March 25-27, 2023
It was a very cold night up on my hilltop campsite and after a restless sleep I woke to find frozen condensation on my car windows. The sun was just rising and a cold and very strong wind tried hard to douse the flames on my camp stove as I prepared my coffee and breakfast. I was all bundled up in a jacket, hat, scarf and gloves but it was still too cold to eat outside so I retreated to the driver’s seat of my Toyota, thankful to be out of the wind! I wondered why in the world I had left the warmth of southern Arizona to travel up to the high country, but of course that question was answered as soon as I arrived, some 40 minutes later, at the beautiful red rock country that surrounds Sedona.
The sun did its job to warm the earth and the temperature was perfect for a hike as I arrived at the parking lot for the Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte hikes. Sedona is a very popular hiking and biking destination and I was lucky to get one of the last available parking spots even though it was still only 7:30 a.m. I was so excited by the colour of the earth and the shapes of the rock formations as I set off towards Bell Rock which is on the left below.
I hiked past Bell Rock,
and headed towards Courthouse Butte to circle around it on a loop of about six kilometres of fairly easy and very scenic hiking. This is Courthouse Butte, beautifully lit by the morning sun.
The views of the butte were constantly changing as I circled around it,
and it was fun to cross several small streams that flowed over the red rocks, constantly eroding and sculpting this landscape.
From Couthouse Butte Trail, I continued on the Big Park Loop which led across a large wash and then headed back towards Bell Rock where rock cairns marked a route to guide hikers up onto the formation.
It started out easy, but some sections required rock scrambling and the use of foot and hand holds. It was very fun, and the views back towards the north were spectacular!
I climbed perhaps two thirds of the way up Bell Rock and felt very proud of myself as well as thrilled to be here.
Back at the parking lot, there was a bit of a traffic jam with hikers and tourists circling for spots, and that was also the case at the parking area for a visit to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. This spectacular church dominates a hillside overlooking Sedona and is a very popular stop for visitors because of the architectural beauty of the church and also its excellent views. I sat for a few moments in the dim and restful interior and I also enjoyed a peaceful moment beside a small fountain with its charming sculpture of Saint Francis.
From the viewing deck outside the church I had a great view to the south of Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock. It felt very satisfying to see where I had hiked!
After my visit to the church I had already had enough of crowds and traffic so I decided not to stop in the busy town of Sedona which is known for its many resorts, spas, restaurants, shopping, and New Age vibe. I had originally planned a second hike for today along Oak Creek in West Sedona but that trail was closed due to flooding. It was now a very warm day and I was feeling a bit tired after my less-than-restful night so I made my way to the local public library. I had to decide whether to keep my upcoming camping reservation at the Grand Canyon. I had been checking the Grand Canyon weather regularly throughout my entire trip, nervous about the constant “Snowfall Warnings”, road closures, and nighttime temperatures that were falling well below freezing (the South Rim of the Grand Canyon sits at an elevation of 7000 feet). Sure enough, that was still the forecast and so I made the decision to cancel my reservations and visit the Grand Canyon on my next trip to Arizona. I then researched and planned my route home and, happy to be organized, I returned to Dead Horse Ranch State Park and in the late afternoon I visited the Tuzigoot National Monument located nearby.
Tuzigoot is a pueblo, largely reconstructed, that was built by the Sinagua on a hilltop above the resource-rich Verde River valley. The first rooms were built around the year 1100, and by the late 1300s the pueblo had grown to be a large complex of 87 rooms, 23 second-story rooms, and a central plaza.
The oldest archaeological finds in the Verde valley are of obsidian arrow points from about 13,0000 years ago. Like their ancient ancestors, the Sinagua who built this pueblo were hunters of small and large game but they were also farmers who grew corn, cotton, squash and beans, and they cultivated agave and prickly pear for food and fibres. They produced undecorated pottery and fine cotton textiles, and they also utilized the mineral resources of the area (blue azurite, green malachite and red argillite) to create paints, elaborate jewellery, and small carvings. They also mined salt in the nearby hills which was a valuable item of trade.
More recent inhabitants of the Verde Valley have also relied upon the rich mineral resources of this area, principally copper, which was discovered by prospectors in the 1880s and led to the founding of the towns of Cottonwood, Clarkdale, and the “billion dollar town” of Jerome which was visible to me up on a mountainside in the distance. An interpretive panel informed me that the large flat area below is the site of five million tons of copper mine tailings spread over 116 acres! Strong winds would often swirl over the area and create choking orange dust storms so in 2006 the site was capped and revegetated. Astounding!
