Sedona questions
 

We will be in Sedona from Saturday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. We are staying at the Enchantment. Any suggestions for things that we must see or do in that short time period? Is there a town center with some local shops/art? Should we stick to hiking and mt. biking off the property or go elsewhere? Any input would be much appreciated!

Oak Creek Canyon is a very picturesque area to visit and hike near Sedona. The town is full of shops/art/stuff to putz around with. You shouldn't try to do too much and just enjoy the town. Get some literature from their tourist bureau.

If you are interested in shopping go to Tlaquepaque. www.tlaq.com

The Enchantment Resort is gorgeous and after a wonderful brunch, I would hike right outside the resort in Boynton Canyon.. It is a 3 hour hike and you will need a Day Pass for $5 per person.(probably can get it at your hotel)
The energy that is in that canyon is amazing! The old ruins, the stunning red rock is considered a energy vortex.
The town center is the usual tourist things with galleries and restaurants which you can do on your way out of town. Tlaquepaque is a great place to shop and eat as well.

Consider a jeep tour, however DO NOT rely on Enchantment for that booking... we were talked out of the Pink Jeep tour in favor of the tour company used by the resort and felt cheated by the brevity and limited range of the tour... since then I have heard much better reports on Pink Jeep...

Tahiti: My understanding of the Red Rock Pass that you refer to is that it is used for parking at the trailheads. If you walk into Boynton Canyon from Enchantment, I do not think you need a Red Rock Pass. The pass is left on your car windshield when it is parked at a trailhead, not taken on your person when you hike. Do you have a different understanding? I'd be interested if you have heard something different, because I have often walked to the trailheads without a pass (although I always get one for the vehicle when I park at a trailhead).

emd- I stand corrected.. I always drive and wish I had that luxury everytime I am in Sedona to walk out of my casita to the trails from the Enchantment Resort to Boynton Canyon..
There is no fee as a guest.
Have Fun!

Pu-lease enjoy nature in Sedona and skip the "town center" which is ticky tacky touristy crap. Just hiking around Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock near the Village of Oak Creek is beautiful.

Hi emd! Long time no post.

Enchantment is in a beautiful location. I felt like I was in a national park. We stayed in a studio casita--really nice with a large patio.

The Boynton Canyon hike right there at the resort is nice--we actually prefer "view" hikes to hiking in canyons. Doe Mountain is down the road a few miles from the resort. It is actually a mesa--if you hike it, walk to the edges of the mesa for fabulous views in all directions--we thought it was an easy hike for a fabulous view.

We drove out Dry Creek Rd.to Enchantment at sunset and had to stop the car; the sunset was so beautiful. We loved the drive out this road any time of the day. It's a beautiful drive. We also saw the sunset one evening from Airport Rd--great sunsets.

We also enjoyed hiking the Brins Mesa trail and the short walk to Red Rock Crossing--the most photographed scene in Sedona. Good hiking maps at the visitor center. Lots of hiking info at www.hikearizona.com.

We spent 5 nights in Sedona---extended a planned 3 night stay after a snowstorm hit the Grand Canyon. We hiked all day, everyday--just loved it.

We also did the Pink Jeep Tour. I thought it was fun but if you are a hiker, hiking the canyon areas was just as fun. If you don't hike, I would make one of these a priority.

We only stopped in the town to pick up the jeep tour. There were some shops and also the shopping area listed above. We did actually stop at the outlet mall coming into town--my husband saw Geoffrey Beene and we don't have that store nearby.

thank you all for your information!

since you're there for only 24 hours, and since you are spending a good amount for the hotel, i would enjoy the environs of the hotel; there is good hiking across the hotel road up to small indian ruins and beyond. I don't necessarily think you gain anything by running around town; If you want to see the shops/art at talaquepaque i would suggest going there when you first get into town or conversely when you leave as it is situated at the edge of town as you first enter.

If I was paying the price to stay at Enchantment, I wouldn't go anywhere else with just 24 hrs. Just hike around there. The area out by enchantment is the best hiking in Sedona IMO. I've been on hiking trips to Sedona over a dozen times and have not yet hiked all the trails in the Dry Creek Rd. area out in the area of Enchantment. The trails are varied, some in canyons, some onto high vistas and mesas. Several are within walking distance of the resort.

I don't think Enchantment rents mountain bikes (they didn't when I stayed there). I think you'd have to go to the nearest rental place which is Mountain Bike Heaven, up several miles on Hwy 89a, and that plus biking would take half the day. So you could do a short hike, then rent a bike for half day - or decide just to hike and forget the biking. And maybe throw in a post-hiking massage or spa treatment at Mii Amo spa at Enchantment.

Tahiti, it is actually possible to do a trip to Sedona (coming into Skyharbor Phoneix airport) without a car. I did it once a few years ago and I am going to do it again this spring (a hiking trip this time; the 1st time I did it I was more of a tourist). I gave the plan in another post today, titled "Sedona Az wherefore art thou?"

hi amwosu. I've been traveling for business lately, coast to coast.