Miles: 160
Route: Scottsdale, AZ - Sedona, AZ - Flagstaff, AZ
We arrived in Sedona in the dark on Wednesday night and headed straight to Elote Cafe, a Mexican restaurant I read about on TripAdvisor (naturally) and one of the only places open at 9pm. I know we (mostly I) post a lot about our meals but this was definitely a highlight from our travels to date!
Dinner is served.
Seriously though, that Lamb Adobo was incredible! We also had Mexican corn slathered in cheese, butter and spices as well as marinated pork cheeks but honestly I was so hungry I dug in before thinking to snap a pic. Please stop here if you are ever in Sedona - or Arizona!
We woke up early this morning to give ourselves a full day exploring Sedona. Alex mapped out a solid six mile hike for us so we grabbed coffee and sandwiches then headed toward the red rocks.
The first part of our hike was a two mile trail to Devil's Bridge, the largest natural sandstone arch in the Sedona area. As we slowly ascended 400 feet up to the bridge, we were treated to awesome panoramic views of the Sedona landscape.
The day started off a bit cloudy, but they burned off by the time we got up to the bridge!
Sedona's incredible landscape.
Pausing for a photo on a vista near the bridge.
Almost there - the view from underneath the bridge.
The first part of the path was fairly easy so it was pretty crowded with other hikers, which was great for having our picture taken but not great for hiking. Once we reached the bridge, we stopped to have lunch and take it all in.
Quite an impressive sight! Every time I look at this photo I am tricked by the optical illusion that there are just bushes growing out of the sandstone, but it's really the underside of the arch!
Looking back at Devil's Bridge and Boynton Canyon.
The descent was pretty quick and since it was only about 1pm we decided to continue hiking on another nearby trail. Though Alex had mapped out a six mile hike, a few poorly marked trails and (perhaps) a wrong turn along the way ended up extending the hike to about eight miles. When we finally finished, we headed straight to Oak Creek Brewery & Grill for some rehydration - and a well-deserved celebratory beer! - and figured out where to go to watch the sunset.
Exhausted, we decided sunset hiking options were off the table so instead we drove to View 180, a restaurant at the Enchantment Resort. The view, and the big, comfy patio lounge chairs, did not disappoint!
Our table overlooked the pool at the Enchantment Resort.
As the sun set, the red rocks began to glow.
Right now we are heading to Flagstaff for the night so we can get an early start at the Grand Canyon tomorrow!