When government gets something right it's worth applauding so here's to the City of Sedona, who definitively answered the need for people to get to and from popular trailheads without having to worry about parking anywhere near them.
The Sedona Shuttle is a free service that takes folks to and from a couple of designated (also free) parking lots to the trailheads of the most popular of Sedona's trails. It runs every 20 minutes and offers free bottled water to those about to embark on their hike. If I had anything negative to say about this service it would only be that the shuttles hold a limited number of people (about 20-25) so they do fill up, in which case you'll need to wait for the next shuttle.*
In addition to the Sedona Shuttle the city also runs 2 other interesting shuttle services:
Sedona Shuttle Connect (SSC) is on-request via app or phone (though nobody answered the phone when I tried that) which picks up and drops off riders at designated sites along a predetermine route. This proved useful when, not wanting to drive in the snow, I used the SSC to get from my hotel (Residence Inn) to downtown Sedona and back. The fee is $2 each way ($1/seniors) and with only a small exception I found this service quite useful. (When requesting a ride back, the app was not recognizing that I was on their route, despite the fact that I was. After moving around several times while retrying, I was able to summon my ride).
Verde Shuttle, which I didn't use, operates more like a bus, with a route that takes you all over Sedona while also linking Sedona to Cottonwood.
I was super-impressed with Sedona's public transport system.
* Pro tip - Make sure everyone waiting to board is in an orderly line (yes, that falls on you) so that boarding happens in a way that's fair to those who have waited the longest. read more