Arizona

“When your spirit cries for peace, come to a world of canyons deep in the old land”

2020 has been quite the difficult year – from pandemics to politics, a safe getaway was much needed.

Although traveling was nearly impossible this year, my friends and I managed a long weekend away in Arizona, a state filled with deep canyons, massive plateaus, and lush deserts.

I have never been to the desert before – as an east coaster where humidity and water is ample, I certainly underestimated how arid it could get. Tip #1: hydrate as much you can at all times, especially during hiking!

With that said, I’m excited to share all that an autumn Arizona has to offer.

Since this was my first visit and because I love hiking over most things, I wanted to cover the most popular natural attractions. Our itinerary included – the Grand Canyon, the Devil’s Bridge and Kitchen Sinkhole, the Seven Sacred Pools, the vortexes at Cathedral Rock, and Slide Rock State Park.

There were certainly more places my friends and I wanted to visit, but because of the time of year (November days have a lot less sunlight) and the difficulty of some of these hikes, it wasn’t possible.

For our first full day, we drove two hours north of Sedona – briefly along the famous Route 66 – to the Grand Canyon. As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, it was a bucket list item that needed to be checked off.

And we didn’t just see the Grand Canyon, we hiked nearly 4000 feet down on the Bright Angel Trail. The grueling yet unbelievably scenic trip took six hours total to complete.

Tip #2: Do not underestimate the Grand Canyon. The hike has steep switch paths and icy trails that litter the top of the canyon. I highly recommend good traction shoes and supporting accessories if you are visiting in the fall. Since the Bright Angel Trail is nearly completely shaded, make sure to wear layers and bundle up!

Regardless of how far you choose to go on the Bright Angel Trail, walking this trail will leave you with beautiful views and a full body workout – seriously, you’ll be sore for the rest of your trip

The next day, we drove out to see the red rocks of Sedona. There were a few geological sights we wanted to see here, starting with the Devil’s Bridge.

We parked our car at the the Soldier’s Pass Trail and hiked our way to the Devil’s Bridge Trail. The path weaves through nice shaded areas and is relatively easy. Once you get to the steep part of the path, you’ll find yourself on the equivalent of a Disney park line.

Everybody is on this trail for one reason and one reason only – to see the Devil’s Bridge and take a good ass photo on it.

Because of this, every group went on one by one which generated hour long waits. I personally didn’t mind it. The views from the line were great company.

After successfully posing and not dying on the bridge, we sought out the Devil’s Kitchen Sinkhole and Seven Sacred Pools. I don’t think these stops are a must visit, but it certainly offers a chance to stroll through the more lush parts of Arizona.

Unfortunately, due to extreme drought, the Seven Sacred Pools were dried up. It was underwhelming to say the least.

We concluded the evening at the base of Cathedral Rock, where we sought out an “energy vortex”, or a place where spiritual energy is most potent. With an open mind, you can tap into some enlightenment. For me, $5 happy hour margaritas did the trick.

If you come to Cathedral Rock earlier in the day, you can hike all the way to the top, but be prepared! We heard from those coming down that the hike eventually turns into a climb.

For our final day, we spent the morning brunching and shopping in downtown Cottonwood, the town where our Airbnb was.

Since we were heading back into Sedona, we made a pit stop to see the Church of the Holy Cross. This chapel was built into the stone of the landscape and offers beautiful views of the surrounding area.

After two days of intense hiking, we found some relief at Slide Rock State Park, where we lounged under the sun beside mossy pools and slick natural slides.

It was too cold to swim, but we did dip our sore feet in. The spring and summer are better times to visit if you plan on hopping in, but you’ll have to deal with the crowds that come with it. Lucky for us, we found a nice private slab of rock to snack, nap, and play cards on.

We concluded that evening with the shopping area in Sedona and some drinks to celebrate the success of our trip.

If you love nature in its largest and grandest forms, I highly recommend Arizona, and if you like adventure, hike the Grand Canyon and try some local cuisine – I promise prickly pears and rattlesnakes taste amazing!