sedona.

Logan and I were recently chatting about our opinion of the top five most beautiful places in America. Sedona was on my list. How could it not be?

Sedona reminds me of the Grand Canyon but if you put a city in the middle of the canyon. Sedona is so colorful, bright red and orange rocks and deep green plateaus. It’s simply breathtaking. Keep in mind, Sedona is full of psychics, palm readers, crystals, etc. Some go to Sedona for a spiritual experience, you will definitely notice the calmness and smell of oils in the air.

We have gone to Sedona twice now. The first time we went, we stayed for four days over Thanksgiving and drove from Orange County straight to Sedona. The second time, we actually drove up from Scottsdale and stayed just for the morning. Sedona is about two hours from Scottsdale so it’s definitely doable as a day trip. Both times we have gone, we have brought our dog (he’s seen more of this country than most adults)! Sedona is very dog friendly.

Keep in mind, Sedona is expensive to visit. Sedona also can get chilly. Each time we have visited Sedona, we have gone in November. The trick is to wear multiple layers, including hats and scarves. All in all, Sedona is a land full of beauty and adventure. I know this will be a town that we continue to visit over the years.

Where We Hiked:

West Fork Trail costs $10 to park at but is a lovely trail. We took Charlie on this hike and little did we know, we had to cross a stream 13 times! The trail was 8 miles out and back. West Fork has very little elevation gain and is great for families and dogs (as long as you don’t mind a wet pup).

One of my favorite hikes is Doe Mountain Trail (another dog friendly trail). Doe Mountain is less popular yet has the best view in my opinion. You do have to park at Doe Mountain, but there are credit card machines that allow you to purchase a Sedona Day Hiking pass for $5. The hike up Doe is steep and full of switchbacks. Though steep, the hike is less than a mile to the top. We had to push Charlie up a couple large steps but he loved every second of the hike, in fact, he was pulling us half the time! Once you get to the top of Doe, there is a large plateau to explore. The top of the mountain is extremely flat. We went off trail a little bit and got lost. The second time we did this hike, we made sure to follow the rim of the plateau.

Next to Doe Mountain is Fay Canyon Trail, another dog friendly hike. Fay Canyon is great for families and less athletic hikers (this trail was pretty busy). Fay Canyon does have some deep sand on the trail that Charlie did not like. Fay weaves you in and out of a beautiful canyon and leads you to a large rock that you can climb up. Charlie and I stayed at the bottom of the rock but Logan made it pretty far and said the trail kept going. We saw two javelina on the trail so be careful, especially if you have small dogs or children. Javelina are not afraid of humans. Fay Canyon is a 4mile trail out and back.

Hangover Trail is a little tricky to find, but it’s hidden parking lot keeps many tourists away. We practically had the entire trail to ourselves! Out and back, Hangover is about six miles, but first, you have to hike to the trailhead! We parked at the Munds Wagon trailhead about one mile away from the start of Hangover. If you have an ATV, you could definitely drive down to the start of Hangover, but there were very few places to park. You would be better off parking at Munds Wagon. The trail is very well marked with white arrows; you will know how to get to Hangover. This trail weaves you in and out of a canyon and up a rock formation that gets very narrow and steep. I wouldn’t recommend this hike for children as it can get rather dangerous. After hiking both Munds Wagon to Hangover and back, you will have hiked about eight miles.

In the same area as Doe Mountain and Fay Canyon is the Devil’s Bridge Trail. This is the most popular trail in Sedona. Though listed as dog friendly, I am really glad we did not bring Charlie. I do not recommend bringing dogs on this trail. Due to its popularity, make sure to do this hike first thing in the morning. Logan and I got up before the sun and drove to the trail and found parking, no problem. However, after the hike, there were lines of cars trying to park and the trail was absolutely packed. To me, the hike is ruined if its deep full of people. Overall, Devil’s Bridge really is a must do. The bridge itself isn’t that scary, it’s more of an optical illusion as the bridge is much more wide than you would think. Still, definitely be cautious!

Bell Rock is another one of my favorite hikes in Sedona. Bell Rock is close to Cathedral Rocks but is not as busy. I still recommend doing Bell Rock first thing in the morning. Bell is not dog friendly as there really is no trail. You simply climb the massive rock. This hike is extremely dangerous and not for the faint of heart. Logan and I had a blast trying to climb as high as we could.

