Northern Light Balloon Expeditions can carry up to 7 or 14 passengers in one hot air balloon, depending on the balloon assigned to your flight. Because capacity also depends on passenger weights and current weather conditions, the exact number may vary based on the company’s equipment and balloon capacity. 

You should wear long pants, a sleeved shirt, practical layers, and fully enclosed, supportive shoes for hot air balloon rides. Long clothing protects you from brush and prickly desert plants near the launch and landing areas, while sturdy shoes provide support on uneven ground. 

Morning temperatures change throughout the year, so choose lighter layers during warmer months and heavier layers on cool winter mornings. You should also wear a hat to protect your head from the burner’s radiant heat. Read our complete recommendations for what to wear on a hot air balloon ride. 

Hot air balloon rides are considered safe when qualified pilots operate a well-maintained aircraft in suitable weather conditions. Northern Light Balloon Expeditions’ experienced commercial pilots follow established FAA requirements for hot air balloons and evaluate the weather before every launch. 

Hot air balloons should not fly in rain or other weather that could create unsafe operating conditions. Rain may be accompanied by poor visibility, unstable air, or storms, so your pilot reviews forecasts and current conditions before deciding whether to launch. Learn more about the perfect weather for hot air balloon rides. 

Hot air balloons cannot be steered with a wheel or pointed in a specific direction like an airplane. Your pilot guides the flight by climbing or descending into wind layers moving in different directions, but the wind still determines the general route. Read about the science and skill behind steering a hot air balloon. 

A hot air balloon can reach extreme altitudes, but passenger flights usually remain between a few hundred and a few thousand feet above the ground. Your pilot chooses an altitude based on wind layers, visibility, and landing options, which all affect how high a hot air balloon can fly. 

A hot air balloon travels at approximately the same horizontal speed as the wind surrounding it. Because the balloon moves with the air, you may feel very little wind or forward motion inside the basket. Your pilot uses different wind layers to manage the route and prepare for a suitable landing. 

The amount of weight a hot air balloon can lift depends on the outside temperature and the combined weight aboard the aircraft. Northern Light Balloon Expeditions does not use one strict passenger weight limit, so you must provide accurate weights when booking. Review our physical requirements for riders. 

Northern Light Balloon Expeditions’ baskets do not have passenger seats, so you must stand throughout the flight. You must meet our physical requirements for riders, including the ability to stand for up to two hours as well as enter and exit the basket.

Expectant mothers cannot ride with Northern Light Balloon Expeditions under the company’s current insurance and safety requirements.  

Although most landings are gentle, some may include bumps, jostling, or the basket tipping onto its side. The restriction protects you and your baby from the physical demands of an unpredictable landing. Review Northern Light’s physical requirements for riders before making a reservation. 

You must be at least five years old and 42 inches tall to fly with Northern Light Balloon Expeditions.  

These hot air balloon requirements ensure that young passengers can see over the basket and follow the pilot’s directions. Parents should review all physical requirements for hot air balloon riders before booking a family flight. 

While hot air balloons can legally fly at night, Northern Light Balloon Expeditions does not offer nighttime passenger flights because its Sedona balloon flight schedule takes place around sunrise. Cooler morning air and typically calmer conditions create a better setting for flying and landing.   

You can exchange vows during a private hot air balloon flight with Northern Light Balloon Expeditions when the details are arranged in advance. A short ceremony works best in the basket, where space and flight conditions shape what is possible.  

$375 per person. 

Yes, we offer private balloons every day of the week, depending on availability. A small private balloon is $2,625. A large private balloon is $4,500. The number of people flying as well as their weights determine which size balloon you need.   

We only offer a discount for active-duty military. Please call the office to book if this applies to you. This does not apply to private balloons. Otherwise, we occasionally offer coupons for those with the Sedona Passport. Their website is: Sedona Passport — Your Guide to Sedona, Arizona  

Operating a hot air balloon ride company in Sedona is more expensive than in other areas. Getting supplies and equipment to Sedona costs more and living costs are higher. Additionally, Sedona area tour companies must also pay fees to the US Forest Service to use the Forest Service land. If you just want to fly in a hot air balloon, and don’t care where, balloon companies in Phoenix are cheaper.   

No. The picnic is a complimentary service we add on.  

As they weigh nothing and are normally very polite, we fly ghosts and spirits for free. Poltergeists are prohibited.   

You can still fly, though you may get scrapes and cuts from the local flora. If we must land far from a road, you will also have to potentially hike in uncomfortable or unsafe shoes.   

Yes. Please.  

Eww. No thank you.  

We never know where the balloons will go each day, as the flight path is dependent on the wind. If you want to fly to exact rock formations, we recommend helicopter or plane tours, which are also fantastic in Sedona.  

