Sedona, Az ~ Fishing, meditation & hiking in Sedona

After the whirlwind of the holidays, working, entertaining and enjoying this time, we decided on an impromptu road trip. One of our all-time favorite road trips is Sedona and so we decided to go there and then to the Grand Canyon! We were ready to do some hiking in Sedona!

The abundance of outdoor activities and hiking in Sedona make it the perfect place to visit if you’re on a budget. I really love this place so I was thrilled to show it to Bryan for the first time.

We had a bunch of back-to-back storms in late December and it snowed the night before. When we dropped into the Sedona valley and saw the palisades and red rock formations covered in snow, we were truly blown away. Even though I’d been here many times I had never seen it like this. The stark contrast of the white snow on the red soil was spectacular, creating a dramatic view.

If you are going here with someone who has never been, make sure they are in the passenger seat as you arrive. There’s nothing quite like making the turn on the last bend and seeing the Red Rocks for the first time.

We arrived a little before sunset and we were able to spend some time driving around. We checked into our hotel, the Hilton at Bell Rock and it was freezing outside. Fortunately, just adjacent to the bar, there were several outdoor fire places with comfy sitting areas and the fireplaces in the rooms make it super cozy.

Dinner at The Cowboy Club is a must!

By now, we were starving so we headed out to the Cowboy Club, formerly “Oak Creek Tavern.”  Opened in 1946, this restaurant was a regular stomping ground for many of the Hollywood celebrities that shot western movies in and around Sedona in the 50’s and 60’s. The steaks are epic, the bar is super cool and really nostalgic.

The restaurant is directly in the middle of town so there’s lots to see. We walked around and checked out some of the art galleries and souvenir shops in the village. We stopped in at Pink Jeep tours to get some off trail info. Due to the fact that we have a 4wd, we didn’t book a tour with them. However, if you are in Sedona and want to get into the off road areas, they have a lot of great tours to offer.

The longhorns that hang above the bar are the second largest in history. Ask the bartender or server to tell you about how they came to be the focal point of this bar!

Hiking Sedona

Early the next morning we set for some Sedona hiking. Due to the fact that it is fairly easy and a great warm up, we chose the Little Horse trail. This trailhead was a short drive up US 179 and is a 4.3 mile round trip hike. The trail wraps up into the canyon has a plateau with spectacular views of the whole valley. The perspectives of Bell Rock & Cathedral Rock are stunning and it leads to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a landmark built into the side of the red rocks.

As you will discover in Sedona, there are always several places to leave the trail that offer breathtaking views and almost complete silence. These places make for a perfect place for a morning meditation

If you’re going to do a lot of hiking in Sedona, you’ll certainly want to buy the parking pass. It allows you to park at any of the trailheads. If you are only hiking one trail, you can pay at the trailhead. We highly recommend a stop at the Ranger Station where you can pick up maps and get all the park info you need. In addition, be sure to take plenty of water & sunscreen.

Finding the right trails

Due to the presence of snow, we weren’t sure which would be the best trails to hike so we headed over to Sedona Zen Trail to get some expert advice. The staff here is always super-helpful. We left with lots of maps to hike the front of Cathedral Rock. The bonus of this hike is that it is easy to access and has a substantial parking lot. A short climb provided some spectacular views of the valley. The face of the rock had some snow and ice on it which made it a little tricky but there were plenty of families and non-hikers on the trail indicating it wasn’t too difficult.. If you are hiking this area in the summer, regular hiking boots are fine. In the winter, be prepared for snow and ice.

An memorable brief encounter

After hiking the rock, we headed off-trail into an adjoining meadow. While I was exploring, I came across a man in his 80’s cross country hiking. I said “Hi” and he obviously didn’t hear me so to get his attention, I waved and it startled him. He stopped and I asked him which way I should go to get back to the trail. He described the washes and arroyos so I knew which way to go. Then, unexpecdetly he said “I hike here daily and I have never seen another person out here.” I said “wow, really?” and we had a nice chuckle about it. It was a brief encounter but a memory that will last forever.

Our top 5 favorite places for hiking in Sedona:

1. Bell Rock Vortex hike: There are numerous trails on and around Bell rock. Starting up the Bell Rock pathway you can blaze whichever way you want. Our favorite is to head up the face of the rock. Once you get up to the second or third plateau, the view is great. This hike can be a long or short as you want and the degree of difficulty ranges from easy to hard, your choice.
2. Cathedral Rock : Moderate climb, 1.4. miles R/T 645ft elevation gain. Great Sunset hike.
3. Little Horse Trail: Easy trail with stunning views of the valley, 4.3 miles R/T, well worn trail with minimal climbing.
4. Boynton Canyon Trail: Moderate hike, 6 miles R/T, great vista views of Sedona.
5. Fay Canyon Trail: Moderate, 2.4 miles R/T, waterfalls, natural rock arch, caves.

One of the restaurants we visit every time we are in Sedona is  Dahl & DiLucas Ristorante Italiano. The food is always amazing. Their choices of pastas, salads, grilled meats and seafoods will make this one of your favorite meals ever. The Caprese d’amore salad and the Pollo piccata are two of our favorite dishes!

On the way back to our hotel, we acted on a whim and drove out the road to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Turned out to be a great call, it was lit up! It was hauntingly beautiful and because there is zero light pollution here, it is stunning!

Slide Rock

When we were kids we lived in Phoenix and so my Mom would take us up to Slide Rock in the summer. Back then, we would fish and play in the water and picnic. In those days, for the most part, the crowd was mostly locals. I went back a couple years ago with a friend and her kids in the middle of summer. There were so many people that you could barely walk without stepping on people’s towels.

I could hardly contain my excitement to be going there with Bryan. I needed some sage and fortunately there are a lot of gem stores in the village making it easy to find. When we arrived at the parking lot we were happily surprised to find it was virtually empty! After a quick stop at the Ranger’s booth and chat with the Ranger, we were off to the creek for some fishing and meditating. We were the only people there…

Bryan broke out his fishing pole and walked up and down the creek fishing. I took some private time to meditate and burn some sage and light some Palo Santo. We stayed for a couple hours, exploring the trail along the bank up and down the creek.

This quickly became one of my favorite travel moments ever!

After hiking Sedona and checking out of our room, we went to my go-to place Los Betos drive thru. They have the best breakfast burritos in town or anywhere !

Leaving Sedona is always very emotional for me and I always immediately begin looking forward to my next visit. On this day, I was eating a green chile breakfast burrito, listening to Natalie Merchant sing one of my favorite songs, “Thank you” and feeling so blessed. Goodbye for now Sedona, can’t wait to see you again!