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Grand Canyon to Sedona:
We started early from Grand Canyon for Sedona which is a 2 hour drive. Reached Sedona at 9.30 or so. Grabbed a coffee at a local cafe, enjoyed it in the sun; temperature was about 6 – 8 C.
There is only one major attraction in Sedona – the amazingly breathtaking natural formations. It’s the Bell Rock mountain and Court house Butte. You don’t require an address as you will see it …big reddish rocks rising high, right in front of you. Just drive in the direction and you will reach a parking area where you pay $10 and park your car. From there you can take the various treks as per your interest and ability.
We started off on the routine trek around the Court house Butte trail, which midway changed to a rock climbing expedition leading to the “we are lost in the wilderness” phase to exploration and finally accidentally getting back on the designated trail. Took us about 5 hours. I would highly recommended the trek as the view is different every 100 feet or so. You can also bike on designated tracks but I would recommend hiking as it gives you flexibility to take different routes.
CAUTION : do not disturb the vegetation and even if you stray away from the marked trails, stay on smaller trails or those made by the stream or walk on rocks. Lots of thorny shrubs so be careful what you try to grab to hold on to. The ground is also slippery due to loose mud in many places.
What’s the big deal :
the huge mountain like structures rising from the plains; look like they were carved by sculptors and from a distance look like mountain temples; some formations look like ruins of ancient rock dwellings; the rock colours and the patterns are truly phenomenal; the view from the top of some rocks – you can see miles and miles of plains, mountains and ridges.