This view from the highest point at Tuzigoot looks south over the valley. The Verde River is marked by the line of tall gray trees, and the very dark trees on the floodplain below are mesquite. By the 1300s, Tuzigoot was part of a network of at least 40 settlements in the area with permanent dwellings and associated farmlands.
Back at camp, the sun was lowering and that cold wind was blowing again and I had to park my car facing into the wind to block it as much as possible while I cooked up my dinner under the back hatch. I ate my noodles and salmon straight from the pot in the driver’s seat, out of the wind, and didn’t relish a long cold evening in the car. Luckily there was a laundromat in Cottonwood so I was able to read, use wifi, and chat for a while with others until 8 p.m. before heading back to camp in the warmth of the car, more ready for the night and with all clean clothes to boot.
I had a great sleep even though the nighttime temperature again fell below zero. I had prepared a peanut butter and jam sandwich the night before and had planned on getting a gas station coffee so in a matter of minutes I was up and on the road, headed again to Sedona for a morning hike at Cathedral Rocks. I was one of the first arrivals at the parking lot and although the day was quickly warming up there was still some frost sparkling prettily on the grasses and other plants.
The trail started off in the flat lands of the Oak Creek valley and then began to rise up onto the red rocks. The curving line of trees below shows the course of Oak Creek as it flows southwest where it will eventually join the Verde River.
I was still enjoying finding frosty plants to photograph in areas of shade as I walked along and I accidentally got off trail. I noticed quite early, and was easily able to find my way back, but it was a lucky accident because I finally saw a mule deer, my only sighting of a large mammal on my entire Arizona trip. It was a special moment and I lingered for a while, all alone and very still, hoping it would reappear. It did not, but I was very happy nonetheless to have had a glimpse.
The trail was wonderful, not yet busy, and Cathedral Rock was spectacular!
Again, the views of the butte changed as I circled around it,
revealing tall sculpted spires and multi-coloured layers of rock.
Unfortunately the trail up onto Cathedral Rock was closed for maintenance so I continued along on the Templeton trail which was like a long red sidewalk circling around the base of Cathedral Rock. It was wonderful walking!
I hiked on for several more kilometres until I reached a large grassy field, with great views back to Cathedral Rock and forward up the Oak Creek valley, and I stopped here for a brief rest before starting the return journey along the same route.
By now, the trail was getting busy with other hikers and mountain bikers yet I didn’t mind. I had had the entire morning almost all to myself in this spectacular landscape and I was very very happy. It was approaching noon and the valley floor alongside Oak Creek was now warm and summery instead of cold and decorated with frost, and when I reached the parking lot cars were waiting for a spot.
Again, I had planned a second hike in the area, but I was feeling very satisfied with my morning excursion and had little desire to drive through or spend time Sedona so I headed back to Cottonwood and my campsite at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. I had some lunch and a refreshing shower and then I gave my Toyota a thorough cleaning in preparation for starting my journey home on the morrow. Then, in the late afternoon I consulted the park’s trail map and decided to walk the Tavasci Marsh trail based on the name alone. It was wonderful! There were huge old cottonwoods,
and dark mesquite trees on a field of deep green grass and purple mustard. I was on the plain below Tuzigoot with views of the monument on the hillside!
The trail led to an appealing wagon track that skirted between the edge of the field and the large marsh.
It was very quiet here, with just the occasional rustling of the dry reeds and grasses in the breeze. The trail then looped around and through the grassy field and dark mesquite trees towards the river. One thing that I had definitely learned on this trip is that as you drive through the expanses of desert it can often look very bleak and dull, but when you stop and walk there are so many things to see. The geology lends form and structure to the land while the many and varied plant communities add colour, shapes, textures and a strong life energy to the scene. Add in the call of a hawk, the quick scurry of a lizard, and small glimpses into the human occupation of this challenging land over millennia and you have a place that is compelling, beautiful, and not in the least bleak and dull.
I felt very grateful to be in this special and quite unique place on my last day before heading home, and I was happy to be ending my trip with the knowledge that I will definitely return to Arizona to explore more of its desert and mountain landscapes, communities, and historical sites.
wonderful photos