Sedona AZ Trip

May 5, 2008
by lily

If you have never traveled to Sedona Arizona, you should make a point to plan a trip.  My husband and I have been there on several occasions.  Some friends and I recently took our mothers there for a "Mother's Day" outing.  Sedona is known for it's "REd Rock" as seen in many old westerns and TV commercials.  It is truly a magical place.   Nestled in the Oak Creek Canyon, the drastic change in geology and terrain make Sedona one of the most beautiful places in the country.   Many think that there is a special energy force or "vortex" in the Sedona area.  I certainly cannot attest to that theory, but it makes me happy to be there.  www.visitsedona.com

We flew into Phoenix and rented a van.  Sedona is about 2 hours north of Phoenix on Interstate 17.  We chose to take the scenic route, of which there are many.  We chose to take AZ Hwy 74 west and pick up US 60.  This took us through Wickenburg. At Wickenburg, we took AZ Hwy 89 into historic Prescott.  The town square of Prescott is home to Whiskey Row and many small art galleries.  Great place to stop and spend a few hours walking around.  From Prescott stay on AZ 89A.  It winds through the Prescott Valley and up Mingus Mountain to Jerome, AZ.   Jerome is an old copper mining town that literally hangs on the side of the mountain.  Highway 89A winds through town.  You can stand on the sidewalk and look down on 89A below.From Jerome, you can look out across the Verde River Valley.  It is the most amazing view.  Jerome is a place you can spend at least an afternoon and maybe the whole day.  My favorite place to eat is the Red Rooster Cafe.  Fresh sandwiches, salads and soups.  www.redroostercafe.com .There are some wonderful galleries and shops in Jerome.  I have purchased art at Gallery 527.  www.gallery527jerome.com Most of the galleries will ship you art purchases to your home.  Jerome is a great place.

Follow 89 A northeast into Sedona.  You will see some of the red rock as you come into town.  But to really see the whole area, you will have to drive several loops and in different directions.   There are maps of the area available almost anywhere.  There are several loops around town that are impressive drives.  Hwy 179 from Sedona to Village of Oak Creek will take you past Bell Rock and Courthouse Rock.  Taking 89A NOrth out of Sedona toward Flagstaff is an amazing drive.  It takes you up out of Oak Creek Canyon.

We have stayed at several different resorts, and prefer the AMara Resort and Spa.  It is located in the old downtown area, which is called uptown and is walking distance to many places of interest and restaurants.  It is a boutique hotel. Small and intimate and has just added a spa on the premises that was top notch.  The lobby is also a mini art gallery with new work displayed often. www.amararesort.com .The hotel is off the main drag down a steep hill.  Don't panic, the hotel takes you up the hill to the main street via golf cart, unless you want buns of steel.

As for places to eat, there are many.  Some of my favorites are  The Cowboy Club and Silver Saddle Room.  They are the same restaurant, but the Silver Saddle room is a little more high end dining and is my preference of the two. Reservations are a must, and probably need to be made before you arrive in Sedona.  www.cowboyclub.com   The Gallery on Oak Creek is the restaurant inside the Amara.  Very good food and service.  The Wildflower Bread Company is a great lunch and breakfast stop.  They are located in The Shops at Pinon Pointe.  This is walking distance from the Amara.  Great sandwiches, soups, breads, pastries, etc.  Great coffee and teas.   The Tlaquepaque  ( ta lock a pock ee) Arts and Crafts Village www.tlaq.com is a wonderful area to spend an afternoon shopping in the galleries and boutiques and dining in the wonderful restaurants.   El Rincon is a great mexican cuisine place.  Rene at Tlquepaque www.rene-sedona.com is a very upscale restaurant to the point of being snooty.  The food was wonderful, however I think they thought our group of 7 women was a little rowdy.  By the time we were ready for dessert, the owner was asking our waiter to hurry and get us out of there.  He was a sweetheart and let us order dessert though.  They take themselves very serious.  Anyway, we had fun and relished the idea that we were almost thrown out of a restaurant for causing a raucus.  But the food and wine was great.  Maybe it was the wine that got us in trouble.   The Coffee Pot restaurant is a great breakfast or lunch place, ( they close at 2:00 p.m.)  We are told that many celebrities frequent there when they are in town.  Great omlettes and great Bloody Mary's.  It is located on 89A south.  If you are there on a Sunday, try and get reservations for the champagne brunch at The Enchantment Resort www.enchantmentresort.com .  This resort is very exclusive and the restaurant is only open to guests, but sometimes on Sundays, they will take reservations for brunch.  If you get turned down, just call back.  Alot of your success depends on who you talk to.  It is worth the effort and the $$$$ ( about $ 40 per person).  THe Enchantment is located in Boynton Canyon off of Dry Creek Road.  Beautiful scenery, surrounded by red rock.There are many other wonderful places.  Venture out and try some.

Another shopping area is on US 179 going south.  Hillside is a mix of shops and galleries.  There are many, just drive around.  

The natural beauty of the area is endless.  There are many trails that will allow you to really see the country side.  We took several hikes and we are certainly not experienced hikers.  Some are more edgy than others.  Stop in an outdoor store and talk to a local and get a trail map.  Some trails I would recommend for novices like us are the Courthouse Loop, which takes you around Bell Rock and Courthouse Rock.  You also get some fabulous views of Cathedral Rock on this hike.  It took us about 3 hours to do this one.We also did Devil's Bridge, which turned out to be a little more dicey than we had expected, but we managed.  Our mothers range in age from 62 to 68 and one of them had a knee replacement, but she managed.  The Oak Creek Canyon trail is also an easy and beautiful hike.  It is off of 89A North toward Flagstaff.  Grab some sandwiches, cheese and a bottle of wine and stop and have lunch on the trail.  There are many other trails, we just didn't have time to do them all.  A Pink Jeep tour is also another way to see some back country without the walking.  The drivers are all very knowledgeable about the area.  Well worth the time and money.

Sedona AZ is certainly a destination place.  We will be going back again soon.