Eat, Trail, Rub
With a ton of hiking trails and wellness options galore, Sedona proudly touts itself as the ultimate day-trip destination for experience-seeking Arizonans. And for food-loving Arizonans? Fortunately, the past few years have seen a profound improvement in Sedona’s culinary fortunes.
How To Get There
From Phoenix, take the I-17 North to AZ-179 North. Est. drive time: 2 hours.
Best Seasons to Visit: Spring, Summer and Fall
Itinerary
-> Coffee? You’re in Sedona. You don’t need no stinkin’ coffee. Get buzzed the natural way – with a sunrise hike at Devil’s Bridge Trail, where 360-degree panoramic views and vertigo-inducing sheer-face drops will wake you up better than any caffeinated beverage ever could. fs.usda.gov
-> Now for that coffee. Enjoy a cup at Cress on Oak Creek. The magical feeling of eating under towering, leafy trees – while the gorgeous namesake creek ambles by – elevates hearty morning fare like huevos rancheros garnished with cotija, and thick applewood-smoked bacon paired with roasted potatoes and perfect scrambled eggs. 301 L’Auberge Ln., 928-282-1661, lauberge.com
-> Since you happen to be at L’Auberge de Sedona, the classiest and most maddeningly idyllic resort in town, why not stay for a massage? The on-site treatment rooms are nice enough, but for a $30 surcharge, you can enjoy your rub-down or lymph-draining facial by the creek, amid the song of birds and water.
-> You can’t visit Sedona without spending some quality time in a vortex – those reputed whirlpools of cosmic energy that New Age enthusiasts chase around like Pokémon Go critters. Find one following a short hike at Cathedral Rock, which most experts agree has the juiciest vortex in town. fs.usda.gov
-> Want to cool off after your Cathedral Rock hike? Just a tenth of a mile from the trailhead, you’ll find Red Rock Crossing, the most centrally located Oak Creek splash-spot in town. The main swimming hole has shade, a comfortable beach and picnic tables. fs.usda.gov
-> Chef Lisa Dahl’s restaurants are like her children. “Each one has a very distinctive reason to be, and they all have a wonderful personality,” the Dahl & DiLuca trailblazer says. Think of Butterfly Burger as her sassy youngest. Though the dining room is freckled with fine art and livened with jazz, the food is the real showpiece – a world tour of flavors, from Japanese-inspired burgers to robust salads, including the atún parfait with yellowfin poke and wasabi-ginger dressing. 6657 SR-179, 928-862-4448, butterflyburger.com
DID YOU KNOW?
The city was named after Sedona Arabella Miller Schnebly (1877-1950), the wife of its first postmaster, Theodore Carlton Schnebly.
Overnight Options
L’Auberge De Sedona
Recently refurbished to the tune of $25 million, the legendary 87-room-and-cottage resort overlooking Oak Creek is a luxury stay in the truest sense. Imagine Camp Snoopy re-conceived by eco-minded Silicon Valley billionaires. It’s sort of like that. 301 L’Auberge Ln., 928-282-1661, lauberge.com
Briar Patch Inn
Tucked under a canopy of cottonwoods on the banks of Oak Creek, with red canyon rock rising up on all sides, this insanely handsome property offers 19 free-standing cottages, lending a sense of seclusion and majesty all at once. And the breakfasts: exquisite. Look for interesting, house-baked breads, egg casseroles and tasty fruit cocktails. 3190 N. State Route 89A, 928-282-2342, briarpatchinn.com
Amara Resort Hotel & spa
Immortalized in an Aerosmith song and admired by countless early-risers, the Sedona sunrise is truly a thing to behold at Amara. Cropped by a handsome red butte standing tall over the resort’s swanky negative-edge pool, the sun makes its first appearance in the late morning, drenching the breakfast crowd in a bath of yolky yellow light. Great spa and restaurant, too. 100 Amara Lane, 928-282-4828, amararesort.com
Wild Card
Get your daily allowances of vortex energy and yoga in one fell swoop with Surya Yoga Sedona, which conducts classes on the red rocks themselves. suryasedonayoga.com
