Sedona, AZ
Sedona, AZ
With snow on the ground at the Grand Canyon, we decided to stay only a couple days. To get to warmer country, we headed south about 100 miles to Sedona, AZ.
Sedona is known for its striking red rock vistas and hiking. During the summer, a great place to visit would be Slide Rock, a natural formation in the rock that allows people to slide down and swim in the natural pool formations in the area. But since we visited in fall, we decided to take a few hikes and enjoy the scenery.
The sunset were phenomenal at Bell Rock Trail. Just as the sun set, the sky lit up every shade of orange, red, and purple.
A bit of Sedona trivia for you: It is believed that Walt Disney had a vacation house here at one point. The house apparently burned down in the 1980’s, but the road he once lived on still bears his name, Disney Lane. From atop the mountain on which his house sat, he had a view of the red mountains surrounding Sedona. One of these is named Thunder Mountain. It is believed that the Thunder Mountain roller coaster ride at Disneyland was patterned after Thunder Mountain in Sedona.
We’ll definitely have to come back in summer to enjoy Slide Rock. In the meantime, on to our next adventure!
Boondocking in Sedona, AZ
Things have recently changed for boondockers in Sedona. The areas where boondocking used to be allowed have been scaled back, closing many previously available sites. We tried to use iOverlander to help find a place, but the information was outdated. Instead we looked it up on Campendium. There are apparently 8 official campgrounds where boondocking is allowed, 5 of them being on road 525. Road 525 is a dirt and gravel road that is not maintained well. The first turnoff site was jam packed with other RVs as they all tried to fit. We had to bypass the first and travel down to the road to the second area. It was a little more room when we pulled in and we were able to back up the 40′ fifth wheel into an area beside a loop near some rocks. (It cleared out substantially when I took the picture.)
Starlink was roaring at 105 up and 15 down. Verizon was at 4 bars and AT&T at 2.
Love your photos!