Sedona Run Report –
Day 1 started out with a short visit to the Chapel of the Holy Cross, a church built into the side of the mountains back in the 1950’s. Not a place to wheel but interesting none the less. Second on the list for the day was to be an easy short .75 mile hike up to bottom of Devils Arch but ended up being a difficult 2 mile hike to the top the arch where if you were bold enough you could walk onto the arch itself. We had some in the group walk onto the arch to get their pic taken but it isn’t for the faint of heart or for those with vertigo. After our hike back down to our Jeeps we ran Greasy Spoon which is a moderate trail which could probably be done in a stock Jeep.
Day 2 had us scheduled to run Smiley Rock and Mingus Mountain. As it turned out Smiley Rock took us all day to run. Yes the rock looks just like it does in the book. We all had our pics taken in front of the rock (we did drive a long way to get to see it after all) and made our way over a couple of rock gardens. A stock Jeep could probably make it over the rock gardens with good spotting and maybe a tug or two but I would recommend at least 33inch tires and a low gear to get across. Once we made it thru the rock gardens and got to the top of the mountain it was starting to get dark and snowing great big snowflakes along with thunder and lighting. We got about a half inch of snow while we tried to find our way to Potatoe Patch Campground. My GPS at this point showed no roads and we had several roads to choose from. After going down the wrong trails a couple of times we finally got on the right trail to the campground. It was a great group effort with everyone providing great input to get back to the campground where we aired back up and proceed back down to Sedona thru Jerome.
Day 3 had some returning home and the rest of us were on our own. I myself broke an AC belt on my Silverado and had to get that fixed. I ended up taking it to Tire Pro Automotive a great little shop in Sedona where it cost me $80 to get replaced. $20 for the belt and $60 for labor, which I thought was reasonable given where I was at. We ended up doing some shopping for souvenirs while the truck was getting repaired.
Day 4 had us on Schnebly Hill and Hutch Mountain. These are two easy trails that any stock high clearance vehicle can do. We even saw a couple of cars on Schnebly Hill. Must have been rentals! Schnebly Hill has some great views while Hutch Mountain takes you thru some Ponderosa Pines past Stoneman Lake to a mountain top look out tower. The tower was locked but we climbed as high as we could to take advantage of the great views the tower provided. The day ended in Flagstaff with a great late lunch at a small brewery in an original downtown building which used to house a market. The food was great as well as the beer which is brewed on sight.
Day 5 had us out on Broken Arrow, Sedona’s premiere trail which is adopted by Pink Jeep Tours. I was surprised at how Jeepy the trail was, given that they run the Pink Jeeps up and down it all day with passengers in the back. I wouldn’t take a stock Jeep on it but if you are sitting on 33inch tires and have a low gear you should do fine. Broken Arrow took us about a half day to complete with stops along the way to take pictures at which point some needed an early start for their return trip home while others needed some down time from all the running from the last few days. My wife and I went on to see the Palatki and Honanki Indian Ruins, an easy but worthwhile trip. On our return trip down FR525 we were treated to a beautiful full moon over the desert landscape.
Day 6 we were to meet a couple of people to return to Flagstaff for some shopping but found ourselves chomping at the bit to see more of what Sedona had to offer so we begged off of the shopping trip and went to see Montezuma Well, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monument. You can easily see all of these in one day and if you start early enough you can also see the V-V Petroglyph Site. On our return trip to our condo we had to pass by the turn off for Soldiers Pass. It was late in the day, the sun was starting to wan, the trail rated moderate to adventurous. I looked at my wife and asked “One more trail??” She said “Heck Ya!!” and off we went. Soldiers Pass is a short, fairly easy trail with two interesting architectural features. Seven Sacred Pools and Devils Kitchen, a rather large sinkhole. We stopped at both, took some pictures and returned to our condo tired but glad we stopped.
Here are a couple of recommendations for places to eat. Savannahs. A great steak house but be ready for $40 steaks and $10 beers. A cheaper alternative is the Olde Sedona Bar and Grill. We ate there twice and got out for $60 which included tip, meal for the both of us, two beers and two margaritas. Likewise Angels Mexican Restaurant found us there twice also and has good fresh Mexican food and you can get out for $60 which includes tip, meal for two, two beers and two margaritas. Look for a converted Pizza Hut restaurant. All three places are easy to find on Highway 89A.
All in all we had a great time, met a lot of great people, ran a lot of great trails and seen a lot of great sights and can’t wait to get back to Sedona again next year. Thanks to all who came. See you all on the trails again sometime soon!!
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Take Care Until Then - JimH
