If you’ve never thought of Arizona as a vacation destination, be prepared to add Arizona to your bucket list!
Getting there:
We landed in Phoenix late on a Thursday after a 4 hour flight, so we picked an affordable hotel in Scottsdale to do a little exploring before heading to Sedona. We stayed at Howard Johnson by Wyndham in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale. The Hotel is in walking distance to a lot of cool places, we even had time for a late night drink at Coach House.
We are Emerald Isle members with National Car Rental. You can sign up for free. So we had the luxury of picking out our own car. We picked a Toyota RAW4 to enjoy the sandy desert landscape in Sedona. Before heading out to Red Rocks County, we explored Scottsdale the next morning. There are tons of cool photo spots.
The drive from Phoenix to Sedona is about two hours. Before making this trip we discovered Verde Valley outside of Sedona is a must stop if you love wine. We visited Page Springs Cellars, which is right on the Oak Creek and makes you feel like you are in Napa Valley. While we enjoyed a glass of wine we started talking to locals and they recommended visiting D.A. Ranch. Wow, that Winery did not disappoint. There was live music, a lake, goats, a donkey, a swing, outside seating and of course delicious wine. We are so glad we listened to the locals! Such a great experience.
We stayed at the GreenTree Inn on route 89A, the little hotel is close to all the hikes and its a short 5-10 minute drive to souvenir shops and restaurants. Our room was clean, modern and the jacuzzi on-site was necessary after a long hiking day. If you are out and about all day, this will be the perfect place for your stay in Sedona, Arizona.
Hiking in Sedona:
Sunset Hike to overlook Cathedral Rock
Park at the beginning of Secret Slickrock Trailhead and follow the path for about 0.5 miles until you see a wide opening. You will find Cathedral Rock to your left. The views at sunset are just stunning. We brought some wine and charcuterie items for a nice romantic sunset picnic. Make sure you bring some long sleeve clothes, it gets cold super fast once the sun goes down. We left before it was dark, so we would find back to the parking lot. If you decide to stay longer, bring a flash light. The hike is not long but you also don’t want to risk getting lost.
Vultee Arch Hike
For this hike, we parked in the parking area for Sterling Pass Trailhead, there are only a couple spots so if you drive from Sedona, you will see extra parking right next to the Campground on your right side before the trail starts. This hike was a 7 mile round trip and rated moderate to difficult. For the first hour, you will hike 1,000 feet to the top of the mountain. Once you arrive, you will hike down 1,000 feet to get to a beautiful flower terrain. From there, you will walk another mile to get to Vultee Arch. You can actually hike up to the Arch, but we were too tired and we knew we had another 3.5 miles back to the parking lot. We got to the trail around 10 am and finished 2:30 pm. Hiking shoes and a hiking stick are recommended as some parts are very steep and slippery.
Devils Bridge Hike
This is the most popular hike in Sedona. We arrived at the trailhead around 9 am and the main parking lot was full, but thanks to my research I knew there was another lot 0.5 miles down the road. We parked at Mescal Trail, there were plenty of spots left. Follow the signs to the Chuck Wagon Trail. You will hike for 1 mile until you see the entrance to Devils Bridge Trail. From there, the hike is a little bit over 1 mile long. It starts very easy, but as you get closer to the Bridge you will need to climb some rocks. Devil’s Bridge is beautiful and just stunning and worth the hike. Be prepared to stand in line for your picture. It moves fast as everyone is a team player when taking pictures. Add this hike to your list and plan to be there for about 2 hours. Here is a secret: Right before the rock climbing starts, you will find a little path off to the left that leads you under the bride. You can take amazing pictures of Devils Bridge without the other tourists.
Birthing Cave Hike
Right down the street from the Mescal Trail Parking lot, you will find Long Canyon Trail, which leads you to the Birthing Cave. I would recommend to drive the 0.5 miles as it is an Asphalt road and you will appreciate having your car close by after the hike is done. This 2 mile round trip hike is super easy, just be aware of mountain bikers. There are no signs for Birthing Cave, make sure to download google maps to have an offline navigation system. There are two forks, just make sure you turn left at each intersection. The hike gets a little rough right before entering the cave, but still doable. You will need to sit in the Cave to understand the title. We recommend combining Devil’s Bridge and Birthing Cave as they are located close together.
Devil’s Kitchen and Seven Sacred Ponds via Soldier Pass
This was our last hike of the trip. We actually stopped at Soldier Pass parking lot on our first day, but it was full around 9am so we picked another hike. This time we got to the parking lot around 3pm (we refused to get up at 5am to be the first one in line for a spot), and within minutes a spot became available. About 1.5 miles from the parking lot is a Park, from there a woman named Debbie shuttles you from and to the parking lot/trail. Her number is 928-592-2011.
About less than 0.25 miles from the Soldier Pass Trail parking lot, you will find Devil’s Kitchen. It is a sinkhole and is perfect for a picture opportunity. Do not get close to the edge, the last movement was only a couple years ago! Once you pass Devil’s Kitchen, after about 0.5 miles, you will find Seven Sacred Ponds. It is a beautiful scene of natural swimming holes with Red Rocks as the back drop. We are not recommending to swim in there, a ranger told us they are home to snakes and other small animals. We didn’t go further on the trail because the sun started to set, if you get here earlier during the day you will start seeing caves along the trail. We are saving this for next time.
Best Sunset Spots in Sedona:
Secret Slick Rock: Amazing views of Cathedral Rock
Canyon Breeze Restaurant: Casual Restaurant and Bar, no reservation required.
Sedona Airport Scenic Lookout (Airport Mesa Trail): Parking here costs $3, it is perfect for sunset watching. We found a spot to the right (pass the fence) to have a private sunset view.
On our way back to Phoenix we stopped at the famous McDonald’s with the only turquoise arch in the world. We took the scenic route via Red Rock Scenic Bypass and stopped at the Bell Rock Trail Parking lot for one more scenic look.
Sedona, Arizona is magical and was awesome to visit. Spending four days in nature was absolutely perfect and much needed. This was not our last visit to the “Dry Heat’ state and we can’t wait to be back.
