A Day in Sedona

It recently came up in my memories that it has been more than a year since our trip to Arizona. I also saw not long ago some friends visiting Sedona, and realized I never did my blog post on our day. During our week in Arizona, though we stayed in Scottsdale near Phoenix, we did take a day trip to the Sedona area. That was by far my favorite part of the trip. I hope to return someday and just spend a couple of days in the town getting to know it better. Here is what we did in our day and recommendation if you are considering.

Hike- The Devil's Bridge

We woke up early that day so we could make the drive from Phoenix area and do a hike that morning. There are a lot of hikes to chose from in the Sedona area, so do your research and pick the one that best suits your needs. We opted to go for the famous Devil's Bridge; all those popular Instagram photos of people on this bridge convinced us. The hike itself is a little over 2 miles one direction from the Mescal Trailhead Parking lot where we parked. The walk is small, rolling hills and relatively easy for the majority of it. The views along the way are stunning and worth it for that alone. As you get closer there will be some climbing involved; its not easy but also not hard if your take your time.

When you finally reach your destination you may have to wait in a line a while for your chance to go out onto the bridge; its a popular photo spot. The views and watching people on the bridge will keep you entertained while you wait. I will say as someone not a fan of heights, its not terrible. The bridge is wider than it looks from this picture below of us on it.

In summary there is such beautiful scenery in this area, plan a hike into your day. Whether its Devil Bridge or somewhere else. Do like we did and rise early to beat some of the crows that will grow as the day continues. If we return the area someday, I found at least 2 other hikes I would like to do.

Visit Downtown or Main Street

There is a downtown area filled with lots of restaurants and boutique shops, while still offering some stunning views of their famous red rocks and landscape. After our hike we met up with some family here for lunch. We then explored a handful of shops before heading back out to hit up a couple more places. If hiking isn't your thing and you just want a fun day of shopping and eating against some nice scenery, you can definitely make a day out of this.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

A small church built into the red rocks of the area; and one of the biggest tourist spots in town. The church is perched high up with great views overlooking the area. It was worth a one time quick stop to see, but not a place I would dedicate a lot of time. Its very busy, parking can be difficult, and the chapel is really small. There is a gift shop downstairs you can check out as well.

Montezuma Castle National Monument

A little over a 30 minute drive from Sedona, its a location to add to trip if you have time. These are historic Native American dwellings that are carved right into the cliffs that have been around for hundreds of years. The entire park area is a beautiful oasis in the desert, including a creek of running water on the grounds. Its not a large park but peaceful. If I lived close I could visiting often with a book to relax. The only downside is the visiting hours can be limited. I really loved this place and glad we stopped, but it did mean leaving Sedona a little early (a tough call). If history isn't your thing, maybe skip and spend more time in Sedona. Or this could be a quick early morning visit on way to Sedona. Visit NPS here for more information on their hours.

Pics below of the dwellings first and the creek below.