Cathedral Rock is one of the more popular hikes and this is marked as dog friendly. We brought Charlie, however, we should not have. I would not recommend Cathedral to any dog owners. Cathedral is very busy and steep. Unless you can carry your dog, leave him at home. We didn’t make it to much of the trail, so instead, we found a different trail nearby called Templeton Trail. This trail was nice and empty and provided perfect views of plant life, rocks, and steep cliffs without having to climb too high. Cathedral Rock’s parking lot was a mad house so make sure to get their early.

Finally, Soldier’s Pass Trail was another great, dog-friendly trail. Soldier’s Pass was almost 8miles out and back. We saw the famous sink hole, seven sacred pools, and we even found a secret cave. The cave was not dog friendly so we just took turns climbing into it. Soldiers Pass was a great, flat trail, however, there was not much shade.

Where We Stayed:

When we went for Thanksgiving, we stayed at this AirBnb. Ruth’s home was perfect. We had a separate entrance, our own kitchen, and plenty of space. We even had a fenced in backyard that we shared with Ruth’s dog. Ruth met us a few times while she was out with her dog. She gave us some hiking tips and warned us of the javalina’s (large wild pigs). Ruth’s home was about a ten minute drive to downtown Sedona, a perfect location.

Where We Ate:

Sedona’s prices are pretty high, it’s definitely a tourist destination. But, we enjoyed eating out at several amazing restaurants. We did pack lots of snacks, our typical hiking meals, and breakfasts which saved a lot of money.

Sedona Pizza Company offered great pizza on a heated patio that Charlie could go too.

We enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner buffet at Sound Bites Grill (make sure to make Thanksgiving reservations). Sound Bites is not dog-friendly, we let Charlie nap during this.

89Agave is delicious Mexican food downtown with a dog-friendly patio.

Lisa Dahl is a world renowned chef. She owns five restaurants in the Sedona area. We stopped at the high-end, Butterfly Burger, for drinks and appetizers. This restaurants is gorgeous! If you are a foodie and looking for a quality meal and aren’t afraid to spend a little extra than normal, the Butterfly Burger would be a great stop!

We also had lunch at Mesa Airport Grill at the Sedona Airport. This restaurant was hyped up so we went and of course there was a long wait. Though the views were good, I wouldn’t waste your time going to this restaurant unless you are only doing it for the ‘gram.

We absolutely loved the patio at The Hudson. We had an after hike drink and appetizer here and I highly recommend sitting on the patio at sunset. The mountains glow off this patio.

If you want to feel the spiritual, hippie vibes that Sedona has to offer, you can stop at ChocolaTree for a vegan snack or drink. Bonus, the patio is full of hammocks!

Pinks Coffee is a good spot to stop at on your way to your morning’s adventure. The patio at Pinks is definitely picture worthy.

Creekside Coffee is another lovely spot to grab coffee in the morning. The patio is right next to a stream and the building is nestled away in the woods.

Mooney’s Irish Pub is a good late night hang while in Sedona. The pub was full of hikers sharing their stories from the day.

Finally, Jerome, an old mining town is just South West of Sedona. The town is full of history, art galleries and tasting rooms, all atop a mountain. The drive to Jerome is extremely steep and seemed pretty dangerous. We stopped and ate at The Haunted Hamburger and Charlie even got his own plate of snacks. From the top of Jerome you can see the snow-capped mountains in Flagstaff. Jerome isn’t for everyone but it’s definitely a unique place to see if in the Sedona area. Instead of driving back down the mountain, we continued to drive up the mountain to then drive down the other side into Prescott, AZ. The drive down the other side of the mountain was stunning.

Breweries:

Oak Creek Brewing Company continues to be one of my favorite breweries I’ve been too. Oak Creek has a built in Mexican joint serving up chips and salsa and tacos inside their brewery. What I loved about Oak Creek was the large patio with one big fire pit. I’ve never been to a brewery, or any establishment for that matter where I experienced people pulling up chairs for strangers to sit at a fire pit. So many people from different corners of this world filled this patio and the circle just kept getting bigger. This obviously doesn’t happen every night, but the memories at this brewery bring me joy. The chips and salsa were wonderful as well.

Sedona Beer Company is a newer brewery and we love supporting local breweries. The first time we went, we met the owner and sat inside for hours talking to all the employees. The owner is a young woman, you don’t see that often at a brewery. The SIPA Smoothie Blend is one of my favorites.

We stopped at Javelina Winery (dog friendly) in Cornville, a small country town. We had a great time seeing a different side of Arizona.

Best Time to Visit:

Fall

massachusetts.

park city.