As one drives into Sedona the red rocks appear almost out of nowhere. This was our first view of Sedona and it was everything I had hoped it would be. A few days of glorious spring weather and tons of breathtaking scenery.
We stayed at the Orchards inn right in downtown Sedona. It’s tucked back down an alley on the corner by the pink jeep tour company and includes free parking making it especially easy to navigate downtown. Besides the amazing location the lobby includes free, cold bottled water and hot specialty coffees. All of these rooms have outstanding views from the balcony and are renovated. The pluses definitely outweigh the negatives, so while it is renovated you can tell this is an old hotel. There is very little noise insulation if there’s a door to an adjoining room, the bathroom is small and you can see the wear and tear and they never have towels at the pool. When they do, they have holes. That said, it’s a good location and price so the value is there for a peak season Sedona hotel.
Dinner on night one was Cowboy Club Grille. Walking distance from our hotel and had a kids menu. We had no wait and my daughter was thrilled with her cheeseburger. We saw lots of families enjoying the outdoor patio and views of the rocks during sunset.
Still in east coast time we walked back to our room and enjoyed our two Queen beds of space. In the morning, I made a cup of coffee in our room with the keurig that was provided and got ready while my daughter slowly woke. We had big plans and that meant getting up before sunrise.
First stop was a healthy dose of carbs and sugar before our hike. Lucky for us, Sedonuts opens at 5am. We grabbed a couple treats then made a beeline for the devils bridge trailhead. By 6am the lot was half full. You can park much closer if you have a 4 wheel drive & we had a jeep but I still didn’t think it wise to risk. So we walked the extra 1.5 miles each way.
My daughter was less than thrilled with both the early wake up or the extra 3 miles roundtrip. She was; however, a trooper and made the entire hike. Of all the trails I wanted to do here, this was the big one. The first part was relatively easy, but once you hit the trailhead and get closer to the bridge the scramble and incline gets real. There were several sections resembling poorly made, steep steps with an obvious drop if you misstep.
Still, the 360 degree views even partway to the bridge made up for the effort.
We arrived at the top closer to 7am and had a 30-40 min wait in line for photos. My daughter refused to go out onto the bridge and instead offered to take my photo instead of using the tripod. The bridge has a long drop off but it’s about 5 feet wide so it’s not as treacherous as it appears. That said, if you have a fear of heights, make someone’s day and offer to take their photo on the bridge. Then take a few minutes to rest your legs, because getting back down is going to take some effort too.
There’s more to see than just the bridge but my advice is get there early and go straight to the bridge. Explore the rest on the way back.
Once safely back to our jeep we decided on an early lunch and Wildflower cafe was perfect. It had a short line but reminds me of a Panera. Order at the front then grab your food at the table. They have a great couple of options for kids meals and a decent variety for adults. I settled on the fig and ricotta toast with pistachios and honey and it was out of this world!
What’s vacation without ice cream? Since we had to walk back into the heart of town anyway we stopped in to the Black Cow cafe for a treat. Fully intending to sample the prickly pear ice cream; upon tasting it I decided on chocolate instead. We took them back to enjoy on our patio.
In exchange for a morning hike I promised afternoon pool time. Later in the afternoon the pool empties out while guests explore the town so we enjoyed a pool and hot tub to ourselves. There’s even a fireplace located by the pool once the sun goes down if you’re not interested in further water sports. We showered and drove a little while out of town to Cucina Rustica. A beautiful white linen tablecloth Italian restaurant with delicious food.
Full bellies and a long day meant another early bedtime. When we woke the next day I grabbed a few bottled waters and some coffee from the lobby and we walked down to the Tlaquepaque arts district. Along the road there are signs telling you about each rock formation on the horizon as well as informative bullet points about the various western movies film in Sedona.
It’s a small area but packed full of cute little shops and a few eateries. We were lured into a bakery with the most adorable gluten free muffins and jaw dropping cakes.
We wandered upstairs to a jeweler and were beyond thrilled to talk with the owner, whose husband creates the pieces. She told us all about each piece and even let my 8 year old try some pieces on. She was more than patient and full of information and a highlight of our time here.
We continued down the road a little further taking in the bridge overlooking the river that runs through town then made our way back to the room to cool down. Even though the weather was a perfect 70 degrees, the bright sun does get quite hot. Sometimes as a parent taking kids on a trip you have to give in to their meal desires so we hit up the only turquoise arches in America. She was happy and I had a unique photo op.
After lunch we hopped in the car to head 45 min south to the tiny town of Cottonwood, to Dead horse state park. Horseback riding is my daughter’s number one goal on any vacation. We paid the small state park fee and drove a piece down the road to the corral. We were fitted for hats and a horse, signed some waivers and off we went on an hour ride. Our tour guide was informative. She grew up here. And the short ride was pleasant. We enjoyed a couple of river crossings and uncovered an old gravesite. It made my daughters day.
Just in time for an early dinner, we drove to Main Street and found a cute little cafe called Cream craft Kitchen & Bar.We had a 30 min wait that we spent exploring the adorable shops dotting the main road and then sat at an outside patio. My daughter claimed this was the best grilled cheese ever and I went for the pancakes. They don’t have a kids menu but the grilled cheese was perfect. I was disappointed in the pancakes and when I saw the French toast I was sorry I hadn’t ordered that.
On our last day in Sedona I was determined to get in one last hike. We got a later start and couldn’t find parking at several trailheads. Most of them fill early and are very small. All of that despite the fact that they have fay use parking fees for nearly every one. If you have the national parks pass this exempts you for several trailhead parking spots. We lucked out finding someone leaving when we got to Cathedral rock trailhead and so we set out on this easy hike. With very little effort we were able to take in some really awesome views.
On the way back to our room we followed the signs to the church in the rock. Officially titled the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It’s a very tiny chapel located on a hill. We didn’t have a problem finding free parking within an easy walk to the top but it is busy. The chapel itself is small, a step inside with probably suffice for most tourists. The patio area outside are where it’s at. Take it all in, revel in the views, because they are breathtaking. As a free sight it’s definitely something you should put on your list.
Tonight’s dinner was a well earned burrito. I would’ve eaten Mexican food every single night if that were an option in my daughters mind, but we hit up the hotel associated restaurant, 89 agave cantina. One of the perks of our room was two coupons for free margaritas. They also have a kids menu but you have to ask specifically for it. I went for the red rock burrito and it was delicious. My daughter chose chicken tenders. I took a prickly pear margarita to go and enjoyed it poolside while my daughter swam.
Saying goodbye to Sedona was tough for me. My daughter was very worn out and ready to head back. Along the way we found a rest area with a fabulous view.
We also used our America the Beautiful pass to get into Montezuma Castle national monument. This is a small walk and has some really neat history. It makes for a great stop along the drive home and isn’t far off the main highway.
One last stop for gas, bathroom and pie in Rock Springs. The gas station has a large assortment of slice options packed individually for an easy car snack.
Eating Around 