I probably need to give Sedona another chance. While the area, with its trademark red cliffs, blue skies, and hiking trails was beautiful (and the drive down to Flagstaff via some backroads presented some ideas for future stops), my brief visit to Sedona in March was not one of the highlights of my Southwest trip. The traffic in the city was dreadful and the air of appropriate shamanism was apparent everywhere, as there were an incredible number of people who seemed quite removed from the cultures they were representing offering traditional spiritual experiences.
That being said, I’d love to visit the area again and explore a bit more deeply to find some of the treasures my 24-hour stop likely didn’t uncover.