While we are travelers, we rarely visit the same place twice. But in early November we flew to Phoenix and drove to the Red Rocks area of Sedona, AZ, a destination we had visited 50+ years ago, when Sedona was nothing but a sleepy little town.

We wanted to see the area again with our older eyes and a better camera. Our memory served us well: the area did not disappoint.

Sedona is a desert city that sits nearly a mile high in mid- Arizona. Some millions of years ago the volcanic activity and erosion created the oxidized red rocks and Oak Creek Canyon. There is a State Park to protect one area, but it’s only small portion of what you can see. 

The Red Rocks are everywhere and daily life in the town happens around them. The town itself has become a tourist haven. Think lots of good restaurants, hotels, and guided hiking activities:

Our favorite excursion was a sunrise Hot Air Balloon ride. (I’m not sure we told our daughters about that!).

But you don’t have to get out far out of the town to enjoy the scenery on your own: the town is literally built around the rocks. The color of the rocks was sensational, the clear dry skies were dazzling (even though the sun wasn’t always in the right place for great photography!), and the trails were much harder to climb than on our last visit. 

We undertook no major hiking on this trip, but our long drives were delightful. The photos here and the dozen others are Ellen’s favorites of just the Red Rocks themselves.

To see all 14 of Ellen’s photos, go to: Arizona: Red Rocks & Sedona Environs

(PS – Because we did a lot of driving in other areas through ghost towns and areas of old mining communities, there are other pictures that Ellen will likely add in a few weeks.)