No matter how many photos you have seen of the area around Sedona, Arizona, nothing quite prepares you for the breathtaking beauty of the flat-topped mesas, enormous buttes and spindly spires of red sandstone that soar into the cyan blue sky. You don’t know where to focus first and keep taking photograph after photograph to catch the nuances of the changing light on the rock faces. It is beyond the scope of this blog to describe all the things you can see and photograph in and around Sedona. Whole books have been written on the subject. We only hope to whet your appetite.

We drive to Sedona from Flagstaff, through thick ponderosa pines, down Oak Creek Canyon, a twisting, winding 16-mile chasm with waterfalls and streams hemmed into the sheer red rock walls. Aromas of springtime — apple blossoms, fresh pine, wet leaves — fill the air.

This is the only place where you have to park the car, get out and hike one of the innumerable trails that wind their way through the Canyon. A favorite is “Call of the Canyon/West Fork Oak Creek Trailhead,” a six-mile round trip hike that takes you past spectacular scenery, through apple orchards where, in the fall, you can simply reach up and pick your snack fresh from the tree. This is where author Zane Grey found inspiration for his book, “Call of the Canyon.” It is also one of the vortex sites for which Sedona is famous.

About six miles south, Slide Rock State Park is the perfect place to stop for a swim (assuming you are visiting in the summer). In this spot the bottom of the creek is smooth sandstone, creating a natural water slide that you can ride down over mini falls and rapids. It is a very popular spot on a hot summer’s day.

As you venture down towards the center of Red Rock Country –Sedona — it is the colors that are most enthralling. Green trees and red rocks contrast with the blue, blue sky, accentuating the tints and hues even more. Although it is possible to drive close to many of the red monoliths (most named for their distinctive shapes), it is much more fun to spend some time hiking through, around or up them.

We spend two days photographing this picturesque town. One of the most popular and most photographed sites is the west face of Cathedral Rock, located in its own park (Red Rock Crossing) Crescent Moon. As part of the formation, slender monoliths, resembling fingers, accent the outcrop. These are known as “The Lovers” and there is a Native American legend surrounding them. Storytellers narrate how these “Lovers” were created when the Great Spirit observed a couple fighting all the time. In order to distract them from their petty issues, he extolled them to turn around and observe the beauty surrounding them and live in harmony.

There are several trails of varying difficulty that take you up the rock from where you will be able to see superb vistas. At around sunset, you can find the rock reflected in the waters of Oak Creek. Our favorite site, however, is slightly south of Sedona, where Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock (also considered a vortex site) soar into the sky. Courthouse Butte, a massive, towering formation, is visible from almost everywhere in Sedona. We are fortunate that we are in Sedona the night before the full moon which gives us the opportunity to photograph the setting sun and the rising moon around these two landmarks. The color of the rock changes from burnt sienna to a fiery red as the sun sinks towards the horizon.

We realize very quickly that we have not planned enough time for Sedona. Around every corner and bend, there is something different to photograph or a new angle to explore. I guess it means we will simply have to come back to a much longer period of time.

PHOTOGRAPHIC TIP
On this trip, you can use every lens and every type of photographic equipment you have. A wide-angle lens is a must. The vistas are ideal for panoramic and HDR photography.

IF YOU GO
To protect the fragile environment, the Chamber of Commerce has introduced the Red Rock Pass Program, a mandatory parking fee that is required if you want to park alongside the roads outside downtown Sedona as well as at the numerous trailheads. The Red Rock Pass is available from any of the Visitors Centers as well as from automated machines at most major trailheads. If you have a National Parks pass, you can also display this from your mirror.
For information on Sedona visit the Chamber of Commerce website (www.visitsedona.com; tel 928-282-7722 or 800-288-7336) There are several excellent books with information on the hiking possibilities in Sedona including “Sedona’s 10 Top Hikes” by Dennis Andres and “Sedona Hikes” by Richard and Sherry Mangum.

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