Red Rock Balloon Adventure

This was hands-​down in the top five most amazing adventures we have been on! My husband, daughter and I embarked on this journey and were immediately just so blown away! First, the professionalism was fantastic and we felt incredible safe throughout the morning. Second, the balloons are a truly historic engineering marvel and it was amazing to get to experience three immense yellow orbs come to life right before our eyes. (And this was all before even leaving the ground!) Takeoff was surprisingly smooth and graceful. I *suffer* from motion sickness and I had no issues whatsoever — the balloons ride the wind versus navigate it so there is basically no feeling of movement at all. While in the air, we ascended and descended to catch different currents which move in differing directions and speeds which is how the balloons are «steered». At points we were low enough to see jack rabbits and deer and then climbed high enough to drift over another balloon! We got up close and personal to a rock face, then ascended just enough to glide over it and kiss the tree tops. The vistas of Sedona and the surrounding area are magical from a birds-​eye point of view, especially as the rocks change in color as the sun rises over the formations. Truly each turn off the balloon revealed a new and beautiful sight. Our driver/​pilot, Mark, has been in the field for 25+ years and was highly skilled, funny, and so honest answering the parties’ questions. I must say I did not expect the trip to be such an educational experience! The landing was so exciting as we touched down and Mark used tree top to slow the balloon down. Then, we got to experience the process of deflating and pulling down the balloon. Finally, after a brief but lovely little nature stroll, we wrapped up our adventure with an al fresco morning snack of fruit, muffins and mimosa.
This is an experience I would recommend to everyone and anyone. I’ll be reliving the morning through the gorgeous photos I took and looking forward to doing it all again someday! Thank you to Mark, the crew and everyone at RRB.

I was surprised by my birthday gift from my wife. Even though I am very far from a morning person, we were picked up at our hotel by 5:30 AM by a very pleasant driver. When arriving at the launch site the crew demonstrated putting together the balloons and baskets which was truly educational and amazing to watch. They sectioned the baskets into quadrants of 4 and the captain had his own compartment in the middle. The maximum per basket is 16 people with 4 per quadrant. Our basket included 15 flyers, with our quadrant totaling 3. There was plenty of space to move around. Additionally, we felt safe at all times.
The views and experience of flying with the birds and the angels made this a very tranquil, spiritual and mystical adventure. Not only were we able to fly over the red rock canyons but we were also able to see wild-​life.
The captain/​guide was extremely informational and pointed out things of interest in the air. The landing was soft and smooth. We ended the ride with a celebration that included the crew and other flyers with mimosas, muffins, and fruit.
This was the highlight our our trip and well worth the investment.

I am NOT a morning person and I have to say this was totally worth getting up before sunrise for! The hotel pick-​up was right on time and watching the crew unpack and inflate the balloon was very cool. And it’s hard to describe the experience — floating among some of the most scenic views around with a funny and knowledgeable pilot to name the incredible formations and explain the process.
Landing was impressive as well and the snacks and mimosas at the end were very welcome. A great way to start your day and spend some time among the natural beauty of Sedona.

I was SO SO SO very nervous about this balloon ride, but I now I am SO SO SO very glad that I made myself do this. It was so incredibly beautiful. After being picked up from our hotel at just before 6:00am, we were driven out to the launch site. There we were able to watch the crews unload, unroll and fill the gigantic hot air balloons. Let me tell you, these things are SO MASSIVE. Far larger than I had ever imagined. Taking off right around sunrise, and floating gently above the trees and red rock formations was an experience I will never forget. It was so calm and peaceful that I forgot my worries and was truly able to relax and enjoy the experience. The basket held around 10 passengers and the pilot, and each party was placed in their own little compartment to allow you space and insure that everyone had a good view. It also helped to keep the basket balanced. Our pilot was so informative, and gave great information about ballooning itself but also about the cool things that we were floating next to and over. He made just enough jokes to keep the mood light, but also allowed enough quiet time for us to enjoy the experience as well. After an incredibly gentle landing (I was nervous about that part as well) we were helped out of the balloon and the crew quickly packed up and we were on our way to the picnic spot where a light breakfast of muffins and fruit was served along with our champagne and mimosa toast. The crew recited a traditional Balloonist Prayer and then showed off a few of their souvenir goodies. Although it was a sales pitch it was not in your face or pushy at all.

