Last spring we rolled down into the Verde Valley of northern Arizona and checked in at the Verde Valley Thousand Trails RV park. Booked in for a two-week stay we were super excited to use it as a base for exploring the red rock in Sedona. Driving into Sedona for the first time was jaw dropping. I had seen photos of the area but in real life it was even better. The red and orange colors of the rock blended with a blue sky and green trees made for an almost too good to be true visual.
Sedona’s main attraction is its array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks of Sedona. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The Red Rocks form a popular backdrop for many activities, ranging from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails. – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedona,_Arizona
Our first sunset destination was Cathedral Rock, a very famous rock formation situated near a beautiful river with trees all around. Driving into the parking area the skies opened up and a torrent of rain burst from the clouds confining us to the truck. Not knowing how long the storm would last our hopes of the beautiful sunset photos began to fade. Just as it seemed the pounding rain wouldn’t end, it did, and sun rays poked through the clouds. We dashed from the truck to witness a sight better than we had imagined. A rainbow had appeared above the Cathedral Rock!
Driving through Sedona it is hard to keep an eye on the road. Around every bend is another gorgeous vista to take in. The town also has great shopping, dining and tourist type activities. One of the popular things to do is take a jeep ride out into the red rock country and all around town you see these pink jeeps buzzing about. Pink Jeep Tours, Sedona
I recommend once you arrive in Sedona to grab a map to all the rock formations and head out view them. Here is a good one from the Sedona.TV website that we used. Best time for viewing is early morning or late evening when the sun is low making the rock formation color the most vivid. I also recommend a trip up to Airport Lookout to watch sunset. It’s up on a hill and gives a sweeping view of Sedona with lit up Red Rock mountains in the backdrop.
For hiking enthusiasts there are dozens of trails to choose from. We really enjoyed the trails around Bell Rock and Courthouse Rock and did a nice afternoon hike up into Boynton Canyon. Many of the paths are easy and fairly flat but if you’re adventurous there is some good rock climbing to be had.
One more must do in Sedona is a drive up Oak Creek canyon. Not a great stretch of road for the big RV’s but worth unhooking and driving it with the toad or truck.
Oak Creek Canyon is a river gorge located along the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona between the cities of Flagstaff and Sedona. The canyon is often described as a smaller cousin of the Grand Canyon because of its scenic beauty. State Route 89A enters the canyon on its north end via a series of hairpin turns before traversing the bottom of the canyon for about 13 miles (21 km) until the highway enters the town of Sedona. The Oak Creek Canyon – Sedona area is second only to Grand Canyon as the most popular tourist destination in Arizona. – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Creek_Canyon
Anne and I were blessed with perfect weather while exploring the red rock in Sedona and loved heading out on the warm evenings photographing and hiking in this phenomenal part of the country. Enjoy the gallery below and for more check out Anne’s Sedona blog posts and photos.
If you enjoyed this post please like, tweet, +1 or share it, thanks Ray
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