Even after many visits to Sedona, the beautiful red rock formations never cease to amaze me. Mild temps and abundant sunshine in mid-February meet our requirements for escaping Wisconsin’s winter, and the hikes can be fine-tuned to our activity levels.

Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
To start at the beginning of this series, visit Return to the Red Rocks 2024.

One of my Favorite Places

I think I am still as in-awe of Sedona as I was on my first visit so many years ago. The link in the quote below contains a pdf of the Sedona section of a coffee table book that I designed and wrote, and best describes my obsession with the place. Sedona was just one of my inspiration points for the project that didn’t make me rich, but ended up providing great gifts for friends who share my love of Arizona. Click here if you’d like more information on the book.

Regarded by Native Americans as sacred, Sedona has a way of instilling inner peace, tranquility and spirituality for many visitors. Could it be the red rocks and the warmth of the sun? Is it the Native American history and their beliefs – or the vortexes with their energy flows? Or is it the combination of all of the above? ~ from The Natural Beauty of Arizona

All Around Town

On our way to a fabulous lunch at Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill, we stopped at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. There are several more nice shots of the interior in the pdf of the book and I used the exterior photo from there as well. The crucifix in the floor to ceiling window below was installed in recent years and adds another beautiful element to this lovely place on the hill.

This amazing chapel was built in 1956, commissioned by Marguerite Brunswig Staude – local rancher and sculptor – who was inspired by the construction of the Empire State Building in 1932. The link above has gorgeous aerial and interior shots that can’t be experienced as just a visitor and should not be missed.

Parking can be tricky in this very busy (and straight-uphill) place. There are several levels of parking and if your last resort is at the bottom, it’s quite a hike up. It’s possible to catch a golf cart as its driver makes his rounds, if you need assistance. We lucked into the closest space that is possible without a handicap parking pass because today was our lucky day!

Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte

A stop at the Redrock Visitor Center will get you fabulous views of Sedona’s iconic mountains, maps and help planning your stay, a great movie, a family of javelinas, and a photo with Smokey the Bear! You can also get info on which parks require which passes – a Red Rock Pass or the National Park Pass (the Federal Recreational Lands Pass).

We started our day with a short hike in the red rocks near Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte – two of the easiest to recognize in the lineup of formations in Sedona. This cooler day in mid-February was perfect – with a slight chill that ended up just glorious. I’m not sure which path we ended up on, but it was a little over a mile and relatively flat. This Bell Rock Loop link offers several add-on trails to make your hike longer and more challenging if you prefer, since it’s possible to encircle both of these formations and even scramble to the top of both.

“Sedona Red Rocks Map. Not only is this a great map to help you get to know the major sightseeing spots and best views in Sedona, it acts as a great self-guided driving tour map of Sedona. Even better, it’s a combination two points of view: an aerial view of Sedona coupled with pictures of Sedona red rock formations on the horizon.” ~ READ MORE

Yavapai Overlook

Since we drove right by on 89A on a previous outing, this time we did a quick pullout into the parking lot at Yavapai Vista Trail. A few more beautiful views surely couldn’t hurt, so we headed up for a little elevation. It turns out we could have gone just a little ways further to the actual vista and had more expansive views, and had we waited just a few more hours we could have caught a sunset. It seems another trip to Sedona is required for another pass at this beautiful overlook – one with a little more planning!

Since we had just spent some time near Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte, I’ll start at the left end of the spectrum and end with those views from here. There is an option (once you click on the first photo below) to view at full size – making the photo as large as possible.

If you follow the mountaintops from left to right, you’ll see The Twin Buttes (darker red), then The Nuns (smaller, almost beneath that tree), then Gibraltar (the tallest peak to the right), Lee Mountain, Baby Bell is in there somewhere (not sure where), and then Rabbit Ears. It’s kind of fun to put a name to just a few of the named mountains in this area.

And some Closer-ups

The second photo is a much better view of The Nuns, with the third a closer look at Gibraltar and the rest of its range. Rabbit Ears are to the left of Courthouse Butte in the fourth, with Bell Rock rounding out our panorama. Several photos at the end show the mountain behind us. I will say, this was the most panoramic view we’ve seen, and may have been more so from the actual vista.

All I can say is WOW!

Next up: Along Oak Creek Canyon

Happy trails,
Barb