Photo Friday: Sedona, AZ

Way back in January (feels like forever--I've been home for over a month! How can I bear it!), I took a little trip down to Sedona, Arizona, to find a bit more sun and daylight. The weather cooperated, mostly, and my friend Jan and I had a good time. Funny thing about Sedona: because I'm not into the New Age aspects of the place, I've tended to avoid it (well, also because that New Age stuff draws a lot of tourists during the season). January proved a reasonable time to go--though there were plenty of tourists around, they weren't overwhelming. And the landscape is sufficiently amazing that it needs no mystical stuff to make it a place to visit.

The trip started with an amazing flight south (in part because it wasn't full and I had a whole row to myself!). It was very clear and very calm and the pilot got permission for a close fly-by of Mt. Rainier. How close? Close enough it was almost scary!

If there'd been climbers on the mountain, I'm pretty sure I could have seen what brand packs they carried.

I met my Maine friend Jan at the Phoenix airport. I got in first, with enough time to pick up the car and find a grocery store for some basics, so we hit the road for Sedona, a couple of hours to the north.

As we neared the Sedona area, we started having to pull over to check out the scenery.

Weather was mixed, which made for some great spotlights as the afternoon sun came in under the clouds.

Our lodgings had fantastic views, too. If you couldn't hike, you could sit on the deck and watch the light change and it would be okay.

View from the deck.

Next morning we hiked Cottonwood Creek, a 20-minute drive farther up the canyon. This was something of a miscalculation, as we'd planned a different hike but didn't understand how the trailhead worked. Hiking in the creek bottom was pretty, but also chilly, and there were a LOT of stream crossings, which I mostly managed dry-shod.

The big stream had a bridge--had to cross this to access the canyon.

We hike at different speeds, so just set a turn-around time, and I didn't quite make the end of the trail. I kind of got fed up with wobbly stream crossings, especially as I'd flown with only carry-on bags and therefore didn't have my trekking poles. That was a mistake. There was a pair of poles at our lodgings, but only one, which I let Jan use, in a great burst of over-confidence.

The weather didn't completely cooperate during our stay, so the next day we hiked together in the morning, then I raced off for another hike before the rain hit (spoiler: I didn't quite make it).

Morning at Bell Rock and Courthouse Rock:

Bell Rock.

 

Jan contemplates a large petrified souffle.

We did a full loop around the back side of Courthouse rock, then cut through between. Not too many people out at the end of the loop, even though it's only 3 miles.

Reflections in a tiny streamlet. 

Not far short of the car I gave Jan the keys and scrambled a ways up Bell. I had no desire to go to the top, just to get up a bit to play on the lovely sandstone.

At my turn-around. Courthouse is behind. Note my little friend Petey Possum sitting atop my pack.

After lunch, my target was the Devil's Bridge. Jan (wisely) declined to gamble with the rain and stayed in where, as noted, you can always watch the light change on the rocks across the canyon without getting wet.

Partly because I could, and partly to beat the rain, I hiked this one hard and fast (for me, anyway). Even so, the rain started before I reached the bridge.
 

The Devil's Bridge

One wet hiker. It wasn't really warm enough to be okay getting soaked, though I was fine as long as I was moving. This hike convinced me it's time for a new light-weight rain jacket. Just waiting on my REI coupon next month :) 

My friend Laura drove up from the Tucson area and joined us for the next couple of days, though she was sadly unable to hike. That was okay--Wednesday morning was very wet, and we checked out a quilt exhibit at the library and a local history museum (we took a pass on the parts that were outdoors). We were able to share meals, which was nice.

The special contest theme was "an octopus's garden." This was one of the more spectacular entries. I of course spent the rest of the week with that song in my head.

In the late afternoon the sun came out, in patches, so Jan and I did a hike from our lodgings up to a viewpoint near the Sedona airport (which sits on top of a mesa--that one might be kind of fun to fly in and out of--overrun the runway and fall off a cliff!).

Looking across the western part of town.

More east, over our lodgings. You can see here that we've got some snow moving in on the higher bits.

It did snow overnight, with no accumulation in town (we did see some flakes), but the next morning it was gorgeous--cold, completely clear, blue skies. I couldn't wrap my head around anything but an early start for a desert hike, so we were at the Brins Mesa trailhead a 8 a.m., with everything still frozen (including my toes).

Jan hiked clockwise past the Seven Sacred Pools towards Soldier Pass, turning back when it got icy. I hiked counter-clockwise up and over the mesa, with a detour to Soldier cave.

Sunrise on the rocks.

I soon found myself climbing, and also having to be very careful where I stepped, as there was a lot of ice. After a scary slip or two, I slowed down and paid attention.

Once on top of the mesa, I got the full effect of both sun and wind--it was below freezing and my ears let me know! But I liked the views, and reveled in the light. (For the record, we were each enjoying at least an hour more daylight than in our northern homes--so even when it was overcast, we were getting more light).

An old juniper tree.

High enough now for visible snow--and to see the peaks and cliffs all around.

You know you're in the high desert when there's snow on the prickly pears.

Snow on the agave works, too.

Parts of the descent from Soldier Pass were more than dodgy, and I considered just hanging out for an hour until things melted out more. I had no signal so couldn't let Jan know of any change in plans, so just moved carefully and it wasn't that bad.

Taking a break. Most of the shiny stuff is ice. I had to assume it all was to be safe.

I almost skipped the detour to Soldier Cave, partly because it didn't look like much from a distance, and partly for fear of getting into more ice, but I met someone who'd just been and they said the trail was clear. Glad I went.

The cave appears to be a fairly shallow royal arch (i.e. alcove). The large opening here is in fact a secondary cave.

Once I got up into the "cave" I discovered, first that the main cave is on the right, barely visible in the photo above. I also saw that it is, in fact, a very young arch--barely separated from the cliff, but an arch.

Looking straight up, you can see it as an arch.

Since there were a couple of women up in the cave, I confidently scrambled up the obvious bit to get behind the arch myself. 

In fact, a double arch, as there was a window!

The view out the window.

Behind the arch runs a long shelf, wide enough to be comfortable to walk on, so I went to the other end, which actually opens into the next arch (the main one visible in my approach photo). I wondered if it were possible to climb down into that one, but it looked unlikely--and when I checked from below, there was an overhanging drop-off of probably 15 feet, so that's a big no.

Looking back along the shelf to where I climbed up, in the crack between the inner and outer walls. It looks unlikely from this perspective but was actually quite easy.

From the cave, I quickly dropped back to the main trail, and hiked hard to the 7 Sacred Pools. There was no more ice, so I could move fast again. The pools are a series of potholes in the sandstone, though I in fact only counted six.

The three upper pools.

 

Three lower pools.

 I suspect the whole "sacred" bit is part of the New Age hype, but I will never snoot a good pothole, or water in the desert.

From there I made time back to the car, since I was pretty sure (correctly) that Jan was waiting for me (though not really for long--she did more explorations to make good use of her time there as well). 

Our final morning in Sedona we had just enough time for another quick visit to the viewpoint before hitting the road for the airport. There was good morning light, but nothing as nice as on our previous visit.

Bonus fun: flying back out right by the stuff I'd just hiked.

Wow--that's it. I'm caught up with my travels. I do have lots of photos I haven't shared, so I can put together other photo posts while I wait for my next trip. But it looks like I may need to do some more flash fiction to fill in the gaps!

 

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 ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2026 

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