AZ Road Trip: Red Rocks Aflame in a Museum Without Walls

There are no shortage of road trip possibilities in Arizona and you could spend a month on the road loosening the cobwebs in your work-addled brain.


I'd have to have an entire series to cover everything you ought to see and do around Bluegreen's Cibola Vista Resort and Spa in just outside of Scottsdale, but I'd bet you'd still come up with side roads and hidden places I'd missed.

For that reason, I'm going to start with the obvious, but not to be underrated.  This is the stuff road trip movies are made of, the kind of trip that makes you want to drag out your old photography books and journals just to brush up on how to record every aspect of the flaming-rock journey through what's commonly called a museum without walls.

Phoenix to Sedona - 2 hrs

If you've never been to Sedona, you're in for an experience, one that'll either grab your imagination or leave you with the simple but lasting memory of a wonderfully scenic day trip.  It's all about rock formations and bursts of plant life, about contrasting an arid and fiery landscape with the cool tones of eyepopping greenery.  The combination's not unheard of elsewhere in the US, but the rich iron oxide deposits set the landscape on fire with orange and red hues unmatched outside of the area.  There's a whole lot to see there, but I'll save that for the guidebooks.  Here, it's about the Journey.

From the Phoenix area, take I-17 N.  There's a lot of see along the trip in this two hours, but if you're looking for a little diversion, take Exit 260 West and spend an extra 20 minutes on the road to get to the unique little town of Jerome, "The Largest Ghost Town in America".  Jerome is a historical town with a free-spirited feel, a place that's described a very down to earth version of the spirit of Sedona.  I'm told that if you're hungry you should grab a delicious burger meal at the Haunted Hamburger before continuing on your way.   Route 89A 27 miles out of Jerome will take you into Sedona.

We'll continue our Arizona Tour next week....

Photo Credit:  Bluegreen's Colorfulplaces.comResources:

Arizona Central Phoenix to Sedona
MotorcycleRoads.com Arizona Rides
Google Maps Cibola Vista to Sedona Map
Haunted Hamburger Reviews