We drove north on highway 89A through Sedona and into Oak Creek Canyon. A $5.00 per day recreational parking pass is required for all viewing areas and hiking trails in the Sedona area. We decided not to buy one as there was lots of other things to see first before we leave on Saturday....for sure next time. The twisty, windy road follows Oak Creek and then goes up the mountain with switchbacks to the top...a very scenic drive...maybe not so much for Steve who was too busy navigating the narrow, windy road.
The end of the canyon is near Flagstaff, so instead of driving back the way we came, we continued over to Interstate 17 south, making a loop drive back down towards Sedona. We took the exit to highway 179 that goes to Sedona via Oak Creek Village...a beautiful area full of resorts and golf courses...and more shops and galleries.
We arrived at Red Rock State Park just before noon. After parking the truck, we took our cooler bag over to one of the picnic tables and sat enjoying the sunshine while eating our lunch. Red Rock State Park is strictly a day-use park...no camping. “The park is a centre for environmental education offering educational information and programming about scenic northern Arizona. Surrounded by the natural beauty of Sedona’s red rocks, Oak Creek meanders through the park and provides visitors the opportunity to experience a lush riparian habitat and many forms of wildlife along a 5-mile network of trails.”
After a quick visit to the Visitors Centre, we headed out for a hike. We were going to do the Eagle’s Nest Trail which goes up 300 feet to vistas of the area. Steve took lots of pictures...
...with this picture...
This goes...
...with this picture...
...with this picture...
When we came to a junction...we could either complete the Eagle’s Nest trail by going back down to the Visitors Centre or do the Coyote Ridge Trail...we decided to do another trail...
...and then another junction...we decided to do another trail....
...and then another junction....we did another trail...
Over 2 hours later, we arrived back at the Visitors Centre...we had had a great hike and the trails were really good...as was the scenery...look at the size of this tree (that's Steve standing in front of it)...
We saw this sign at the end of our hike...
We decided to relax in the theatre and watch a 45 minute video on the Sedona area before heading home. We have one more day of sightseeing before we leave on Saturday...this sightseeing is very tiring...I think we are going to need a vacation!!
To see all pictures taken today, please check out our web album...Red Rock State Park
We decided to relax in the theatre and watch a 45 minute video on the Sedona area before heading home. We have one more day of sightseeing before we leave on Saturday...this sightseeing is very tiring...I think we are going to need a vacation!!
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