Going on a hot air balloon ride was on my bucket list. Why I chose this company over another one was because I liked the colors of their balloons. I found out later that not all balloon baskets are created equally and I liked how our was partitioned into compartments so only 4 people could stand in one quadrant and the balloon operator had his own space.
The views were absolutely amazing, the ride was beautiful and Fozzie was a great captain! After we landed, we were taken to an area where the staff provided us with mimosas and a light breakfast.
Kudos to all the staff, it was as magical as I expected it to be!

My husband and I booked a balloon ride about a month before our arrival. Pat was very helpful and gave us all the info we needed to prepare for our ride over the phone. We were promptly picked up from our hotel at 6:15. Red Rock Balloon Adventures were very organized in setting up the balloons and organizing everyone. There are many employees names Mark and they were all great. Our pilot Mark was very knowledgeable and pointed out many sights to be seen. The ride itself was smooth and relaxing and the landing was not rough. After the ride we waited for ~30 minutes for the balloons to be packed up then were provided breakfast and mimosas. Overall it was an excellent experience.

An amazing experience, well worth every penny. This is the premier company to go with in Sedona. Keep in mind the weather determines a lot of your experience but these guys will make it memorable either way. Mark was a great pilot and wonderful host and all other staff members had great personalities. Don’t worry about your fear of heights or flying, the entire trip is under lots of control and very smooth. Breathtaking views that you can’t get anywhere else or with any other company as far as hot air balloons go. Would recommend these guys to anyone and would only fly with them in Sedona.

A hot air balloon ride is essential to the Sedona experience and its reasonably priced. The flight is so peaceful and beautiful matched by a friendly staff.

Amazing day with this company. We celebrated our 11 yr anniversary. Perfect views, great guides. The views were breathe taking. A once in a lifetime trip. The guides were informative, nice and funny. Looking forward to doing it again…6 stars… oops, I can only give them 5

The only other time I’d been on a hot air balloon ride was in Sedona over a decade ago, so I was very psyched to come out and check it out again with my family. I booked with Red Rock largely because they are the first result when you search on Google, but it turns out that the previous time I had gone, it was with the competition (as I remembered their green and yellow balloons). The only negative, to be frank, wasn’t anything about pick-​up or drop-​off (which were right on schedule), but the fact that this wasn’t really a true sunrise balloon ride. By the time we were on the ground shooting hot air to inflate the balloon, it was already light out and the competitors were long in the sky. We eventually made it up, and our captain (believe it was Mark) was a very humorous guy who let us really soak in the sights without saying too much beyond pointing out a few sights here and there. Even with moderate cloud cover, it’s still an absolutely gorgeous sight to behold the red rocks around the Sedona area and simply absorb the peacefulness of drifting quietly through the morning air. Coming up close and scooting over Cockscomb was a highlight, and it was shortly after that when we touched down just opposite the trailhead for Doe Mesa. If you’re a guy of physically active age, it could never hurt to wear your hiking boots, as you’ll likely need to get out and help drag the basket back to the asphalt (over ground which can be a bit muddy). Afterwards, we had a little celebratory breakfast spread — muffins and fruit, with a mimosa — while the rest of the Red Rocks crew joked around with everyone and pushed the merchandise (sort of). The only thing that wasn’t terribly clear, largely because these guys are being funny most of the time, is that you DO have to pay for the champagne glasses at the end… they are not complimentary.
Overall, it’s a fantastic experience once you are up in the air, and as long as you can haul yourself over the side of the basket (there’s no easy door to step in and step out, you’ll generally have just enough personal space to absorb the views and get all sorts of phenomenal photos. My only wish is that we had left earlier so that we could actually catch the sun peaking above the canyon rocks, not quite a bit after it was already light out.

I’m usually really lazy about writing reviews. However, I am just beyond impressed with these guys. They are funny, professional, and very efficient. Thank you so much for the beautiful experience!

A hot air balloon ride was on my wife’s bucket list and that’s what brought us to Sedona. It was worth it. Balloon rides aren’t cheap but it makes sense when you look at the equipment, the number of people them need, and all that they have to do. They picked us up at 5:50 in the morning, we had an amazing ride followed by a brunch of mimosas, muffins, and fruit, and we were back to the hotel by 10:00. It was obvious that our pilot Mark knew what he was doing and although some of the ground crew seemed new, they all worked together to make the experience one that everybody should try. It’s not scary at all and in fact, it’s so tranquil that it’s anticlimactic.

