Not Enough Time in Gorgeous Sedona, Arizona

Sedona, Arizona is a beautiful town set in some of the most wonderful scenery I’ve ever visited. Sedona is the town, but also a catchall to refer to the whole region, including Red Rocks State Park (not to be confused with Red Rocks Park near Denver).

One of the days during our Prescott getaway included driving over to Sedona to see a few sites and to do a short hike at Bell Rock, one of the easier and iconic rock formations in the area.

If you want some background music, here’s a song called Sedona, which I like and is really catchy. It doesn’t really have much to do with the town or region in particular, from what I can tell.

We did not spend a lot of time in town since we were there for the nature. The drive from Prescott, through Jerome, to Sedona was beautiful and scenic, and driving through I could tell that it would be a lovely place to spend a week or more–lots of very nice establishments targeted at (this was my impression) an older and more affluent crowd. I was really surprised how different the climate was from Prescott. Sedona is more arid, with red rocks and smaller trees and scrub bushes; Prescott is much more like you’d picture a “mountain” town to be.

Getting to Sedona:

Sedona does have an airport and I’m sure for the right price you could fly in. We drove from Prescott, but most visitors will be driving from Phoenix, Las Vegas, or Los Angeles. You know what? I will let the Chamber of Commerce tell you how to get there since they surely won’t steer you wrong.

Things to do:

Before we tackled Bell Rock, we stopped at the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which has been built right into a rock formation and sticks up into the wide blue sky. I was so taken by the architecture. There was a sign outside detailing how it took 20 years for the chapel to move from inception to completion. There were lots of tourists but it was worth waiting for a parking space. I loved the straight lines and striking architecture of the chapel; I have never seen a Catholic house of worship that resembles this in any way.

After the chapel, we headed to Bell Rock. It had been highly recommended to us because the hike is as easy or as hard as you make it. Well, I must confess we lost the trail and made it much harder than we needed to. We ended up circumnavigating the monolith near the upper part of it. It was easygoing for a while until we got to the back, which was much steeper than the front and pretty sheer in some areas. We kept seeing these little cairns stacked up by those who had gone before us, so that was reassuring, at least. I almost turned around many times.

If you will have more than a handful of hours to spend in Sedona, you can check out more of their famous rock formations, like Courthouse Rock, Snoopy Rock, or Cathedral Rock. If you are into alternative spirituality, you can seek out the four energy vortexes that are supposed to provide you with different type of vibrations.

Food

We ate at wallet-friendly and delicious Señor Bob’s. They serve hot dogs and hamburgers, which we loaded up heavily at the DIY topping stations. If you prefer more highbrow fare, you will surely find something to fit your mood, and Zagat can help you find one with a breathtaking view.

Would that I could spend a whole week in Sedona! I’m sure the fresh, dry air would energize me and I would get a lot of writing done for you guys. What is it about the desert that inspires such creativity?

All photos by Staci Jackson for The Voyageer.