While staying at Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood we drove to Sedona (about 30 minutes) for a few day trips of exploring and hiking.
We decided one day to do some 4WD exploring and drove Schnebly Hill Rd (FS Road 153) from I-17 to Sedona. This is approximately a 13 mile drive and it is recommended to start from I-17 to allow for the beautiful vistas as you drop about 1,800 feet into the valley. It was a beautiful drive but you definitely should only drive this with a 4WD/High clearance vehicle although we did see passenger cars along the route. Yikes! This drive is not for the faint of heart as there are steep cliffs and lots of large rocks/boulders along the road. This means the drive is very slow and requires constant attention. We spend about 2 1/2 hours driving the route. Schenbly Vista is a nice stop for views over the red rocks in Sedona.
A very popular hike in Sedona is the Broken Arrow Trail which starts on Morgan Rd just off Hwy 179. You can hike to Submarine Rock and climb up on the rock and/or circle the rock and then on to Chicken Point and back. A beautiful hike with both shaded areas in the trees and sometimes open trail on rock. There are beautiful vistas of the red rocks everywhere. This trail does parallel the 4WD drive road which is very popular for the Tourist Jeep Rides such as Pink Jeep, etc.
The town of Sedona is a lovely town with stunning red rock views and multiple stores and restaurants but is very touristy. It is still worthwhile to take a stroll and soak up the atmosphere.
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