Sedona, Arizona

Sedona, Arizona is one of the most beautiful vacation locations in the USA. It has been revered as a magnificent spiritual haven since prehistoric times. Native Americans have been coming to Sedona for their religious ceremonies, their spiritual awakenings, their rites of passage and their weddings for hundreds of years.

Red sandstone cliffs rise a thousand feet above the valley floor. Buttes, mesas and pinnacles of rock rise throughout the valley. Everywhere the rocks have been eroded into fantastic shapes resembling giant fortresses, towers, pinnacles and other exotic visages. The village of Sedona is located in the midst of this scenic splendor surrounded by cascading mountain streams, lush green meadows, and forested hillocks all dominated by the imposing red rock formations.

Sedona is located in northern Arizona just a 30 minute drive southwest of Flagstaff and less than 90 minutes from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It is only two hours drive north of Phoenix. You can easily fly to Flagstaff or Phoenix and drive to Sedona. The valley is about 4,500 feet (1.500 meters) above sea level. The climate is semi arid, so it gets little rain or snow, but it has a plentiful supply of water from the nearby mountains. Summers are a bit milder and winters a bit colder than the low altitude deserts near Phoenix.

A wide selection of hotels (check out http://www.standardvacationfinder.com) is available in the village of Sedona with some exclusive resorts located in nearby canyons and some tourist cabins and camping along Oak Creek Canyon. There are plenty of restaurants, groceries, gas stations, boutiques and souvenir shops in Sedona. It has a small airfield located atop a mesa overlooking the town. The airport offers some airplane and helicopter tours of the area and a limited number of charter flights to nearby locations.

The scenery in and around Sedona is spectacular and most of it is easily seen from the various roads throughout the area. Oak Creek Canyon is the main entry to Sedona from Flagstaff. This road follows Oak Creek through a narrow defile of colorful rock walls as is cascades beneath towering pine trees. In many places, this canyon is only a few hundred feet wide (100 yards) with red, pink, brown and white rock walls rising a thousand feet (350yards) or more on either side.

Instead of staying in a hotel, you might consider RVing.  Our site at http://www.standardvacationfinder.com also offers RVs.

For the more adventureous, you will find walking, hiking, bicycle touring and horseback riding are some favorite activities for visitors to Sedona. You can rent mountain bikes or riding horses at several locations in and around the town. The rangers at the visitor centers will provide you with free maps indicating all of the trails and will cheerfully offer advice on the best routes.