Seven Pools and the Red Rocks

The main reason we started our trip in Arizona was to check out Sedona. We took two trips down from our base in Flagstaff to this red rock haven. On our first trip in early April, we hiked around Cathedral Rock. We arrived at the Yavapai Trailhead lot (to avoid the congestion at the main trailhead) just before 8AM. This is a 7.5 mile loop and included parts of the Hiline and Templeton trails. We used All Trails' Cathedral Rock Loop: Hiline and Templeton Trails as a guide while hiking it. The trail starts with excellent views of the Munds Mountains. You can also see the Chapel of the Holy Cross if you look closely.

Since it is a loop, you get views from all angles of the famous rock.

As you get closer, the trail gets busier. The path from the main lot up to the rock was packed and we decided to go right up to it and kept following the loop. Eventually it leads to a river which you'll walk along for a bit before heading back uphill to more difficult terrain, which a sign will state for you.

This leads to the part of the Hiline trail which is about the halfway point of the hike. We only passed a couple of people around this area as it is much less traveled.

We ate lunch and took in yet another view of Cathedral Rock before making our way back to the trailhead. Before finishing the hike, there are some nice views of Bell Rock.

After the hike, we drove over to the public parking lot off Schnebly Road. This was a good lot for our dually and we saw many smaller RVs parked here as well. We took the short walk into town to checkout the shops, had some great gelato at Love Gelato, then purchased our America The Beautiful pass for a year of entering National Parks for only $80. You can get yours online here or get one at a local visitor center that sells them. We highly recommend getting one if you plan to go to national parks more than a couple times in the year.

Our second day in Sedona was in mid April and consisted of two hikes and a late lunch at the Enchantment Resort. Our first hike was Sacred Seven Pools, and just like last time we started just before 8AM at a trailhead a little farther away called Brin’s Mesa. This one is called Seven Sacred Pools via Cibola Pass Trail on AllTrails and is about 3 miles round trip. The trail was covered and quiet until we met up with the main one off Soldier’s Pass.

Overall, this hike is uneventful until you reach the pools. The only downside is it is quit busy around them. We did our best to meditate and take in the energy from this vortex area despite this. though busy, we’d recommend getting to this spot and checking it out. Definitely take the Brin Mesa route here to avoid crowds as much as you can.

Our last hike in Sedona was Fay Canyon Trail. This was a short, shaded hike to rocky outcrops and an arch. We missed the turn to the arch on the way up and ended up where a large rocky structure juts up inside of a the canyon.

We wandered around this rock, scaling the side but it didn’t seem to go anywhere special. However, the view back from this rock towards Sedona was really nice!

On our way back we found the split that heads up to the arch. There were a few paths up to it and all of them were steep. We took out time and hung out around the arch with several other people.

If you are an arch fan then this one is worth adding to your list of stops. While it isn’t the most impressive, it is nice to experience one in the red rocks of Sedona.

To finish our trip to Sedona we decided to eat at the Enchantment Resort right down the road from the trailhead. When we arrived at the gate a guard asked if we had reservations. We didn’t. Nor did we realize we needed to. So if you want to eat here make sure to call ahead! Luckily, the guard was able to call the restaurant for us and get us in. To be honest, the food was OK but forgettable. However the resort was really nice and we had some nice views during our meal.

We’ve travelled though a few states now since our time in Sedona and this place is definitely up there as one of our top spots since leaving Massachusetts at the end of March. There are plenty of trails to hike and the town is really cool. Though kitschy and busy, it’s well worth checking out and experiencing for yourself!