Sedona

Sedona sits in a bowl of red rock where the Colorado Plateau breaks down into central Arizona, surrounded by buttes and spires of Supai sandstone that turn from orange to deep crimson as the light drops. It is a hiking town first: trails run out in every direction to Cathedral Rock, Devils Bridge, Bell Rock and the West Fork of Oak Creek, ranging from twenty-minute walks to serious scrambles. The Chapel of the Holy Cross is built into a rock spur above the town. Since the 1980s Sedona has also been a centre of New Age belief, with several sites identified as energy vortexes, and the town supports an entire economy of crystal shops, aura photography and guided spiritual tours alongside the jeep trips and the art galleries.

What you actually see

• Cathedral Rock - the short steep scramble to the saddle, best at sunset.
• Devils Bridge - the natural sandstone arch, the most photographed hike here.
• The Chapel of the Holy Cross - the modernist chapel built into a rock spur.
• Oak Creek Canyon - the green creek canyon running north towards Flagstaff.

When to go

Spring and autumn are ideal; summer is hot though far cooler than Phoenix, and winter brings occasional snow on red rock, which is spectacular. Trailhead parking fills by early morning at the popular trails, so start at first light or expect to be turned away.

Honest expectations

Sedona has been loved to the point of strain: the famous trailheads fill before eight in the morning, shuttles now run to some of them, and Devils Bridge in particular has queues to photograph the arch. Accommodation is expensive. The spiritual tourism is a large and commercial industry that visitors either enjoy or find silly, and there is no avoiding it.

Nearby

Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon are north; Montezuma Castle and Jerome lie south.