Sedona and the Grand Canyon Hiking Arizona’s Best! Saturday, March 19 - Sunday, March 27, 2022 (trip #2222) The desert, when the sun comes up. I couldn't tell where heaven stopped and the Earth began. -Tom Hanks Overview Join us for five days of hiking in the Red Rock Country of Sedona, Arizona ending with two spectacular days in the Grand Canyon. March is the perfect time to visit the desert, with its spring flowers amidst the stunning landscape, deep canyons, soaring mesas and gentle streams. This is an area of serene and breathtaking beauty with many wonderful and accessible trails. During our hikes, we will have beautiful views of vivid red sandstone, towering pinnacles, sheer canyon walls and massive red-rock formations. This is also the land of contrasts with lush, thick vegetation along flowing streams, such as at the mouth of the spectacular Oak Creek Canyon alongside the dry high desert. While in Sedona we will visit The Palatki Heritage site. “Palatki,” the Hopi word for “red house,” has a set of ancient cliff dwellings in the red sandstone cliffs, built from 1100 to 1400 CE by the Sinagua people of the Ancestral Puebloans. These people left behind enduring rock art as well as ruins of their pueblos and cliff dwellings. If you read about Sedona, you will discover it has long been regarded as a place both sacred and powerful. People travel from all across the globe to experience the mysterious cosmic forces said to emanate from the red rocks - the vortexes. Sedona vortexes are thought to be swirling centers of energy conducive to healing, meditation and self-exploration. Many feel inspired, recharged or uplifted after visiting a vortex. Perhaps you will too! 1 For our grand finale we will spend two days exploring The Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Standing on the rim of the canyon – 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile deep – is awe inspiring. Seeing it at sunrise and sunset, as we will, all the more so. The unique combinations of geologic color and erosional rock formations are stunning and worth the Arizona road trip just to take a look. We will do more, however, hiking well beyond the rim and part ways into the canyon, exploring the diverse landforms as well as the area’s cultural history. In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. - Theodore Roosevelt Highlights ● Five days of hiking, sampling Sedona’s best ● Two days hiking and exploring the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World ● Exploring natural and cultural history Includes ● Double occupancy accommodations (pool and hot tub while in Sedona) ● All breakfasts and dinners ● Transportation to and from Phoenix Airport ITINERARY We will spend five nights in Sedona and then transfer to the Grand Canyon for two nights before returning to Phoenix for our farewell dinner and final night before catching our flights home the following day. Each day in Sedona we do one or two hikes, to canyons and mesas with beautiful scenery, carefully chosen to highlight the best of the area. Each night, the trip leaders will describe the next day’s hike(s). Hikes range from easy/moderate at the beginning of the week to moderate/strenuous at the end of the week. Hikes range from 6 - 11.5 miles averaging 8 miles per day. Elevation gain ranges from 930’ to 3544’, averaging 2,100’ per day. There may be some water crossings and spots with exposure to wind and steep drop-offs. Participants should be in good shape and able to hike up to 11 miles over varied terrain. 2 The itinerary below is what your leaders are planning, however, it could change due to local closures, safety, transportation or lodging availability, unforeseeable circumstances (eg. weather, natural disasters, governmental or ranger recommendations) and/or group considerations. Per the AMC ​ Adventure Travel Terms and Conditions, our leaders reserve the right to make changes as necessary, ​ both before and during the trip. Day 1, Saturday March 19: Arrive in Phoenix & Drive to Sedona ​ Fly from home to Phoenix, Arizona, arriving by 12:30pm, where we meet you at the airport. After uniting with our group, we will pick up our rental vehicles and drive 2.5 hours to Sedona. (Folks arriving later may need to arrange transportation on their own to Sedona.) After settling into our rooms at the Sedona Real Inn we’ll make an excursion to the grocery store to pick up lunch food. At 6:00 pm we’ll have our group orientation meeting followed by our welcome dinner. Some may even find time to enjoy the pool and hot tub on this our first day! Day 2, Sunday