorts sit down valley in Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert and Indian Wells.
Sedona's top stays are destinations in themselves. Enchantment Resort sits deep in Boynton Canyon with casitas, plunge pool suites and access to the Mii amo spa. L'Auberge de Sedona offers fireplace cottages beneath sycamores along Oak Creek, with dinner at Cress. Ambiente, A Landscape Hotel, is a kid-free collection of glass atriums with rooftop decks and fire pits for stargazing.
Ways to Spend the Day
Palm Springs asks very little of you, which is the point. Ride the Aerial Tramway up Mount San Jacinto to pine forest that can be 30 degrees cooler. Walk the palm groves of Indian Canyons on the lands of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. Drive to Joshua Tree for a sunrise or sunset walk and stay for the stars. Bike past famous mid-century homes, book a couples massage at a mineral spring spa in Desert Hot Springs and browse Thursday's VillageFest street fair.
Sedona is more active. Start with a sunrise balloon flight over the red rocks. Hike Devil's Bridge, a natural sandstone arch with sheer drops beside it, or Cathedral Rock, Boynton Canyon and the West Fork of Oak Creek. Bounce along Broken Arrow on a jeep tour, visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross and watch sunset from Airport Mesa. After dark, join a guided stargazing tour. Many couples add a vortex tour or a sound bath.
Seasons Side by Side
Palm Springs is a winter destination. October through April is the sweet spot, with March and November especially pleasant. Winter days are warm and sunny, though nights can drop into the 40s. Peak season runs January through April, with Modernism Week in February and the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals filling hotels across the valley on April weekends. From June to September, highs commonly pass 105°F and some smaller hotels close.
Sedona's classic seasons are spring and fall, March to May and September to November, with warm days, cool nights and ideal hiking. They are also the busiest and most expensive times. Summer brings days well into the 90s and monsoon thunderstorms from roughly July to September. Winter is quieter and crisp, sometimes with snow dusting the red rocks, which makes fireplace suites and stargazing especially appealing at better rates.
For a December to February honeymoon, Palm Springs is warmer. For April or October, both shine.
Food and Evenings
Palm Springs evenings follow a happy hour ritual. Martinis, margaritas and anything with grapefruit appear on every menu. Patios have misters and mountain views. Melvyn's at the Ingleside Inn is a long-running throwback with a piano bar and tableside service. Brunch matters on weekends. Try a date shake at Shields Date Garden in Indio, then drive out to Pappy and Harriet's in Pioneertown for barbecue and live music.
Sedona's dining punches above its size. Expect Southwestern flavors like chiles, blue corn and prickly pear, along with plant-forward cafés and resort dining rooms where the views are often the best in town. Time dinner for sunset and try a prickly pear margarita. The Verde Valley wine region nearby has tasting rooms in Cottonwood, Jerome and Page Springs, which makes a good day out.
Palm Springs evenings are social and retro. Sedona evenings tend to end early under the stars, often by a fire pit at your resort.
Budget and Travel
Palm Springs is the easier and usually cheaper choice. Good boutique hotels run roughly $250 to $550 a night in season. Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) is just minutes from downtown, with nonstops from many western cities and seasonal winter flights from the East Coast and Midwest. Many couples instead fly into Los Angeles (LAX) and drive two to three hours, which pairs well with a few days on the coast. In central Palm Springs you can walk, bike or use rideshare.
Sedona's top resorts typically run from roughly $700 to well over $1,500 a night in spring and fall, though West Sedona has better value. Fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX), about two hours away, or the smaller Flagstaff airport (FLG), roughly 45 minutes. A rental car is the practical choice. Many trailheads require a Red Rock Pass. The free Sedona Shuttle serves popular ones. All prices are approximate.
Linking the Two Deserts
The drive between Palm Springs and Sedona is about five and a half hours, so combining them works best on a road trip of a week or more. A good plan is three nights in Palm Springs for pools and Joshua Tree, then a long drive east to four nights in Sedona, with a day trip to the Grand Canyon about two hours north.
With less time, choose one. For a winter wedding and a short, restful trip, Palm Springs is the easy answer. For spring or fall with an appetite for trails and big views, Sedona wins.
In both deserts, drink more water than you think you need, wear high-SPF sunscreen and hats and start hikes early. Joshua Tree has limited cell service and few services, so download maps and fill up on gas. In Sedona, book balloon flights early in your stay in case weather forces a reschedule.
