Finding Peace in Sedona, AZ

Have you ever been somewhere and thought to yourself “Are they pumping drugs into the air or something?!”  Because being in that place gives you such a sense of peace, calm, joy and a sense of easy living...

Me too. Twice.

One of those places is Paris, but that story is for a different post. 

The other place is here.

The first time I came here, I remember thinking the air was just easier to breathe. Everything around me seemed fresher. My mind was clearer. The sky seemed bluer. 

A place that truly made me forget the troubles of everyday life. 

If this all sounds appealing to you in some way, you’ve come to the right place. Let me introduce you to: 

SEDONA, ARIZONA!

Day 1:

Flights into Phoenix are oftentimes super affordable, so that’s where we start. A quick trip to pick up a rental car and off we go, north, to the land of red rocks.

I was sad to see the huge Saguaro Cactus population diminish as we traveled north but was soon pleased to see landscape equally as beautiful. Red rocks sprawling around us captivated me. These rock formations are so “southwest” and I loved every layer and color of them. 

Our first stop was a spontaneous one: a roadside “antique shop” in Camp Verde, AZ. It caught our eye and we ended up spending over 2 hours there! With antique turquoise jewelry, southwestern art and a large expanse of themed sheds outside, we could have stayed there for hours! 

We visited with the shop owner for quite some time and met a local artist who was dropping off some paintings. We ended up buying one of them - and we got back on the road with smiles on our faces thinking ”Well that was unexpectedly fun.”

The next stop we made was at the cliff dwellings at Montezuma Castle National Monument.....

This was a quick stop but well worth it. We spent about 2 hours here, hiking to the cliff dwellings and going through the museum. Very neat!

Then, onward to Red Rock State Park where we went on an amazing, easy 2.5 mile hike called Eagle’s Nest. It was a loop hike that took us about 3 hours at a very leisurely pace. This trail was STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL with heavenly scenery. This hike was where I first noticed that the air seemed easier to breath here. If my soul had a 0,0, I found it here. 

As we got closer to Sedona, we decided to head out to one of Sedona’s most famous sites: Devils Bridge. Only.... we didn’t go all the way to the bridge... After a long day of flying and doing some hiking at Red Rock, we were content to see the beautiful sites on the trail TO Devils Bridge and instead decided to watch the sun set in a cute little spot along the trail. 

If I went back, I would take one of the many Jeep outfitters that we saw passing us out to this bridge. Although, I did really enjoy the spot we hung out along the trail, it was just a long crowded walk that seemed very touristy. I can’t imagine what the actual photo op line looked like at the bridge. And this was on a Wednesday in January. Lots of selfie sticks and tour groups out to get their iconic photo and forgetting to look around at the sites along the way. 

We ate a late supper in town and capped off the day with a pretty prickly pear cocktail before checking into our AMAZING hotel. 

I absolutely loved our stay at Arabella Hotel in Sedona. From the decor to the grounds and the staff, this was definitely a happy stay! My favorite part of the room was the ombré curtains that reflected the colors of the hills around us, map on the wall, and chair swing on the balcony. 

Another hike had me feeling that feeling once again. At one point it literally felt like I was so close to Heaven I could tangibly feel it!

We followed our hike with a Mexican food lunch and that had us ready to enjoy some of the unique shopping Sedona has to offer. We quickly learned that Sedona is saturated with stores catering to the new-age crowd that is attracted to this area because of an ENERGY VORTEX. Now, I don’t consider myself to be new-age by any means, but I definitely felt a different vibe here. Could this energy vortex be the reason for my happy feels?! Who knows, but I can say with certainty that there is something different about Sedona. 

Along with many new age shops selling healing potions and crystals, we did find some stores that were more up our alley including a leather shop that I loved.

After shopping till we were literally dropping, it was time to call it a day and enjoy another peaceful evening at the amazing hotel. 

Day 3:

Day 3 started out with a VERY COLD, long wait for the sun to rise at Airport Road. I had read that this was a great spot, just a short hike from the parking area to watch the sunrise. Had we been dressed warm enough and maybe a little more patient, I think we would have agreed. But we were so cold we didn’t enjoy it as much as we could have. Nonetheless, it would be worth a shot, maybe a good opportunity for a time lapse of the sun coming over the dramatic rock valley. 

Back to the hotel to warm up for a second and get ready for our first hike of the day. I should mention, one of my favorite parts of this trip was how much time we spent outside and spent only a small amount of time “in society”. It was wonderful to just be able to explore the outdoors with very little requirement to address other humans besides each other - I hope that doesn’t make me sound unsocial because I’m actually an extrovert! But I really enjoyed just hanging out with nature and my two traveling companions on this trip. 

We headed north for a short drive to Slide Rock State Park - which was pleasantly completely empty. I’ve heard that in warmer months, this place is PACKED with people swimming and enjoying the natural rock water slide/river. We had the entire place to ourselves and we spent several hours here taking pictures, sitting in the sun, exploring the caves and trickling stream, and hiking! 

A very friendly and entertaining duck at Dead Horse Ranch State Park.

I would consider Slide Rock a MUST-SEE, especially in slower months when you can actually enjoy the natural landscape without the crowds. 

We swung over to a small nature area called Dead Horse Ranch State Park and had a pleasant afternoon watching birds, ducks and fishermen of all ages enjoying the ponds. We snapped a photo of ourselves by the pond which is now the background of this very screen I am typing on! A reminder of a very happy place and very happy time. Although this park was not overly dramatic, we really enjoyed it and I would definitely put it on my list for visiting the area again. 

That completes our trip to Sedona. Here are some tips I would have for myself for going back:
1. Go during the quieter months.
2. Take the Jeep tour to Devils Bridge.
3. Allow time to explore the town.
4. Try the Angel’s landing hike - even if it’s difficult.
5. Stay outside as much as possible to soak in those good vibes!
6.Enjoy the journey - not just the destination. 

Thanks for reading!