March 20: Courthouse Butte & Bell ​ Rock Loop (~ 4.0 miles, +460’ gain); Broken Arrow Trail Loop (~ 3.5 miles, +415’ gain). We begin our adventure after breakfast hiking Courthouse Butte & Bell Rock Loop, two well-known rock monuments. Bell Rock is said to be one of Sedona’s powerful Vortex sites. This is an easy hike with beautiful desert views. After lunch we hike the Broken Arrow Trail Loop featuring beautiful wild flowers and amazing scenery through some of 3 Sedona's most spectacular rock formations. After hiking we’ll return to the Sedona Real Inn with time to enjoy the pool and hot tub before dinner. Day 3, Monday March 21: Munds Wagon, Cow Pies and Hangover Loop Trail (~9 miles; 1200’ gain); ​ Hangover Trail, Cow Pie Trail, and Munds Wagon Trail combine to create a challenging yet rewarding loop hike in Sedona. Piñon pines, scrub oak, junipers, agave, and cypress trees flank the trail. With its varied terrain that includes interesting rock formations, occasional loose rock and overhangs, plan for a fun, full-day’s hike with scenic views and the chance to be immersed in red rock country. Day 4, Tuesday March 22: Wilson Mountain, 7,122’ ​ (~11.5 miles, +3100’ gain). Today we hike Wilson Mountain, the highest of the Red Rock Mountains surrounding Sedona. The majority of the climb is packed into the first mile or so of the route, but the views start as soon as you leave the car and just keep getting better. At the top you'll be rewarded with views stretching over hundreds of miles of gorgeous, scenic canyon country. Day 5, Wednesday March 23: West fork of Oak Creek Canyon (~7.2 miles; 850’ gain) followed by free ​ time in Sedona. West Fork Oak Creek Trail is one of Sedona’s most impressive and popular hiking trails with canyon walls rising up hundreds of feet. The trail is an easy stroll, but we’ll have multiple crossings of a most pleasant stream that runs along the canyon floor, negotiating a few stepping stones or taking some steps in shallow water. This hike only takes a few hours, leaving us all some well-earned free time. Perhaps you’ll sit by the pool, visit a museum or gallery, or stroll through the shops in Sedona. After your relaxing afternoon, we will meet up for our group dinner. 4 Day 6, Thursday March 24: Palatki Heritage Site & Transfer to the Grand Canyon ​ After breakfast and checkout of our Sedona hotel, we visit the Palatki Heritage Site, one of the nicest examples of cliff dwellings with rock art, ruins, and pictographs in the Sedona area. It is an excellent example of Native American habitations between 1150 and 1350 AD. We will attempt to secure a reservation to the ranger led, interpretive tour to the ruins. There is only about a mile of easy hiking there, but we will take the time to appreciate the site and make ample use of the rangers who are on site to answer questions. For more information visit Palatki Heritage Site, Coconino National ​ Forest. ​ From here it’s about a 3-hour drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park! After checking into our Maswik Lodge accommodations within the National Park, we will swing by the Visitor Center to get oriented, visit the small museum and exhibits, and enjoy an IMAX movie introduction to the Grand Canyon. After dinner we will enjoy a ranger program and a sunset visit to the rim. Day 7, Friday March 25: South Kaibab Trail (~3 miles; +/-1500’); Bright Angel Trail (~3.2 miles; ​ +/-1,650’) Today we rise early for our sunrise hike on the South Kaibab Trail, considered by many experienced hikers to be one of America’s best 3-mile round trip hikes (~1500’ elevation gain) and the “#1,” 5 “must-do” trail in the south Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park! We return for a late morning brunch. NPS’s South Kaibab Trail Description. ​ ​ In the afternoon we will hike the Bright Angel Trail, the Grand Canyon’s most popular trail with spectacular views and shade, water, and bathrooms every 1.5 miles . The hike is 3.2 mi. round trip with elevation gain/loss 1690’ from the rim to the first rest station. NPS’s Bright Angel Trail ​ Description. ​ If time/energy permits in the afternoon or after dinner we may have time to visit some scenic viewpoints on the Rim Trail via shuttle bus OR another leader choice option. Or perhaps you might want some personal time to sit by the rim in solitude to soak in the grandeur. Day 8, Saturday March 26: Free morning at Grand Canyon and transfer to Phoenix ​ This morning is your choice for how you would like to spend your remaining hours at the Grand Canyon before we head back to Phoenix.