Northern Arizona - October 2008

Sedona and Red Rocks Area

 

I made the trip  to Sedona twice during the vacation, and could have used a 3rd day to explore the area further. The ~30mi drive along AZ-89A takes about 1hr (without sightseeing stops). During that 30 miles, you go from Flagstaff (elev ~7000ft), down thru Oak Creek Canyon, to Sedona  (elev ~4300ft); a vertical drop of about half a mile.

 

Oak Creek Canyon

 


View Larger Map 		A shaded relief  map showing Oak Creek Canyon, the gash parallel to I-17. Flagstaff is at the very top of the map, at the northern end of I-17. Sedona is marked at bottom just left of center.

Note the prominent "ridge" along the bottom left of the map. This is just one small edge of the Colorado Plateau.
  The view from the overlook on AZ-89A looking south down Oak Creek Canyon.
  Another view from the overlook, this time looking at 3 levels of AZ-89A as it winds down the canyon wall (right slope). This portion of the road has a total of 6 "hair-pin" curves and drops ~900ft in elevation.

After this portion, the road gradually descends another ~1200ft down to Sedona in about 13mi. The whole length is a very pretty ride along a 2-lane, virtually shoulder-less, winding road. The only problem is that there are many people sightseeing and few pullouts. Combine that with other drivers that want to drive it like a Grand-Prix race, and the place can get a little hairy!
  One side of the canyon wall at Slide Rock State Park. Along this stretch of the river the flattened sedimentary rock forms natural water slides, hence the name.
  A shot of Oak Creek in Slide Rock State Park showing the flattened sandstone that makes up the creek bed.

 

Sedona, AZ

Once you come out of Oak Creek Canyon, AZ-89A passes thru downtown Sedona.

AZ-89A thru downtown Sedona. I stopped and had lunch here on both forays to thru the area. This was taken on Sunday afternoon, so traffic was heavy. Parking is also somewhat scarce, but a little patients paid off.

The area shops are pretty much the usual clothing stores, specialty stores, and various restaurants, along with several art galleries.

The view from a lookout over the city of Sedona. On the 2nd trip down here, I spotted a directional sign for the municipal airport. The airport sits high on a mesa, and had some nice lookouts along the road up.

A shot from another lookout along the airport road.

A shot taken along AZ-89A just south of downtown Sedona.

 

The Red Rock Area

After you pass thru Downtown Sedona on AZ-89A, you enter the "Red Rock" area.

 

A shot along the Red Rock Loop Road, just south of Sedona. The road itself is about 10mi long, paved on all but the middle couple miles. A passenger car could pretty easily navigate the unpaved section.

In the foreground valley is Red Rock State Park with Oak Creek running thru the valley left to right.
 

This formation is called "Cathedral Rock".

Another shot along the Loop Road, from a nice little pullout on the unpaved section. This also turned out to be a good location to shoot a moonrise.
 

Another shot along the Loop Road. This is my favorite shot of the trip.

 

I discovered this area on the 2nd trip to Red Rocks. Here I am further south of Sedona, in an area crisscrossed by National Forest Service roads. None are paved, but can be traveled in a passenger car with care. The SUV had no problem. And most intersections had direction/distance signposts so, as long as you are careful, GPS is not really needed.

As I was driving thru downtown Sedona, I noticed several places offering jeep tours. Turns out these NFS roads are where they take you.

There are also several Native American ruins in the area. I tried to see one (just ahead along the road in this shot), but as I arrived a ranger was locking the gate. He recommended another set of ruins about 5mi away. But I had to get back to the Loop Road for moonrise and the ruins were in the opposite direction. If I had an extra day, I would have explored this area further.

 

 

 

Petrified Forest
Grand Canyon
San Francisco Volcanic Field
Sedona and Red Rock Area
Native American Ruins
Moonrises
Odds & Ends

 

 

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