Visiting Rachel’s Knoll in Sedona was one of the most memorable things we did while in Arizona. Here’s how you can find and visit this beautiful location.
*We use ads so we can pay for our travels and continue to bring you free travel advice. We also use affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. See our Privacy Policy for more information.
While we were in Arizona, a friend told us that we should be visiting Rachel’s Knoll in Sedona. It was an amazing little spot at the Seven Canyons country club.
It has been closed to non-members for years but can now be visited again with certain restrictions. Rachel’s Knoll is said to have some spiritual energies, vortexes. You might feel them while you climb up the hill.
Since we had been hiking close by and we had some time left during the daylight, we decided to check out a place our friend recommended to us. Rachel’s Knoll was not difficult to find, but we didn’t know that the access there was so limited.
We actually didn’t know anything at all about this place until we stepped into what maybe was the most beautiful place we saw in Sedona.
🥜 RACHEL’S KNOLL IN A NUTSHELL 🥜
🧘♀️ Rachel’s Knoll is a peaceful place where you can experience the Sedona Vortex
🚗 You need a car to get to the Rachel’s Knoll or you can book this tour that stops there
💵 Visiting Rachel’s Knoll is free but there is a small fee to get into the country club.
🗝 If you are looking for a place to stay in Sedona, we recommend this hotel!
WHAT IS RACHEL’S KNOLL?
In the 1970’s Rachel Patty Lunt was looking to purchase some land in Sedona. While looking at the areas she could buy, she came to this place. It is said that when Rachel stepped on the knoll, she felt the energies going through her body. It was just so beautiful. She knew right away, that this was her special place.
Rachel figured that a place like that should be for everyone to enjoy. So she became dedicated to keep this place open to people living in and visiting Sedona.
When people talk about Sedona, they often mention the spiritual aspect of it, the vortex. Sedona is said to have several energy centers which are called vortexes. It is thought you can get positive energy from the vortex sites and you can feel it in your body.
Rachel’s Knoll was also used for meditation and spiritual gatherings. But Rachel was not the first one to use it for that. It used to be a sacred area for Native Americans and they used it for their ceremonies. In 1995 a Peace Pole was placed on the site.
When Rachel died in 2001 her children ended up selling the land. Even though it was agreed that Rachel’s Knoll would stay open for visitors, the buyers did not honor it and closed the area with gates. Rachel’s children and their lawyers fought in court to get it open again.
VISITING RACHEL’S KNOLL IN SEDONA
As mentioned earlier, visiting Rachel’s Knoll is now possible. But since it is located inside a gated communtiy, we had to check in at the gate. They only let in one car at a time, but we lucked out as the visitor before us had just left. There was a small entrance fee and we got a tag to put on our car window. Then we drove up to Rachel’s Knoll.
We were told to drive all the way to the end of the road and park at a marked cul de sac. It was next to a residential house, so we tried not to disturb anyone while we were up there. Rachel’s Knoll was right by the parking area and it was absolutely beautiful.
We sat down for a while just to enjoy the view and peaceful ambiance. The red rocks looked amazing against the beautiful blue sky. Sorry to say this, but the only eye sore was the golf course down in the canyon. But I totally understand why Rachel was so attached to the knoll.
We walked around the little trails around the knoll and stopped at the Peace Pole for a while. No one else was there so we got the whole place to ourselves. We enjoyed our visit, but we didn’t want to stay too long in case other people would like to get up to the knoll too. So we headed back to our car and left. But we were happy that we got to see this amazing place!
If you plan to visit, just look for the Seven Canyons Neighborhoods. Stop at the gate and tell them that you want to go up to Rachel’s Knoll. And when you are up there, just breathe and let all that beauty sink in!
Rachel’s Knoll
Where: Sedona, AZ 86336
Open: Daily from 9am. to 5pm.
Cost: $3 per car
🧘♀️🧘♀️🧘♀️
Sedona in over all was such an amazing place to visit. For an outdoorsy person there is so much to do, and so many beautiful trails to visit. We also went to see Montezuma Castle which was only a short drive away. It was very interesting and we can definitely recommend it.
