Sedona, Arizona

Sedona, Arizona, United States

Cathedral Rock glowing pink in the early morning sunrise above the chaparral-covered valley.

Go for the red rock that glows pink at dawn and dusk, and stay for the trails, the quiet canyons and the sheer scenery of the Verde Valley.

The place

Sedona sits in the northern Verde Valley of Arizona, straddling the line between Coconino and Yavapai counties and largely surrounded by the Coconino National Forest. The town had 9,684 residents at its last count and lies at about 1,319 metres above sea level. What draws people is the rock. Layers of sandstone turn a deep pink when the sun rises or sets, and that colour frames nearly everything here, from the trail map to the postcard racks. Most visitors come to walk or ride a dense network of trails, though the town also has a strong reputation for yoga, meditation and quiet reflection in the landscape. The vegetation is mostly chaparral and semi-desert scrub, with oaks and small pines appearing where the ground rises. Winters are mild and summers are warm, so the shoulder seasons are the most comfortable. Downtown is compact and built around the main road, with galleries, cafés and a lot of tour offices. Oak Creek is the one green thread through the landscape, and it offers relief from the heat. Weekends in spring and autumn are busy, so start early and plan parking in advance.

Its story

The area's first European-American settler arrived in Oak Creek Canyon in the late nineteenth century, drawn by its orchards of peaches and apples. Early residents were mostly farmers and ranchers, and the town was tiny when its post office opened in 1902. Life was rough and isolated. For a long time there was no local government, and the land fell under two counties at once. A turning point came when a resident found a reliable water supply, which meant people no longer had to haul water and could start building proper infrastructure. Electricity reached some outlying parts of the area only later in the twentieth century. The town was named after Sedona Schnebly, whose husband Theodore became the first postmaster. She was remembered for her hospitality and hard work, and her mother is said to have invented the name simply because it sounded pleasant. Tourism and retirement living grew through the middle of the twentieth century, and most of the town as it looks now was built in the decades after. Film also left its mark: dozens of Hollywood productions were shot here, taking advantage of the red rock as a stand-in for other landscapes. Today there is little undeveloped land left inside the town. The Chapel of the Holy Cross, completed later in the century, is built into a cliff face and has become a symbol of the place.

What to see

Culture

Sedona's social life is shaped by its outdoor culture and its reputation as a place for spiritual seekers. The town hosts a St Patrick's Day parade, a Food Truck Festival, a Hummingbird Festival, a marathon, and a film festival that has run since the mid-1990s. The Sedona Arts Center is the oldest arts centre in northern Arizona, and galleries and chamber music concerts give the town a more cultivated side than the trail maps suggest. Solstice festivals are held at Unity of Sedona each summer and winter. A New Age tourist industry has grown up around the idea of spiritual vortices at sites such as Bell Rock, Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock and Boynton Canyon. Not everyone who visits believes in these energies, and many people come simply for the hiking. Locals and visitors share the same trails, so expect people to be quietly meditating or doing yoga on the rocks. Many people come to the Sedona Wetlands Preserve to go birdwatching. Keep your voice down at sacred sites and the chapel, do not climb on delicate rock features, and stay on marked routes.

What to wear

Sedona has no single traditional costume. The older dress of the region comes from the Sinagua people who built cliff dwellings here, and from the ranching life of the nineteenth-century settlers, whose clothes were practical: denim, leather, wool and straw hats, with boots for riding and working the land. Those ranching roots survive as cowboy boots, belt buckles and the occasional Western shirt on weekends in town. What people wear now is largely outdoor gear. Walkers and cyclists wear technical fabrics, breathable shirts and trail shoes, while the restaurants and galleries downtown welcome smart casual clothes. For a visit, dress in layers because the temperature swings between hot days and cool mornings and evenings. Wear a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen, and choose closed shoes with good grip for the sandstone, which can be slippery when dry and very hot underfoot in summer. Pack a light fleece or jacket for the early starts. At the chapel and heritage sites, modest clothing is sensible, and at restaurants a clean casual outfit is fine.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable months, with mild days, cool evenings and clear views. Winters are mild and summers are warm, so the peak summer heat makes long walks hard work. Late spring brings flowers and busy weekends, and autumn is equally busy but cooler.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Fly into Phoenix's main airport or Phoenix-Mesa Airport, then drive north. The drive from Phoenix takes you through the Verde Valley and into Sedona. From Flagstaff, the scenic road through Oak Creek Canyon is the most memorable route, though the drive takes longer than the direct road.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

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