Places We Visited
Pick a stop to see its story and photos.
Dead Horse Ranch State Park covered the campground, lagoons, wildlife, and Verde River Greenway time at the start of the Sedona stop, giving us a slower, bird-heavy stretch before we got on the water.
The Verde River with its convenient put-in finally let the kayaks earn their keep after being hauled across the desert. This stretch was approachable but still fun, with enough Class I and II rapids to keep the paddle interesting without turning it into a white-knuckle day.
Jerome brings together the hillside mining town, state historic park, and ghost tour into one memorable Verde Valley stop. The town carries its old copper-boom history in the steep streets, preserved buildings, mining exhibits, and stories of a place that nearly disappeared before reinventing itself around its past.
Tuzigoot National Monument is a hilltop Sinagua pueblo in the Verde Valley outside Clarkdale. A single unit with multi-level rooms offers wide views across the landscape. Ancient people once practiced desert farming, engaged in trade connections, used grinding stones, and created a community.
Red Rock State Park sits about five miles southwest of Sedona and protects a quieter stretch of Oak Creek. The park has roughly five miles of interconnected trails; a typical Eagle's Nest-style loop is about 2 to 3 miles with around 300 feet of elevation gain, making it a mellower Sedona hiking day with room for birds, creek views, and overlooks.
Crescent Moon Ranch is northwest of Sedona with Oak Creek in the foreground and Cathedral Rock views in the distance. It is more creekside wandering than a big hike: plan on roughly 1 to 2 easy miles depending on how far you roam, with minimal elevation gain and lots of payoff for photos, water, and red-rock scenery.
Little Horse Trail is a Sedona red-rock hike that runs about 3.6 miles out and back with roughly 380 feet of elevation gain, leading to Chicken Point as the payoff viewpoint. It is a practical Sedona choice when the famous trailheads are packed: enough climbing and slickrock to feel like a real hike, but still short enough to fit into a crowded day.
Bell Rock is one of the signature formations south of Sedona, and the popular Bell Rock Loop is about 1.9 miles with around 232 feet of elevation gain. It is a busy crowd-filled way to get those big Sedona red-rock views around Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte without committing to a long hike.
Cathedral Rock Trail is the short, steep Sedona scramble that finally happened after two failed shuttle and parking attempts earlier in the day. The route is only about 1.2 miles round trip, but it climbs roughly 700 feet up slickrock and natural steps to the saddle between the spires, with wide red-rock views across Sedona from the top.