Our launch site is off Lower Red Rock Loop Road, around 1,500 ft from the Sedona City limits and a few miles north of Red Rock State Park. 

The City of Sedona has instructed us there is a city code prohibiting balloons from launching inside the city limits. Legally, we can fly over, and land inside the city limits, however, doing so often creates a lot of unwanted attention. City landings occasionally create calls to emergency services from people who think we really shouldn’t be there. Then come the social media posts claiming our normal landings are emergency landings because that’s way more exciting, they’re very certain they know more about landing balloons than we do, and they mistake the built-in turning vent for a rip. Next time someone parks their car where we don’t think it should be, we will take pictures and call it an emergency parking. “Prayers! Hope everyone was okay!”  

We are one of only two hot air balloon companies permitted by the Coconino National Forest, Red Rock Ranger District, to fly the Sedona area.  

No matter who you fly with, you’ll have a great time, because balloons are awesome and Sedona is beautiful. However, there are some key differences. We prefer to fly the smaller balloons instead of 16 and 20 passenger balloons, because we don’t like crowds either. We offer free pick-up and drop-off service to most local hotels. After the flights, we offer complimentary pastries with champagne. Additionally, we built our own online booking system. This means your data is not for sale and we have zero fees or taxes to add to the price. In the event we must cancel your flight, we refund your money as fast as your bank will allow; typically, in around five business days. Both companies have equally excellent safety records.   

There are no doors on our baskets, so you must be able to throw your leg over the side, as though mounting a horse, and climb in that way. The baskets do have built-in steps to help you, and our pilots and crew are skilled at assisting everyone climbing in and out of the basket.  

No. Stools, chairs, crutches, or anything that could bounce around the basket during landing are forbidden, as they could injure you or others.  

We recommend only small bags, purses, or backpacks.  

We will need to know the weight of the equipment you’re bringing with you to know if it will fit. It will also need to be secure for landings. Please ask our reservationist.  

We have not yet banished the selfie stick, but we have been very tempted after some poor stick behavior. If you have a selfie stick, please, do not poke others with it or wave it in front of others, especially the pilot. You must pack it away as soon as the pilot tells you it’s time. We know you want to capture the landing with the selfie stick, but it really isn’t safe, so you will need to put it away before landing.  

Typically, the fear of heights is not triggered by flying in a hot air balloon. The basket is so stable, it feels like you’re still standing on the ground. With nothing under you (as when you’re at the top of a building or cliff), your brain has trouble finding reference points to tell you how high up you are, creating a loophole in the fear. However, nobody knows you like you, so trust your own judgment.  

Hot air balloons are incredibly stable. As they move with the wind, there is no turbulence, so you will not get motion sickness on board. If you have trouble riding in vehicles, please let our staff know. Sedona is not a large place, so most drives are too short to be a problem.  

Yes. Sunrise offers cooler temperatures and a more stable atmosphere, perfect for balloons. Unpredictable winds and thermals in Sedona often start in the late morning and last well into the night, making early mornings the safest time to fly in Sedona.  

Legally, we are not allowed to fly before official sunrise. We do our best to rise with the sun, however, conditions outside of our control sometimes put us in the air a bit after sunrise. Sometimes, guests are late for their pick-up, and sometimes the winds aren’t perfect until just after sunrise. If your entire trip will be ruined if you’re not in the air the exact second the sun rises, a balloon ride might not be the adventure you’re looking for. Helicopters and airplanes have more control over when they can take off and would be perfect tours for you.   

For the safety of the animals, no. We don’t want anybody, no matter the species, jumping over the side, and non-humans will not be able to comply when the pilot tells everyone to hold on tightly.

We are sorry to hear that. The first question is, was the offending balloon green and yellow? If not, it wasn’t us. If so, we really would rather not fly over houses because they mostly aren’t very pretty, but people keep building houses in the desert where we’ve been flying for over 50 years. Your estate agent really should have warned you. You did not buy the airspace over your property, and we are legally allowed to fly over houses. The good news is, we’re over houses for a very short period of time, it only happens a few times a year, we are not peering in at you, we have zero interest in you, and we are not planning a home invasion. We’re just looking for a safe place to land. Also, have you tried meditation? Yoga perhaps? Maybe a calming massage? Sedona has a lot to offer!

No.

We have space inside the Sedona Artists’ Market, next to the Harkins Theater in Sedona where we sell all kinds of goodies.  

We are unable to provide special foods. However, you are very welcome to bring your own foods. Please let staff know, label your special food, and it can be put in the ice chest to keep it safe for you.  

Yes! Temperatures in the winter in the early mornings can be very cold. Sedona usually gets ice and snow in the winter. Cold temperatures are fantastic for flying hot air balloons, so we will not cancel if it’s cold or there is ice or snow on the ground. Please be sure to bring appropriate clothing for winter flying. Warm socks are a great idea!