You may not consider the color red to be a peaceful backdrop, but you’ll change your mind as you enter “red rock country” and the natural red colors infuse their natural beauty into each of your senses. Take a deep breath and absorb all that your Sedona will offer.
Settled on the southwestern rim of the Colorado Plateau, Sedona lies between the Coconino and Yavapai counties. Its mile-high rocks make long drives a pleasure, and the never-ending forestry create the illusion that you’re living inside a national park. Once a rural ranching community, Sedona is now a place known for its mystical environment and its refreshing energy. An early settler, Carl Schnelby turned his house into both a post office and a hotel for travelers, and when pressed to name his complex, he chose his wife’s first name – Sedona – to set his place apart. The name stuck, and expanded to the surrounding area, now filled with hotels, resorts, bed and breakfasts, and more than 30 churches.
Sedona’s picturesque desert terrain creates the perfect outdoor paradise for a spiritual awakening for which the area is so well-known. More than 4 million tourists visit Sedona each year for the serenity of this organically infused atmosphere. When you’re not connecting with your inner “om,” take advantage of the shopping, outdoor sports, and resorts that lie inside the city’s 19-square miles.
Arizona boasts beautiful, warm weather all year long, and the relentless sun only cools things down a bit during the winter when temperatures fluctuate between 45-75 degrees Fahrenheit. While days are usually warm and bright, extreme highs and lows do occur, depending on your location in the desert. If you’re in the middle of the desert on a hot summer day, you might experience 125 degrees Fahrenheit of simmering sunlight, but if you’re in the same spot on a winter evening, temperatures can easily plummet to 35 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. If you’re booking flights to Sedona to stay in more popular areas though, conditions typically stay mild and pleasant, ranging between 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Although Sedona has four distinct seasons, each one is laden with sunshine and clear skies so it’s easy to plan a visit to Sedona all year-round.
Peak Season:
The perfect time to book flights to Sedona is during the winter months of December to February, when the sun’s rays taper off, and allow for cooler temperatures and milder conditions. Winter storms do occur, but only in the high mountains, where snow covers the peaks in a white blanket. As usual, precipitation depends on the elevation.
Off-Peak Season:
Although it’s hard to believe there could ever be an off season in such a beautiful place, travelers often find cheap flights to Sedona during the summer months (July – mid September) because of scorching temperatures, thunderstorms, and exorbitant rainfall. When high winds up to 100 mph and a rainstorm combine, the peaceful red haven becomes a chaotic mess.
A great way to get around the city is by hopping aboard the city trolley. It might be a good idea to rent a car, but watch out for weekend traffic. The beautiful scenery surrounding Sedona makes for some wonderful drives, but drivers have been known to get distracted by all the beauty – so pay attention to the road.
Sedona, AZ Travel Information- Montezuma Castle: History buffs visiting Sedona should head straight to the ancestral Puebloan site of Montezuma’s Castle. You’ll see a massive cluster of white rock that packs into the side of a mountain. At first it doesn’t seem so complex, but a deeper look lets you know how sophisticated the primitive residences really are. Built between the 12th and 14th centuries, the rock structure is filled with passage ways and windows carved by hand, where natives roamed. A museum on the natural, green grounds offers interpretations of each section’s archaeology and you’re free to guide yourself wherever your interests stray.
- Oak Creek Canyon: If your flight to Sedona arrives early evening, you’re in luck – the sunset view on Airport Road is not to be missed. Along that stretch, highway 89A runs into Oak Creek Canyon, where unforgettable views are simply taken for granted. Near the more narrow part of the canyon, red, orange, and white cliffs make a dramatic backdrop dotted with giant green cottonwood trees sprouting from the sides. Make a pit stop to swim or fish for trout in Grasshopper Point, or pack a picnic lunch at Slide Rock Park.
- Energy Vortexes: Travelers searching for spiritual awakening visit Sedona to connect with their inner selves and soak up the land’s natural essence. Energy vortexes, funnel shaped spaces created by whirling fluid, air, or electricity, are known to be spiritual power centers that create uplifting experiences. Since Sedona attracts such a large new age community seeking alternate forces of energy and healing methods some refer to it as “Spiritual Disneyland.” To experience one of the energy vortexes, head to the Boynton Canyon, the Airport vortex, the Bell Rock vortex, or the Red Rod Crossing vortex.
- Art: Sedona’s buzzing art industry is relatively new, but attracts a lot of attention. The Sedona art scene dates back to the 1960’s when the Cowboy Artists of America founded the organization, which has become the driving force of the local economy. Collections of traditional western, contemporary Southwestern, and Native American art now spans in dozens of galleries (mostly situated near the Y). In the narrow alleys and courtyards of Tlaquepaque, more than 40 shops and restaurants focus around selling high-end art and steering clear of kitschy, cheap southwestern souvenirs.
- Yoga in Sedona: Because of the area’s energetic appeal, yoga lovers book flights to Sedona in search of spiritual awakening. If you are a yogi, or are simply interested in experiencing the balance of yoga in such a mystical place, then your Sedona yoga options are endless. Many yoga retreats are offered for weekend and week-long plans, but if you’re more inclined to take the part-time approach many studios also offer single classes on a daily basis. Sedona is one of the “hot power spots” for spirituality, so most yoga sessions center on stimulating your spiritual sensitivity, and expanding your higher consciousness. Use this healing and learning atmosphere to reflect, and discover your inner strengths, peace, and well-being.
- The Red Rocks: People travel to Sedona to experience first-hand the beauty of the internationally known Red Rocks. More than 320 million years ago, Sedona existed only under water and was inhabited by sea creatures and organisms. As the land and water level changed, the shells of these creatures were left behind and after millions of years, the shells bound together to form what we now know as “rocks.” About 50 million years following the rock formation, the color red started to form. When the river paths changed over time the sediment – made mostly of iron in the form of iron oxide (which gives the quartz its red color) – was left on the rocks. Since the “rocks” were so absorbent and easy to erode, they quickly sucked up the iron oxide and now boast that beautiful orange-red hue.