Mark is running a phenomenal business. He happened to be the pilot for our balloon. He was informative and a very good guide. We felt safe and had an awesome time. The entire crew had a great attitude and made the balloon ride a great experience for us! The post flight picnic was also fun. Highly recommended.

Me and my bridesmaids went on this tour for our bridesmaids adventure the day before wedding. The service was impeccable, on time for pick up. I was nervous being in a contraption that was at the mercy of the wind. I immediately put all fears aside — this was a well practiced crew and told us what to expect to quell fears.
My only «complaint» was the bashing of the other hot air balloon company that was out there. Not very professional in my opinion.
Our guide (can’t remember his nick name) was very capable and funny. Showed us how ballooning works. Landed exactly where he thought he would and guided it in easily. I got. Tad nervous when we got so close to tree tops we skimmed them — but he always told us when we would do t. By the second time, it wasn’t nerve wracking anymore. A little frustrated that the wind took us away from the red rock formations but they can’t control that. We did a helicopter ride the day before and that was better because you got up close and personal to the cliffs and canyons. And a tad cheaper.
The mimosas and «to-​go-​sa» were a fun way to end the trip. All in all, a unique experience!

This was a gift for our anniversary, an absolutely gorgeous sunrise over the red rocks in Sedona, LOVE! I am not a morning person but this was so worth it. The balloon team is very friendly (and funny too, as they banter back & forth)), our pilot was very knowledgeable about the area and the experience is peaceful and amazing at the same time.
My only suggestion would be to perhaps provide a more hearty breakfast. We had mimosas, fruit and store-​bought muffins… for the price I admit that I expected a bit more food, like they do in Napa Valley after balloon rides.

Red Rock Balloon Adventure ROCKS! From Phil our incredible pilot, to the entire staff, to the whole experience from beginning to end I can’t said enough about their greatness! Not only did he make us feel extremely safe but Phil was informative and funny. For me to recommend something where you have to get up before the crack of dawn, it better be good and this experience far exceeded what we thought would already be awesome. I can’t thing of a better way to have spent our 29^th wedding anniversary than be be safely floating above the beautiful red rocks of Sedona.

Hands down one of the coolest things I have ever done. We got picked up at 5 am, dress warm it’s chilly! Mark was an amazing pilot. He took us incredibly close to the red rocks and made sure there was not a single dull moment for the entire flight. The hot air balloon ride was calm, relaxing and mesmerizing. After the adventure, we had muffins, fruit and mimosas and the pilots shared a really special «pilots prayer». 5 stars all around!

I booked a hot air balloon trip with Red Rock Balloons about two weeks before I planned to travel to Arizona. First and most importantly, the customer service was out of this world phenomenal. From the phone conversations throughout the reservation process to the finale of mimosas and breakfast. Everyone on staff was eager to make this the best memory, and it was! Mark was our pilot. He was knowledgeable, funny and simply fantastic. We were lucky to get extremely close to the rocks and we have far too many pictures to make friends and family jealous. If you are looking for something to do with a SO, friends or family, this is the perfect morning adventure for all ages. If you’re scared of heights, this is an easy way to overcome those fears. I never once felt uncomfortable or scared.
Reach for the sky! Literally! Can’t say enough good things about this place.

We were picked up from our hotel at 4:30 in the morning, then our drive made a couple of other stops. The driver was friendly and everyone was very excited.
We did this balloon ride on our 9 year anniversary, so it really was a special experience.
We got to the fields and they started setting up the two balloons. The process was pretty quick. It was really cool watching the process.
Once we got into the basket, that is when the excitement started. We watched our sister balloon go up and it was magical.
We started going up and it was very calmful. The location where we went up was by Doe Mountain Trail. It was so incredibly beautiful. Words seriously cannot describe it.
I felt like we were floating. It wasn’t scary at all. I believe we took at least three rolls of photos. We got closer to the red rocks than any of the other companies that we saw out that day.
The landing was very smooth and I was mesmorized.
After packing up the balloons, we went to a picnic site for a light breakfast and unlimited mimosas. They were really good and such a great way to end the experience.
I highly recommend this company and would love to do this again!

So glad I picked them! I reviewed other hot air balloon companies before choosing Red Rock Balloons. They are the only company that take off right in the middle of the Red Rock formations and you fly pretty close to them depending on the wind. The picture opportunities are endless! The other balloons we saw from the other companies were so far away! Poor them! The champagne brunch at the end was nice. Our tour guides were very knowledgeable and I felt completely comfortable the entire time.
A must-​do in Sedona if you have the $$. Totally worth it!