There’s a place where you can walk among ancient red rocks – where crystal streams double as fountains of youth. A place where your spirit will soar and your heart will race. Where you can unplug from life as you know it and connect to what’s important. That place is Sedona, Arizona.
Despite the small-town charm of Sedona, red rock country is surprisingly large with over 1.8 million acres of national forest land that encircles the community. This wild country of mountains and mesas and sprawling valleys is spread beneath blue skies and an endless supply of sunshine. Red stone formations create a haunting skyline found nowhere else in the world. This is where Arizona keeps the Old West. And this is where a New West has evolved, as a haven for artists, a center of spiritual health and enlightenment, and an epic playground for outdoor enthusiasts.
This special setting is what makes Sedona a renowned place of wellness and spiritual healing. Many visitors come to experience the famed vortex sites that are conducive to meditation and self-exploration. Whether the energy originates from the vortex or just the staggering natural beauty and clean forest air perfumed by pine and cypress, this is a healthy place to be, especially when additional time is spent at any of the soothing?spas?offering treatments designed to restore harmony and balance.???
Sedona’s reputation as a spiritual power locale dates back hundreds of years. Several Native American tribes performed their sacred ceremonies in Sedona and several continue to this day. In more recent years, Sedona has also drawn gifted healers, intuitives, spiritual guides and readers, energy workers, clairvoyants, teachers, and therapists, most of whom are ready to offer their transformative insights, their healing touch and their balancing and expansion techniques that cover the spectrum of ancient techniques to new technologies. Many practitioners are members of the?Sedona Metaphysical Spiritual Association whose mission is “To form a unified association that is the heart and soul of Sedona’s metaphysical and spiritual business community. To promote higher consciousness and raise awareness about the excellent products, services and activities offered to our local community?and to visitors we serve in the greater Sedona area.”
While rich in spiritual centers, Sedona is also home to many churches and sacred structures, including labyrinths, stupas (mound-like or hemispherical structures often containing relics), and medicine wheels. Feel your?spirit?soar at the Chapel of the Holy Cross, where all faiths come to marvel at the views and architecture of the little church rising between two stone pillars. Explore the ancient pueblo of Honanki Heritage Site, an elaborate cliff dwelling nestled against red cliffs and surrounded by mysterious petroglyphs, symbols etched into the rocks.
Everyone can chase his or her passions amid Sedona’s breathtaking grandeur.?Hikers?can traverse the broad back of Schuerman Mountain, an extinct volcanic mound. For a truly memorable outing, hikers can take the beautiful ridgeline that leads down to the cool waters of Oak Creek on the Huckaby Trail and circle a distinctive stone tower and watch it transform into the famous “Three Fingers” formation on Chimney Rock Loop.
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Mountain bikers?can follow the swooping curves of the Girdner Trail down to Dry Creek, zoom across the red rock ledges of the Mescal Trail or cruise through hillsides shaggy with manzanita on Deadman’s Pass. Experienced bikers can catch some air on Llama Trail or make the steep climb on the Ridge Trail providing splendid views of Red Rock Crossing. Yet there are plenty of routes for all skill levels.
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If you prefer to take your time at a slower place, Sedona is packed with leisurely activities that highly the area’s stunning beauty. Consider picnicking?among the orchards of Jordan Historical Park and visit an informative museum while there. Savor a sunset from the high perch of the Merry-Go-Round, as the western horizon blazes with color and soft light melts down the cliffs like warm honey.?Stargaze?at a glittering canopy of celestial bodies from the base of Doe Mountain with unobstructed wraparound views of the heavens.
No matter the season, Sedona has a way of pulling people outdoors. Each time of year seems especially vivid, an idyllic version of what we want that season to be. At an elevation of 4,500 feet, Sedona enjoys deliciously mild summers with comfortable mornings and evenings and yes, a bit of heat in the afternoon, perfect weather for swimming holes, canyon picnics, or a creekside massage. Winters have just enough nip in the air to enhance a cup of evening cocoa. The rare snowfall is almost always confined to the shoulders of the mighty formations, adding a decorative frosting that makes the perfect setting for a family photo.
