Reliving this trip to Arizona after 20+ years has been a true test of my memory. I have found the details are slightly twisted and things aren’t quite located in the same spot my mind seems to have placed them. Regardless, there is still no doubt that Sedona remains an amazing hiking town in versions both past and present.
The Smithrones piled into our automobiles and took the scenic SR 89A from Flagstaff to Sedona via Oak Creek Canyon. The road winds through the deep canyon and is quite scary as there is little margin for error between the shoulder-less road and a steep drop to the forested abyss below. But the scenery is worth it and as we emerge from this near death experience, we came upon our first stop of our day…
Slide Rock State Park
What a beautiful day to be hanging out at this red rock “beach”. I can only imagine how much more amazing it would be on a summer day to be able to chill with friends in the hot sun, enjoy some food and drink, go for a swim and ride the natural water slide to cool off. I hope to be back.
After a couple of hours of rock hopping and posing for pictures set against the beautiful red rock, we set off for the main course…hiking in Sedona. The moms had a yoga hike scheduled and the dads were taking the kids on a hike to the cave.
Man this city is jammed packed. Our hike was setback by the trouble with finding a parking space in town (we opted for parking behind some shops we did not plan-on shopping at and kept our fingers crossed that we would not get towed), locating some lunch to fuel our trek and finding the parking lot at the trailhead overloaded.
The latter setback resulted in dropping Kevin and the kids off, driving over a mile to find a suitable parking spot and running the mountain road back to the start. All this was just the beginning.
Soldier’s Pass Trail, Sedona
We hiked Soldier’s Pass trail all the way up to the cave passing some amazing natural wonders like Devil’s Kitchen and Seven Sacred Pools. There is a plateau mid-hike that begs a stop to experience the 360 degree red rock formations so vivid you can’t help but question if they could possibly be real or some trick of your imagination. Our ongoing joke was stopping to “drink” in the views as often as possible by looking out and sucking through our imaginary straw.
The steep steps at the pinnacle of this hike lead to a natural cave that you can climb up into and a explore. The area surrounding the cave allowed for great bouldering and we hung out for a but before making our decent back to the trailhead.
Exhilarated and exhausted by one of my all-time favorite hikes, we had one last stop to cap off our amazing day in Sedona…
Oak Creek Vineyards
I keep an open mind when tasting wines but didn’t have high expectations for an Arizona winery. Boy was I surprised. The wines were delicious. Every white crisp and fruit forward and a red blend so good we enjoyed two bottles with a meat and cheese platter before finally calling it a day and hitting the scenic highway for second time that day en route to our home base. ~Shane
Yoga in Sedona
Natalie had celebrated her last birthday in her thirties just a week or so before our trip out west. So, to help celebrate, I secured us two spots for hiking and yoga in Sedona.
We met our instructor, Cherlita, at one of the Famous Pizza locations and hopped in the car with her. We traveled out to Mystic Vista – a real gem as it is only traveled by those granted a right to the trail. It’s a relatively easy hike up to a plateau that overlooks some of the most amazing views.
We did a short yoga flow and spent some time in meditation. A great way to celebrate life and location. ~Gina
Smithie Adventures 