Red Rock Crossing - Sedona

After our hike and some acai bowls the plan was to go to Slide Rock in northern Sedona area.  I knew it was a popular area and there was a possibility the park was to capacity, especially early afternoon, but we tried anyway.  Unfortunately there were 20 cars waiting in front of us when we got there with another 10 quickly lining up behind us.  I had to make the quick decision to pivot which disappointed the kids.  They remember how fun Slide Rock was two summers ago.

We ended up going to a jewelry story nearby where a local told us about Red Rock Crossing, on the south side on Sedona.  I figured it was a worth a try and I am so glad we went!  It ended up costing less to get it and was just as beautiful and fun.  We got rained out after and hour is Slide Rock wouldn't have worked anyway.  The waterwheel in the picture above was actually functioning.  The kids loved exploring and picking blackberries while we found a spot of our own to put our stuff down and get in the water.

The water was chill but not too cold with the warm Jul weather.  The rocks were real slippery so the kids found sticks to help with balance.

It would have been nice to spend a little more time there but we were ready to go home.  Now we know about Red Rock Crossing we can bring Andrew and Elliot next time.  We drove straight home after, just in time to grab some tacos and watch a movie before bed.  Such a fun way to end summer break.

Fey Canyon Trail - Sedona

Hiking in Sedona is legendary and something on my hike/travel list for a long time.  With summer almost at an end this was the time to squeeze in one more adventure and Sedona was the perfect place to do it.  Elliot and Andrew were busy with a stake YM weekend so I took the other four kids on a day trip up north.

I checked out the All Trails app for kid friendly hikes and Fey Canyon Trail ended up being just what we needed.  Did the kids complain about more muscles or wanting a break? Yes.  And they still did it and had a good time.  Honestly, the kids are such good hikers, sometimes I think they forget that. ;)

When there's a boulder you must climb on top of it.  Because of rain the week before the trail was nice and green but not muddy because it was sufficient time to dry.  We also were surprised with how sparkly the trail was.  Sedona is known for all that red rock but I didn't know it was sparkly.  The red and black rock and sand was so sparkly, it was so pretty in the sun.  Sedona being north of Mesa was also noticeably cooler which is always nice in July!

This was the trail end, which was sooner than the maps showed.  We went a little farther but it went straight up so after a little climb we looked around before turning back.

I had read comments in the All Trails app about an arch off the main trail you can hike up to.  A nice family on the hike from New York pointed us in the right direction where we made a steep incline up the canyon to this arch.  Bea impressed me and hiked most of it on her own!  The off trail was challenging and there were lots of boulders and cacti but such a view!  Nature is incredible.  Someone at the top kindly took a group photo of us.

After finishing the hike it was lunchtime and I'm sure you can imagine, we were famished.  Wanting to fuel up with something nourishing (not burgers and fries) Berry Divine acai bowls was refreshing and surprisingly filling.  We shared two acai bowls and a smoothie and each had our own favorite.

Probably a result of poor connection, Run Keeper app didn't give an accurate record or the trail.  The map on the right was from the All Trails app.  The 1.64 miles was more accurate than 2.6, and we hiked two hours.  We had a good time and I really want to tackle another Sedona trail soon.  Since this hike was in July I have kept my goal of a different hike every month in 2021.  Still need to hike this month!