If you are exploring more of Arizona, here are some places you shouldn’t miss. Some of our favourite places include Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley and Petrified Forest National Park.
Just make sure to book your accommodation early since especially weekends and holidays are often sell out. If you are looking for a nice resort, this is our recommendation. For a last minute quick weekend getaway with a budget, we found this hotel which worked ok for what we needed.
Have you visited Rachel’s Knoll? How was your experience?
🇺🇸 OUR USA TRAVEL RESOURCES 🇺🇸
🗝 Hotels & Vacation Rentals: We usually find the best hotel deals here and also check this site.
Vacation homes and condos we book through VRBO.
🚗 Car Rentals: We compare rental car prices on DiscoverCars to find the best deals worldwide.
🗺 Tours & Activities: We usually book tours through Viator or GetYourGuide.
Both have huge selections and easy cancellation.
🎫 Concerts & Events: We buy event tickets through Ticketmaster, one of the most reliable platforms.
✈️ Flights & Online Security: We use VPN when searching for flights.
It can sometimes help finding better prices and also protects Wi-Fi when traveling.
📞 Travel eSIM & Data: For mobile data abroad, we use Yesim so we can navigate and stay connected.
🩹Travel Insurance: We always travel with insurance and use SafetyWing on our trips.
For more pictures and videos, check out our Instagram @paulagaston
I visited Sedona with my aunt on mid September. We went on a tour and Rachel’s knoll was one of the sites visited. After the guide told us about Rachel’s story, we were left to take pictures for a couple of minutes. While I was standing by the tree I raised my arms and took a deep breath taking all the beauty in when I felt a tingling sensation crawling through my feet and into my upper body. All of the sudden the air lifted my blouse (luckily I had another layer underneath) and played with my hair. I turned around to tell my aunt but she was already in the van waiting for me. It was a beautiful experience. I would love to return one day with my children.
What a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing it. It’s a special place for so many.
I visited Sedona for the first time in 1993 and had a spiritual awakening at Rachel’s Knoll. Tears of joy rolled down my face as I walked the trails and took in the magnificent views. Never had I felt such joy and love, I didn’t understand it at the time but came back to Sedona 9 times in 7 years and each time visited the Knoll. The last time I went they were starting the construction of the resort and homes, I was filled with despair and such grief I wept uncontrollably and vowed never to return again.
Upon returning home on our visit and developed the film I was blessed with a photo of an image of a beautiful ghostly image unexplained and not seen by my eye when I took the photo. It was my confirmation of how special this place was and I was grateful for this gift Spirit blessed me with . I now have a yearning to return and the site was helpful in my endeavor in the future.
Thank you for sharing your story Jean! It’s such a beautiful one. I wish I would have visited Rachel’s Knoll before they built it up. It definitely felt like a special place even now.
What a great story! I went there 4 the 1st time! So beautiful. Can I get a copy of that photo
Hi Dan. Can you send me an email at paula.gaston@mail.com about which photo and what is it going to be used for. Thanks.
I am now sorry we missed Rachel’s Knoll when we were in Sedona. We did not get close to any of the vortex spots so this might have been an interesting experience. But even if I did not feel the positive energy, those views would be worth the visit. Good to know how to get into the Seven Canyons Neighborhood to visit.
Sedona is definitely worth a visit as it is very beautiful.
Wow! Rachel’s Knoll really is gorgeous. I love the plaque honoring her. It is so sad that the purchaser di not honor the agreement to keep it open to the public. It is difficult to lose someone you love, to have the followed by a legal battle is sad. You certainly lucked out to get entrance without a wait
I agree about honoring the agreement. But at least it is now open again and takes visitors as Rachel wanted.
I have always wanted to visit Sedona to experience the incredible views… and to see if I can feel the energy vortexes. A friend of mine just moved out to Arizona so I sent this her way, and maybe that means I’ll be able to take a trip and visit Rachel’s Knoll myself! Thanks for sharing the details of how to access.
Absolutely! I think you should go! 👍