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Page 2: Events
| Jeep Tours | Train
Ride | Dining
Outdoor Recreation
If you haven't driven through Oak Creek Canyon on your
way to Sedona, you should head north of town:
 To
have lunch at a national forest picnic table;
To
sun on, and slide down the rocks at Slide Rock State
Park;
To
see the Indian Gardens, the site of an abandoned farm of
the Yavapai tribe, later made into a ranch by settler
John Thompson (in 1876);
To
hike on one or more of the 10 forest trails which climb
up to and along the rim of the canyon;
To
camp in a choice of six campgrounds -- the largest being
Cave Springs with 78 sites, 11 of which are available by
reservation (call 800-283-2267)
To
hook your trailer or RV to services in a shady RV park;
to fish for trout in the creek -- it's stocked regularly
during the summer months and fish are guaranteed every
day at the Rainbow Trout Farm;
And
to shop in one of a steady line of boutiques as the
highway enters the built-up Sedona area. There are
several motels plus fine bed and breakfast homes in this
same area, at the north end of town.
Also
in Oak Creek Canyon, Slide Rock State Park offers family
adventure including sliding down the park's natural rock
chutes in Oak Creek. Walking trails take you along the
creek, and the park offers picnic areas and an
interpretation center.
The
Sedona Ranger Station, located on Brewer Road (call 602-
282-4119) is open weekdays and is a good place to obtain
information on Forest Service facilities including trails
and campgrounds in the area.
The
prime red rock views are best seen by taking the Red Rock
Loop Road, off Hwy. 89A, just south of town. You can
access the area by taking either the upper or lower
roads. Lower Red Rock Road is the paved portion, leading
to Red Rock State Park. The park sits in the midst of the
red rock peaks with the creek flowing below the park
information center which doubles as an environmental
education facility. There are picnic areas and trails,
open during daylight hours.
Golfers
will find four courses within a short drive of town. Oak
Creek Country Club and Sedona Golf Resort are 18-hole
championship courses, both open to the public. Poco
Diablo Resort and the Canyon Mesa Country Club have
9-hole executive courses.
Sedona Events
Art shows are held at almost any time during the year.
The Sedona Arts Center holds a changing schedule of
shows, including exhibitions by members of the Artists
& Craftsmen Guild in the center's Upper Gallery. The
Hopi Artists Gathering is an annual event, showcasing
Hopi Indian art and crafts. There's a theater wing in
this same building, staging performances during the
summer months and from October through April. For Arts
Center information, call (602) 282-3809. There are 40
commercial galleries; most are geared to western and
contemporary tastes.
There are several popular music festivals, including
Jazz on the Rocks, held each September, and two classical
festivals: Symphony in the Park, with performances by the
Flagstaff Symphony, and the Sedona Chamber Music
Festival. Tlaquepaque is a Spanish/ Mexican-inspired
shopping and eating complex, at the north end of Sedona.
It is also the scene of theatrical shows and several
annual festivals including the Fiesta del Tlaquepaque, a
Mexican festival (October) and Festival of Lights
(December).
Jeep Tours
Jeeping has become the thing to do while visiting
Sedona. More than a dozen tour operators will rent you a
4WD vehicle or take you on a trip through the red rock
canyons and high country. Some of the most popular tours
are arranged by Pink Jeeps -- call 800-8-SEDONA or
(602) 262-5000.
Sedona Adventures (800-888-9494 or
602-282-3500) also has Jeep tours of the area, including
their Vortex Quest trips through the Coconino National
Forest and a Sedona night-life tour.
Other tours are available -- by horseback, in hot air
balloons, and also on fixed-wing airplane and helicopter
flights.
The Verde Valley
Fort Verde State Historic Park is southwest of
Sedona in Camp Verde. It's located off Interstate 17, via
Arizona Route 260. This fort was occupied by General
George Crook and his troops during the Indian campaigns
in the 1870s. Now restored, it provides a look into the
military history of the area. For information call (602)
567-3275.
There are two Indian ruins open to the public and in
the same general area, 35 miles south of Sedona.
Montezuma Castle National Monument is one of the
best preserved Indian cliff dwellings in the Southwest.
For information, call (602) 567-3322. Tuzigoot
National Monument is a prehistoric ruin, occupied by
the Sinagua Indians in the 1200s. Its location is between
Cottonwood and Clarkdale, south of Sedona via Highway 89A
(602-634-5564).
Verde River Canyon Excursion
Train
While the canyons near Sedona are accessible by car,
the Verde River Canyon is not. However, a scenic railroad
pulled by diesel locomotives makes the trip through the
canyon from the depot at Clarkdale. The line runs past
the red cliffs, over high bridges to Perkinsville. It was
originally built to transport ore between the mines at
Jerome and the Chino Valley. The train leaves Clarkdale
at 1 pm and returns around 5 pm. During the summer, it
departs at 10 am, returning at 2 pm. During April, May,
and October, there are two trips per day: at 9 am and
2:30 pm. The depot is 25 miles from downtown Sedona via
Highway 89A. For details and reservations, call (602)
639-0010.
Where to
Eat
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Except for Santa Fe and
Scottsdale, Sedona has the Southwest's
best eating. There are fine restaurants
in the resorts including
Enchantment, L'Auberge de
Sedona, and at Poco Diablo
Resort.
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Some of the most adventuresome
places to eat in the entire West are in
and around Sedona. Oaxaca is a
very good Mexican restaurant on Hwy.
89A, at the north end of town ($$). The
breakfasts here are particularly
enticing.
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Tlaquepaque, the
Spanish colonial shopping complex, has
two excellent restaurants: Rene and
Rincon del Tlaquepaque. The former
serves French and American cuisine.
Rincon serves Arizona variations of
standard Mexican cuisine; the patio is
wonderfully shaded by sycamores. Both
restaurants are in the $$ to $$$ range.
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Orchards Grill, uptown
on Hwy. 89A, serves an array of
"southwestern" dishes, ranging from
duck sausage pizza to Cajun seafood.
From the treed entrance to the crisp
tablecloths and attentive service, this
grill does it as it is supposed to be
done ($$ to $$$).
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Bell Rock Inn, 7 miles
south of town at 6246 Hwy. 179, serves
American cuisine in a setting offering
fine red rock views. A patio and lounge
complement the main indoor restaurant
($$).
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Page Springs Bar and
Restaurant is a casual steak, soup
and salad place, beside Oak Creek, via
Hwy. 89A and Page Springs Road ($ to
$$).
For general information
on Sedona,
including How to Get There, & What to
See & Do,
Go to Sedona - Page
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