Sedona is a popular getaway destination for many living in Arizona. Residents of Phoenix, Flagstaff and even Tucson are drawn to Sedona for its magnetizing beauty even if they don’t buy into the “harmonic convergence” vortex theories. (I’m not going to attempt to explain it. You have Google; look it up.)

We travel to Sedona for a number of more mundane reasons:

1) Close proximity to the Phoenix metro area (only takes about 2 hours)

2) Wide range of lodging and dining experiences because of the heavy volume of tourists

3) Extensive options for outdoor recreation activities such as hiking, camping, backpacking

4) Numerous opportunities for art, music and film fairs and festivals

5) Historical sites

6) Wine tasting in the Verde Valley

Here are some photos of our last trip to Sedona in April. We spent a week there, hiking, shopping, wine tasting, dining, sightseeing and relaxing. This time was very much like previous trips, except we were traveling with Molly, our border collie. And from our point of view, she has lot more energy than those vortices.

Starting out on the Marg

View from Marg

Red rocks from Marg

When we visit Sedona, we always try to take a different trail, or explore a different area. Marg’s Draw Trail is easily reached from the “Y” — just a short 2.5 mile walk up Schnebly Road. It’s almost an urban trail running path — with plenty of neighborhood residents using this as their morning or evening workout. Don’t be discouraged; this is a wonderful trail with excellent views of many rock formations as it weaves beyond the reach of the subdivisions.

Fly fishing on Oak Creek

Spires of sandstone from the Marg

For seven nights, Los Abrigados Resort & Spa would be our lodging. We found it comfortable, but a little cramped. But we spent most of our time on the patio, watching the wind sculptures, soaking in the hot tub and snacking on Verde Valley wine and cheese.

Some Los Abrigados room patios include hot tubs

Our dog, Molly really enjoyed being next to Oak Creek, where she could watch the ducks and meet some of the other guests.

Creek frontage of Los Abrigados

Water feature along Oak Creek at Los Abrigados

No trip to Sedona should be without a side trip to some of the Verde Valley wineries and there are several, but we stopped at three — Page Springs, Javelina Leap and Oak Creek.

Oak Creek Vineyards

Large roses around the vines

Oak Creek, a bottle of Arizona wine and a bistro cheese and meat basket makes perfect lunch

One of the sights I would highly recommend is Montezuma Well. Everyone goes to “Montezuma’s Castle,” but few take the extra half hour to see his “Well.” Believe me, it’s worth the time. And it’s more than just a “hole in the ground.” It’s a set of cliff dwelling ruins and an easy and beautiful path to a natural irrigation system, still in use by local farmers. We just happened upon the back entrance to Montezuma Well when we were attempting a trip to the West Clear Creek trailhead. (Our low profile passenger car would not reach that destination without a severe beating.)

Ruins above the water at Montezuma Well

Students learn about the irrigation outlet of Montezuma Well

Path to the

Another trail we explored on this trip to Sedona was the Boynton Canyon Trail. We always felt slighted on each of weekends to Sedona, not having the time to fit this one into a short two-day trip, but we finally got our chance to walk the popular “vortex” trail in northwest Sedona.

We thought it was a good idea to get an early start on the trail, for reasons including afternoon temps in the upper 80s, parking availability and the chance of heavy hiker volumes. Boynton Canyon is a scenic mixture of red rocks, manzanita thickets, ponderosa pine stands and soaring cliffs housing ruins of prehistoric cultures. The approximate six-mile round trip is an easy, leisurely walk which will take about 3 hours.

Boynton Canyon Trail winds along parts of the Enchantment Resort

Along the Boynton Canyon Trail

View of Boynton Canyon from the end of trail

Every time we go back to Sedona, whether it’s for a weekend or a week, we never get bored with the views, trails, dining experiences or resort stays. We’ll always be back.

One of the few dining patios that allow dogs is Ken's Creekside

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