Sedona, Arizona
October 23-25, 2020
It was a warm day and we decided to get in some hikes and see as much of the Redrock Scenic Byway as time allowed. The Scenic Byway is Arizona Route 179 south from Sedona for about 9 miles.
We stopped at Yavapai Vista viewpoint and got a view of Cathedral Rock from the other side, and drove as far south as the Visitor Center, but the inside was closed due to COVID. We then headed back north toward Sedona. We stopped at Courthouse Vista, but the sun was not a good angle so we moved north to Bell Rock, where we were able to get the last parking spot, and from there took a loop hike. It had great views to the north where we would hike later.
Courthouse Butte
Bell Rock
We then went to the popular Chapel of the Holy Cross which was built in 1956. It is set in a lovely canyon with views all around.
The parking lot was limited to visiting the church, so we were unable to take the trail we had wanted to use from there. Instead we drove a bit and took the Mystic/Pigtail trail hike.
View from our hike
After lunch we went to the viewpoints near the airport and got good views of Coffee Pot Rock and the valley to the north.
We took one final hike that afternoon at Cathedral Rock, but only walked up to the first viewpoint, not climbing the whole way (which many others did as shown in this photo).
Another nice view north
We had a great day and hiked over 7 miles.
October 24, 2020
We got up early and went to the trailhead for Chimney Rock loop trail. This was a bit west of town so we saw different formations and the canyons farther to the west. It had a view of Boynton Canyon where we would take a hike in the afternoon. After we finished the walk, we drove around looking for good photos, and got some more pictures of the Coffee Pot Rock and surrounds. We found many of the other trailheads full of cars, so we were unable to take one of the other hikes we had planned. We found that even late in the season, you had to get to a trailhead by at least 8 a.m. to be able to park.
Chimney Rock
Far View of Fay Canyon
In the afternoon, we drove out Boynton Pass Road and took a hike in Fay Canyon, a nice 2.3 mile out and back slot canyon with an arch. The walk was pretty flat, but the trail was sandy in places, so we got a good workout.
One of the things we noticed today, was that Sedona has two parts to the town; the western area, with two-thirds of the population, has the airport and more businesses, is in Yavapai County. The eastern part seemed to be the center of the “new age” activities, and the western part seemed to have the more conservative politics (based on campaign signs).
On the way back to our hotel, we returned to the area near the airport and took the saddle trail up to a nice viewpoint.
Fay Canyon Hike
Airport Saddle
View
We were very tired since walked about 20,000 steps (8+ miles) today and planned to take it easier tomorrow.
October 25, 2020.
This was our last day in Sedona. In the morning, we took a jeep tour on the Mud Wagon road aka Schnebly Hill Road. We were very glad to have a driver. It was so bumpy, we lost a cell phone going over a bump and were lucky that another jeep saw it and returned it to us. We saw different rock formations including Cow Pies and Merry Go Round Rock.
Cow Pies
After the tour, we decided we’d done enough hiking and headed west towards Cottonwood and Jerome. Cottonwood is in a farming area, and has a nice old center.
After lunch in Cottonwood, we visited Tuzigoot National Monument which has a ruined pueblo of the Sinagua People from the 12th century.
From there we took a very scenic drive up to the old copper mining town of Jerome. There was a small mining museum.
We returned to Sedona, a drive of about 45 minutes, for our last night there. Tomorrow, we head to Tucson for three nights.
