Sedona, Arizona

There are many reasons to visit Sedona Arizona, but for some travelers one town is just not enough. Or perhaps you're on an extended vacation throughout Arizona, and you want to expand your horizons beyond Sedona, with short day trips from your hotel or resort. Here are some attractions you can visit from Sedona Arizona without having to change hotels or drive too far.

Towns

Jerome

Jerome began its existence as a seedy booming mining town in the 1800s. By the 1920s there were fifteen thousand people living in the thriving town, full of boarding houses for miners, houses for the engineers, and Yavapai and Apache women doing laundry. There were row houses for prostitutes, and basement opium dens as well. Immigrand laborers from all over the world arrived in Jerome to work the mines, which finally closed in 1953. After 1953 the population of Jerome sank to low levels, but Jerome has managed to re-invent itself many times over in its history. In the 1960s and 1970s, hippies moved in and Jerome became an arts community. Today there are only about 500 people living in Jerome, on the steep slopes where houses were originally buit for managers of the mines. You'll find art galleries, restaurants, and boutique shopping. There's Jerome State Historical Park, which encompasses the billion-dollar estate of a former very rich copper mining executive, Rawhide Jimmy Douglas. Visit the State Park to learn about the mining industry and the mansion as well.

Clarkdale

Clarkdale is on the road south of Jerome, built around the turn of the century. The whole town was built for one reason by one rich and powerful man: Senator William S. Clark needed a place for a smelter. Today, Clarkdale looks just like it did in the 1920s, and is the departure point for the Verde Canyon Railroad. This is a tourist train that many people love, it has lots of fans, and goes along the Verde River. From the excursion train you can look out the windows and see a whole host of amazing beautiful things, including wildlife, canyons, and cliffs. The fare is for a half day trip, and covers forty miles through the river valley and through canyon cuts. If you're a train buff or a fan of wildlife spotting, then the Verde Canyon Railroad will be well worth the short drive from Sedona Arizona for a half day of fun and relaxation.

Wilderness & Nature

Prescott and Coconino National Forests

These two national forests' boundaries lie next to each other in the area outside Sedona, Arizona, and visitors can get information about having fun in the National Forests by visiting the Verde Ranger Station, located near Camp Verde. Get info on hiking, camping and river cruises here. The Verde River runs differently in different spots, so you can choose a gentle river ride or a white water rafting excursion that will leave you white-knuckled and thrilled. There are local private businesses who run trips and rent boats to vistors, so ask at the Ranger Station.

The Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area

The Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area cover fifty-six thousand acres of wilderness canyons, creeks, boulders, springs, and generally rugged terrain perfect for hikers, backpackers, and horseback riding. There is a trail, called the Parsons Trial, which begins at the mouth of the canyon and traverses through the wilderness area to Parsons Springs. The trail is four miles up, four miles down to the Springs, and goes beyond if you are into backpacking. Day hikers will enjoy the hike to the springs.

The Verde Valley

The Verde Valley is the valley below the red cliffs of Sedona and runs to the slopes of Mingus Mountain. The river that runs through it is the Verde River, which is fed by several year-round creeks. The Spanish were the first Europeans to visit the Verde Valley, and they noticed the numerous cottonwoods along the banks of the river, and from afar, you see a green band of lush vegetation growning along the line of the riverbanks. For this reason they called the river Rio Verde, or green river. Like most valleys, the soil was rich and fertile, after millenia of deposits left there from the river and from rundown from the sloping mountains surrounding the valley. Settlers who came after the Spanish discovered the Verde Valley and farmed it. The plentiful water supply and the lush vegetation also attracted lots of animals, which of course settlers love, too. If you drive to the Verde Valley today, you will find splendid views, scenic vistas, historic attractions left over from the settler era, and the chance to go white water rafting on the river itself. Definitely a place for nature lovers, and history buffs as well.

Historic Landmarks

Sinaguan Village

This six-hundred year old Sinaugan village on a hill above the Verde River was excavated in the 1930s by graduate students from the University of Arizona plus people working under Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Civil Works Administraiton. What they found were artifacts from the Sinagua people: beads and stones for making jewelry, pottery, and cotton fabric. It's on display at a museum, and today it's a national monument, named by the Apach workers from the project in the 1930s: Tuzigoot, which means "crooked water". Displays at the musuem try to show what life was like for the Sinagua people.

Fort Verde State Historic Park

Fort Verde State Historic Park was designated a state park in 1971, more than one hundred years after its beginnings as a small tent camp called Camp Lincoln. Camp Lincoln was set up by some volunteer soldiers during the Civil War to protect the nearby newly-arrived settlers from indian raids. It was originally perched on West Clear Creek, but was later moved to a more advantageous point on the bluffs above the Verde River. There were twenty two buildings at the height of activity in Fort Verde, the new name for the relocated camp. There were two calvary companies and two infantry companies as well. The fort was maintained for about twenty years after it was moved, and then abandoned. If you visit, you can take a tour of four of the original buildings.

Attractions

Cliff Castle Casino

Cliff Castle Casino is operated by local Yavapai-Apache Nation members and is located just north of Camp Verde. Visiting both as a side trip from Sedona Arizona makes a complete and full day of discovery, fun, and relaxation. Even if you don't like gambling, it's fun to visit Cliff Castle Casino because there are other things to do here. There are restaurants, nightclub, and bowling! There's a pavilion outside where dofferent events and attractions are held throughout the week. Examples of these events would be rock bands, powwows, and the like.

Montezuma Castle

If you can squeeze it in on your side trip from Sedona Arizona, after you visit the casino try and make it to Montezuma Castle. This has been a National Monument for over one hundred years now, and was once the home of ancient Sinagua people when they still lived in the Verde Valley. It's a five-story pueblo built into the cliffs and it's hundreds of years old. Below you can see Wet Beaver Creek and beautiful stand of Arizona sycamores, whose branches were used by the Sinagua to make beams for Montezuma Castle. There's a hiking trail in the valley below the castle, from which you can get great views and pictures of the castle.

There's a well about six miles away, called Montezuma Well, which must have been used by the early Sinagua farmers for their crops. Teh well is actually a sinkhole, caused by holes in the underlying limestone. The water is fed by underground springs, fifty five feet below the surface. Prehistoric Sinagua farmers diverted the water where it came out of the earth at a million gallons a day, and watered their crops with it. The Sinagua farmers made canals which can still be seen by today's visitor, a thousand years later.

The Manzanita Inn

In the small community of Cornville, which lies between Sedona Arizona and Camp Verde, step back in time and dine in style. They serve German food, so visiting the Manzanita Inn during Oktoberfest is especially fun.

Fishing in Page Springs

Page Springs is a great place for anglers out of Sedona Arizona, not only for the great fishing but also because there's a fish hatchery here, which draws all sorts of birds from all over the valley. As you fish from the trail along the creek, spot flycatchers, mergansers, warblers and other species in the cottonwood trees on the banks of the creek. The nature trail is wheelchair accessible, and there are picnic tables galore for the whole family and a day of fun in the country.

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