Exploring Sedona’s Back Country and the Road Home

Spring vacation travel report Part 3

Can we have a cheer for vacations? I love exploring and when I go somewhere, I want to see it all. I want to see the main and the back streets, to hit the tourist draws and local haunts. I know it’s unrealistic, but when I go on vacay, I try to fit everything in.

In the first post of my spring vacation travel report, I talked about the journey to Sedona via Highway 89. My second post covered our stay in Sedona and Village of Oak Creek, a neighboring town just south of Sedona. In this post, I’ll talk about our last 2 days in the Sedona area, as well as our stay in Monument Valley, and the road home.

Day 5 – Into Sedona

For the last leg of our trip, we moved to West Sedona and stayed at a cute local inn just off Highway 89A. It was quiet and cozy, and gave us a central location for our last couple of days in the area. At check-in, they let us know we could catch a sunset view at the airport. After a look around at the Tlapepaque mall, downtown Sedona’s gift and crystal shops, and dinner at Picazzo’s Italian restaurant, we headed up to the Sedona airport (site of another vortex) to watch the sunset. It was gorgeous, but I spent my time watching the cliffs on the east side of the valley opposite the setting sun. It was as if the sunset set them aglow with their own brilliant orange light.

Day 6 – Exploring the back country

One of my mister’s wants for this trip was a UTV ride into the back country around Sedona. I’d never ridden in a side-by-side but I love exploring and the thought of seeing the surrounding area was really interesting, so we rented a unit and after a 10 minute instruction session, they set us loose. With a flash card book of photos to help us find our way, we headed into the red rock hills. As we drove out of the suburban area and turned onto dirt roads, I could see we were going deep into the back country.

The map directed us to the Honanki Heritage Site. The Honanki and Pulatki Heritage sites are ruins of the cliff dwelling Sinagua people, dating from 1150-1350 AD. Though the sites are accessible by graded dirt roads, we came in the back way via Forest Service Roads. Because the sites are located off the beaten track, there weren’t many people and we were free to take our time, wander the paths, and get close exploring the ruins.

Afterwards, we headed back via Diamond Back Gulch. For anyone who’s done this kind of thing before, you’ll know the word ‘technical’ means difficult. The more technical the trail, the more rugged, steep, and just plain rocky. Diamond Back Gulch was one very technical stretch. It was scary, exciting, and totally worth it.

Day 7 – Monument Valley

A few years ago, we took a trip to southern Colorado to visit Mesa Verde National Park and the Durango area. While there we visited the Four Corners Monument, but didn’t have time to get over to Monument Valley. So for this trip, I wanted to see the iconic Mittens mesas and valley and realized it was totally doable to route our trip home through this area. The drive from Sedona to Monument Valley took about 4 hours into the Coconino forest, then back down through desert and isolated mesas.

After a lunch stop in Kayenta, we took a left into Monument Valley. There are really only two places to stay in Monument Valley and I would have loved to stay on the reservation, but it was out of the budget for this trip. Goulding’s Lodge turned out to be a great choice. Just over the border in Utah, all rooms face the valley and a restaurant and gift shop are on site. If you’re RVing, they also have a nice RV campground that’s tucked into the red rocks.

After checking into our room, we headed over to the reservation. The dirt road to the mesas is a bit rough, but worth it for an up close view of the beautiful Mittens mesas and desert valley. If you go, make sure to check out the gift shop for some really outstanding authentic Navajo art.

Day 8 – The road home

There’s just something about seeing an iconic landscape with your own eyes, don’t you think? For the last day of our trip, we greeted the morning by watching the Mittens mesas silhouette the sunrise. It was the perfect way to end our trip. Home was 8 hours away, so we left early and drove up Highway 191 through Mexican Hat, Bluff, Blanding, then into Moab and north until we reached I-15 to home.

I loved this visit to the stunning red rock of Sedona and exploring the American southwest. This trip gave me a real taste of all the beauty the desert has to offer. There’s always more to explore, so I’ll keep southern Utah and northern Arizona on my list for another gallivanting adventure someday soon!

Download your free Explore printable by clicking the button below

Because exploring is one of my favorite things, I made a fun printable to remind us to keep that adventurous spirit alive. I hope my travel report inspires you to get out and explore. It’s just waiting for you!

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All opinions are my own, and I received no compensation for any of the services or from any of the merchants mentioned in this post. Would you like me to visit you and write about it? Click here to contact me!

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