Sedona and the Grand Canyon
Spring break part 3
We all had enjoyed Scottsdale very much but we were also excited to continue our journey toward the Grand Canyon. As we left Scottsdale we had decided to stop by Sedona on our way up to Flagstaff where our hotel was for that night.
I had always wanted to see Sedona as I had heard that there were good trails there. As we got closer to Sedona we could start to see the giant red rocks appearing before us. The rocks reminded me of the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs except for immensely more larger! I had done some research beforehand and wanted to hike Cathedral Rock with the family. I knew that it might not happen because we were heading there during their busy time. Sure enough the parking area for getting the bus to the trailhead was completely full. Fortunately I had planned for other hiking options and we headed instead to Marg’s Draw Trailhead.
We found parking there and started our hike. The hike I had planned for from this trailhead was not a marked trail but it headed for Snoopy Rock. We made our way up through the desert landscape. There was hardly anyone around, which was somewhat surprising. As we went along I had to check my phone hiking app to make sure we were heading the right way. We saw a lot of lizards. The children were not quite as ambitious on this hike but we persevered on and still appreciated the views we were taking in.
As we approached Snoopy Rock we started going steeper with a little bit of rock scrambling. We hiked along a big red rock on a ledge and then proceeded to go up again toward the red rocks above us. We then came to a rock wall which was pretty much the end of the trail. I climbed up the rock and peeked over the edge which dropped off the other side looking out toward a vast open view of more amazing red and multicolored rock formations in the distance. We were able to get everyone a look over the edge to see the views from the top. It was dizzying looking up at the giant columns of red rock above us.
I attempted to take a few pictures, which definitely don’t reveal the true feeling of awe that one experiences in such a place. We then descended to a bigger rock ledge area where we all sat together and ate some snacks. The importance of snacks anytime your hiking with young boys cannot be overstated!
Our trek back to the car was fairly uneventful. The boys continued to try to catch lizards as we made our way by Juniper trees and dry stream beds. Once we got back to the car we decided to go uptown to see the shops at Sedona.
It was incredibly busy in the town. We parked our car and headed to a pizza shop to eat. After eating we walked up and down the main street visiting different stores along the way. As we walked the busy main street my thoughts on Sedona was that it was bigger than where we were from, Crested Butte, and that while it had its own character it was kind of all the same. Most of the stores were just souvenir shops or new age shops.
One highlight for our boys was that on the street there was a guy who was letting people hold reptiles he was taking care of. We stopped and our oldest was able to hold a ball python,which he enjoyed immensely.
From there we decided to leave Sedona and head toward our hotel in Flagstaff. I think it would be fun to visit Sedona again sometime during a less busy season and explore more trails. It made me appreciate the small mountain town we live in.
We woke up the next morning in good time to get started on our way to the Grand Canyon. We had decided to enter the south entrance of the Grand Canyon at the east entrance. This would increase our chances of not having to wait to get into the Desert View Watchtower. We parked our car and walked toward the watchtower. As we got closer the vast canyon opened up to us and we got our first views of the Grand Canyon. It was big. It definitely took some time to grasp how big it was. I felt like my depth perception of how big it was, wasn’t ever quite right. It reminded me of inverted mountains instead of looking up at the mountains you look down at the valley enjoying the landscape.
We were able to walk right in to the Watchtower without waiting and climbed to each floor looking out at the views and admiring how the Watchtower was made. As we made our way back down the Watchtower a line was already forming to allow people their turn to go in. They only allow a certain amount of people in the Watchtower at a time.
We looked around a little more and headed back to the car. We had a lot to see and wanted to make our day worthwhile. We drove toward the main visitor center at Mather point to get on the bus that gives easy access to the places we wanted to go. It was very natural for us to ride the bus as we are quite used to it because of our hometown buses that we use fairly regularly.
We got on the bus and headed to Yaki point. We looked out at the view and I thought we would be able to access the South Kaibab Trail from Yaki point but that was not the case. Instead we hiked back along the rim of the canyon to the South Kaibab Trailhead. We decided to try to hike down the South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah point. As we hiked down, our youngest started to feel some indigestion, pooping on our travels is definitely something to be prepared for! So, Korlissa volunteered to take him back up to the top of the trailhead to use the facilities, while I and our three oldest would proceed down the trail to Ooh Ahh point.
As we headed down the trail we let gravity take us and we pretty much ran down most of the way. We made it to Ooh Aah point. There were many other people around so we took our time and ate some snacks. We took a few pictures and enjoyed the view and people watching. As we sat there eating our snacks we heard many different people speaking in many different languages. At one point three people on mules passed by as they made their way up the trail.
It was nice to be able to see what it was like down in the canyon just a little way down. Towering rock faces surround you as you make your way down. The further you go the more open it gets with more expansive views. The vastness of the place is hard to grasp and it puts you in the proper place of reminding you how small you really are.
We headed back up the trail. We jogged and tried to pace ourselves. We noticed that quite a few people were out of breath as we passed them by and yet we felt fairly comfortable with the altitude, probably because we are used to thinner air. We made it to the top and regrouped.
Hopping on the bus we made our way back to the main visitor area to get on another bus and headed toward Hermits Rest, which is on the other side of the main South Rim Canyon area. Along the way we stopped at Mohave Point. The views at Mohave Point were amazing. You could see the Colorado River at a few places at this viewpoint.
We made our way to Hermits Rest and ate more snacks and enjoyed relaxing a bit as we looked out at the canyon. We eventually started to head back toward the main visitor area but along the way we stopped at the Bright Angel Trailhead area. We walked along the rim of the canyon and stopped at the Lookout Studio where we could see some more views.
The day was winding down and we were starting to get tired. We headed back to the main visitor area and bought a few souvenirs at the gift shop. We also got some ice cream to hold us over until we could get something to eat. We headed south out of the park and stopped at a McDonalds for a quick dinner. It was one of those futuristic McDonalds where you order on the giant touchscreens. It was kinda sad because there was no real customer interaction. If this is the future of the restaurant it doesn’t seem all that good.
After eating our food we drove back to our hotel at Flagstaff. The drive was nice and very scenic at different spots. We slept good that night and were excited to head back home the next day.
Our drive home was fairly uneventful. We stopped close to Teec Nos Pos, and ate Navajo food from a food truck. We made our way back into Colorado. We passed through Cortez and headed toward Durango. After going through Durango we stopped at Pagosa Springs to dip our feet in the hot springs that were there. Then we headed up and over the majestic Wolf Creek Pass. We stopped in South Fork at my brothers house to pick up our bikes that we had stored there for the winter. Going from there we stopped in Del Norte for some good pizza at Three Barrel Brewing. We also enjoyed their homemade Root Beer and Cream Soda!
We headed home from there passing through Saguache, and up and over Cochetopa pass. Winding our way through the canyon of the Cochetopa creek at dusk. The children were sleeping as we headed back to our home. It was nice to be home again. We love to travel but every time we travel we are reminded of why we enjoy our home in Crested Butte and the special place it is.