Sedona

Overall Impression Named for the wife of T.C. Schnebly, the area, at an elevation of 4,500 feet, is best known for its famous red rocks and vortexes or energy centers which appeal to spiritually oriented people many of whom have made the town their part time home. Having visited Sedona in the heat of summer’s low season it’s hard to imagine the town of 14,000 and one main street with four million visitors a year said to pass by the area.

What we liked most was the serene ambiance and striking scenery surrounding the area. We enjoyed hiking the nearby red rocks, exploring the trails and creeks, and searching for the better known vortexes like Boynton Canyon, Airport Mesa, Bell Rock, and Cathedral Rock. We liked walking around town, having dinner by the Oak Creek, going on an early morning balloon ride, a sunset Dosha Tour, a train ride to the Grand Canyon for the day, an outstanding early evening astronomy session hosted by our hotel and enjoying spa treatments. We spent a week exploring the sites and would gladly return to the area.

Cost Of Visiting Reasonable to high

Currency United States dollar

How To Get There The best access at the time we visited was via flights to Phoenix. Once at the airport in Phoenix we rented a car and drove north about two hours along a state highway or a scenic road.

Location About 115 miles north of Phoenix between the Coconino National Forest and the Prescott National Forest.

Money Issues There were banks and ATMs (automatic teller machines) in town and everywhere we went credit cards were accepted.

Technology WiFi connectivity and cell phone access were widespread. There was only one place where my cell phone connection dropped and would not reconnect, the Red Rock Crossing.

Time Pacific Standard Time

Transportation Self driving was the best way to see the area in general. To discover the downtown we parked the car and walked up and down the main road.

Facilities Banks, drugstores, tourist shops, grocery stores and restaurants were all available within a walk or short drive.

Shopping While we found hotels, drugstores, convenience stores and restaurants, there were no large shopping centers in the area and only one sporting goods store. The hotels we stayed in offered little to no shopping options and most of the shops in the town were tourist oriented. Locals we spoke with said they drive to Phoenix where they find lower prices and better selection that in town for monthly purchases.

Tourism Highlights For many visitors the most important single feature of Sedona are the red rocks. Those can be seen from most anywhere outdoors. To see them close up it was necessary to purchase a parking permit ($5 for a day, $15 for a week) from the park service (there were vending machines and our hotel front desk sold them as well) that would allow us to park in designated parking areas on the side of the road to take pictures, follow hiking trails and enjoy the bounties of the area. Another favorite activity for those with a spiritual inclination or just curious was visiting the vortexes. We especially liked the drive along Oak Creek Canyon north toward Williams. The heart of the town was small with one main street lined on both sides with restaurants, art galleries, a variety of stores and souvenir shops. It was a well maintained, clean and new looking area and appeared crime free.

Other We had little luck finding reasonably priced good restaurants.

Date Of Visit August 2009

Reviewers Article by Elena del Valle

Photos by Amparo Cadavid

Would You Visit This Destination Again? Yes