Honanki, Palatki & V-Bar-V: Sedona's Ancient Sites Guide
V-Bar-V has the most petroglyphs and fewest crowds—Palatki is the best first-timer pick.
If you want the most petroglyphs with the fewest crowds and the simplest logistics, start with V-Bar-V (2.8 miles east of the I-17/SR-179 junction on FR-618, $5 day pass). For a classic cliff-dwelling + pictograph experience, go to Palatki—with reservations.
A note for respectful visits
Honanki and Palatki are sacred Sinagua sites important to Hopi and Yavapai-Apache descendants. Please visit with reverence and follow Forest Service interpretive guidelines—especially in pictograph rooms.
- No flash photography in pictograph rooms at any site.
- Service animals only (no pets on trails).
- Dogs not allowed at Honanki, Palatki, or V-Bar-V.
Aim for quiet voices, stay on designated paths, and leave cultural artifacts and natural features exactly as you find them.
Honanki
Cliff dwellings + pictographs—beautiful, but the road and access requirements mean planning matters.
Lowdown Verdict: go guided (especially with the road)
Honanki is reverent and rewarding, yet it often requires a high-clearance vehicle or a guided Pink Jeep tour for safer access beyond about mile 6.
- Best for: pictographs + cliff-dwelling atmosphere
- Access: high-clearance recommended beyond mile 6
- Guided tours: typically ~$120–180 per person
- Important: no flash photography in pictograph areas
Partner option (Honanki heritage tour)
Consider a ranger-knowledgeable guided experience. Availability can vary—confirm tour details when booking.
Affiliate: we may earn a commission from the Viator Pink Jeep Honanki Heritage Tour if you book — at no extra cost to you.
Compare Pink Jeep Honanki optionsPalatki
Cliff dwellings + two pictograph rooms—a structured, ranger-led setting that rewards patience.
Lowdown Verdict: first-timers—book ahead
Palatki is one of the best entrances for most visitors: you get a curated experience with pictographs in rooms. Reservation is required for ranger access, and it’s strongly recommended even if you’re comfortable self-driving.
- Best for: guided interpretation + pictograph rooms
- Reservations: strongly recommended (call for access: 928-282-3854)
- Photography: no flash in pictograph rooms
- Self-drive: possible (with reservation/access)
Self-drive strategy
If you’re skipping the Jeep, plan your timing around your reservation window, arrive early, and be ready for ranger check-in. Keep voices low and follow interpretive instructions.
Compare Pink Jeep vs self-driveV-Bar-V (Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site)
More than a thousand petroglyphs in one place—the largest known rock-art site in the Verde Valley, and the only one of these three you can reach in a regular car without a reservation.
Lowdown Verdict: easiest self-drive, most petroglyphs
Where Honanki wants clearance and Palatki wants a reservation, V-Bar-V (renamed the Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site) sits at the end of paved Forest Road 618 and asks only for a $5 Red Rock Pass on the dash. A flat, maintained trail runs about a half-mile from the visitor center to the panels, where Southern Sinagua artists pecked the images into the rock between roughly A.D. 1150 and 1400. Volunteer hosts on site can point out the solar-calendar panel—shadow markers that track the solstices and equinoxes—which is what keeps archaeologists coming back.
- Best for: the most petroglyphs with the simplest logistics
- Rock art: 1,032 petroglyphs across 13 panels (largest in the Verde Valley)
- Pass: $5/day Red Rock Pass or America the Beautiful pass
- Open: Friday–Monday only; hours shift seasonally—confirm before you go
Plan around the gate hours
V-Bar-V opens just four days a week (Friday through Monday), daytime hours only (roughly 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m., shorter in summer), and the entrance gate locks before closing—confirm current hours before you go. Arrive early, carry your own water (there's none on site), and allow about an hour for the round-trip walk and viewing. Questions: Red Rock Ranger District, 928-203-2900.
Browse Sedona day tripsHonanki vs. Palatki vs. V-Bar-V at a glance
Three Sinagua sites, three different visits. Use this table to match a site to your vehicle, your appetite for planning, and the kind of rock art you most want to see.
| What matters | Honanki | Palatki | V-Bar-V (Crane) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Cliff-dwelling atmosphere with pictographs | First-timers who want ranger-led context | The most petroglyphs with the simplest logistics |
| What you’ll see | Cliff dwellings and pictographs | Cliff dwellings and two pictograph rooms | 1,032 petroglyphs across 13 panels |
| From Sedona | ~17 miles, off FR 525 (northwest) | ~12 miles, off FR 795 (northwest) | Southeast via I-17, then paved FR 618 |
| Road & vehicle | High-clearance recommended beyond ~mile 6 | Standard car, with reservation/access | Any car—the access road is paved |
| Reservation | Guided access recommended | Required for ranger access | None needed |
| Typical fee | Guided tour ~$120–180 per person | Confirm ahead when you book access | $5 Red Rock Pass (or America the Beautiful) |
| Open | By tour schedule—confirm ahead | By reservation—confirm ahead | Friday–Monday, daytime hours only |
| The walk | Short, on guided footing | Short, ranger-led | ~⅓–½ mile each way on a flat trail |
| Dogs | Not allowed | Not allowed | Not allowed |
Phone ahead for the latest: Palatki ranger access 928-282-3854; Red Rock Ranger District (V-Bar-V) 928-203-2900.
A one-day heritage route: Honanki, Palatki & V-Bar-V
All three in a day is ambitious—V-Bar-V sits southeast of Sedona while Palatki and Honanki are northwest—but it works on a Friday through Monday if you start at opening and book Palatki in advance.
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Start: V-Bar-V at opening
Drive to the Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site first, because it opens only limited days and hours (Friday–Monday) and the gate locks about 30 minutes before closing. Drop a $5 Red Rock Pass on the dash, walk the flat ~½-mile trail, and allow about an hour for the round trip and the panels. Ask a volunteer host to point out the solar-calendar panel.
Off I-17, 2.8 miles east of the SR 179 junction on paved FR 618. No water on site—bring your own.
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Midday: Palatki (reserved)
Loop back northwest toward Sedona—budget close to an hour of driving—to your reserved Palatki window. Ranger check-in gets you into two pictograph rooms and the cliff dwellings. Book the access window ahead and keep voices low; no flash in the pictograph rooms.
Forest Road 795, ~12 miles from Sedona. Reserve at 928-282-3854.
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Afternoon: Honanki
Honanki sits just beyond Palatki off FR 525, so pair the two. If you don’t have a high-clearance vehicle for the road past about mile 6, go guided—a Pink Jeep heritage tour handles the route and adds ranger-level context.
~17 miles from Sedona off FR 525. Guided tours typically run ~$120–180 per person.
Prefer a calmer pace?
Split the trio into two relaxed half-days: V-Bar-V on its own morning, then Palatki and Honanki together on a second outing. Either way, fuel up, carry water, and confirm hours and reservations the week before you go.