Cathedral Rock

Sedona: home of the energy vortexes. What exactly is an energy vortex? It’s a point of intersection between lines of earth’s natural electromagnetic energy. Many people think that visiting these points will bring about rapid spiritual, and sometimes physical healing. There is a high concentration of this healing energy in Sedona, which brings in crowds of people each year. Whether or not you personally believe in the physical and mental effect of energy vortexes, there’s no denying that Sedona is a beautiful place. Even those who do not necessarily believe in the powers of the natural landforms visit Sedona for the amazing hiking opportunities.

One of the first things that will catch your attention when you arrive is all of the beautiful red rock. You can get a good view of it simply through driving through town, but the best way to get an up-close and personal look is to go on one of the many hikes in the area. The best hike we did was to Cathedral Rock. We had to wake up before the sun to beat the midday heat, but we were able to watch the sunrise as we climbed up the rock. I highly recommend this one because of the panoramic views you get of the valley below as well as how close you can get to the unique rock formations at the top. If you choose this hike, be sure to scale your way around the left side of the rock once you get to the “trail ends here” sign, because that’s how you get to the actual Cathedral Rock.

You can sit at the base of it and see if you feel any differently. Without going too much into whether we believe in vortexes or not, I can tell you that my boyfriend and I certainly felt more at peace with ourselves than we did before we got to the top!

There are tons of other hikes you can go on too… Bell Rock, Airport Mesa, and Chapel of the Holy Cross to name a few. There are also abundant swimming holes to explore. If you visit in the summer, be sure to get there extra early to find a parking spot! A lot of the parking lots were closed early in the day because of the massive crowds. I guess on a 100-degree day, everyone has the same idea for ways to cool off…

As far as camping goes, there is plentiful BLM land on the outskirts of Sedona. We stayed at Loy Butte road and didn’t encounter another person there all weekend.