2019 SouthWest: The Red Rocks ~ Route Alto 80

The drive into Sedona is fabulous. We crossed the Verde Valley and soon descended into Sedona and the Oak Creek Canyon. The red rocks appeared, and only got more spectacular as we drove into town. They are an impressive red, the massive rock cliffs and formations making a bold statement against the blue sky.

The presence of a year round spring fed water source is what first attracted indigenous people to the canyon thousands of years ago. Many years after the indigenous people moved onto other lands, the Homestead Act of the 1870’s motivated the first Anglo pioneers from the Eastern states, lured by the creek and the offer of free land. These pioneering families settled along the creek, farming just enough for their own needs. Thanks to irrigation efforts, the homesteaders soon expanded the plantings and grew orchards of apples and peaches. Ranchers brought in their cattle for grazing, and the miners and loggers created a ready market for the homesteader goods.

Oak Creek...right behind our campground

our shortcut to downtown

A young entrepreneur, T.C. Schnebly saw the need for regular postal service, and applied for a post office which needed an name in order to have one assigned so suggested his wife’s name, Sedona, for the new mail stop in 1902. Very early on Sedona became a favourite Hollywood set location for western movies. After WWII, tourism increased and eventually replaced farming as the main industry. Surprisingly, most of Sedona was actually built within the last few decades. This explains why there is really no historic or old section of town.

Sedona Schnebly's home

Before our trip we had heard so much about Sedona that it was one of our definite ‘must see’ locations to get to. It was a surprise to us how developed and new it was, as we had thought it would be a mix of old and new, like other Arizona towns we have travelled through. The town clearly has evolved around the tourist based retail mecca model, and on the high end scale, mostly art galleries, jewellery stores, spa and yoga studios, and the very prevalent mystic and spiritual healing stores. We were a little taken back by all this, but with the options the surrounding landscape offered, we realized that we can just make our stay here suit what we like to do.

after Roswell, I was intrigued by the "UFO Night Tours"

waiting while Dale shops in the courtyard

Snoopy Rock

I came down with the stomach bug as well, just after we arrived, so the first few days we pretty much hibernated, which helped us both fully recuperate. We planned an extended stay in Sedona, and that turned out to be very fortuitous. Being at a campsite that offered full service hookups, and better yet, cable and wifi, was a treat we rarely get. Those couple of days we watched tons of TV re-runs (like Andy Griffiths), got our strength back, and were ready to roll again.

We started with a loop drive of the Red Rocks Parkway, going into all the trailheads to check out the views of each of the mountain ranges, and their trail maps. It was a great way to see the magnificence of these great red cliffs, and why so many come from all over to experience them.

Cathedral Rock

Bell Rock

Courthouse Rock

We took exploratory walks around our end of town, checked out a cool coffee shop, and our first impression of Sedona, the town, slowly evolved.

Wanting a good way to get to some views, we booked a Jeep tour, which gets you up into areas of the red rocks which would be difficult to hike up to on foot. We took a tour called the ‘Scenic Rim’ which climbs up 1,200 feet, (up from 4,600’ elevation) to the top of the Mund’s mountain range. We were able to look across at the tops of the other ranges, and down into the canyons and Sedona.

it was a perfect day for this adventure

cow pie rock formations

our man Cory kept us all "pink side up"!

after parking, we hiked to the top of Merry-go-round Rock

We both are not fans of heights, and have never off-roaded before, so we knew there would be some freaky moments on the drive. The narrow red dirt road up to the top was full of rocks and boulders, with deep edge drop-offs, so it was a ‘rock and roll’ scary ride. We were with a family in the jeep, All of us tightly seat belted in, and death gripping the grab bars. When the Jeep rolled over the bigger rocks and tilted way over, there was much squealing, and the occasional swear word leaked out, with Dale surprisingly taking the lead on those. Our driver Cory was superb, and overall it was a very worthwhile experience.

We are impressed at how Sedona, like many other places in the SouthWest, value their landscapes and how they are developed. It is clear the zoning bylaws and restrictions have been put in place in to protect it. Having design controls to ensure that all buildings blend in and do not compete with the surrounding mountain ranges, controlling building heights, materials, and colours, so that one sees the mountain ranges first, helps preserve the views. You really have to look closely to find the homes and buildings that are nestled into the hills.

It is outstanding to see the effects of these zoning controls, and how they have prevented the land from being eroded by developers and/or architects, who often push to build statement buildings regardless of location, landscapes or neighbourhoods. We have seen in Ottawa the impact that limited, toothless zoning bylaws, and the lack of resources and the will to enforce them, can have on a city. In effect, architects and developers control what gets built and how it looks, and at times, is not necessarily the best for the City. So bravo to Sedona for recognizing and preserving their landscapes.

english muffin, smashed avocado, tomato, balsamic reduction...yum

We ended our time in Sedona with a nice hike into Fay Canyon. This was recommended to us by Cory, who said it offered a great canyon level view of the red rocks. It was a great hike and interesting to get another perspective of these amazing red rocks.