Your Guide for RV CAMPING in Sedona @RVLove

A Travel Path Podcast

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What an exciting episode about Sedona, Arizona! We welcomed back Marc and Julie from RVLove and they told us all about one of their favorite places to visit. In this episode you’ll learn all about:

Camping

Unbeknownst to many (including us during our first visit to Sedona), Sedon has a strict policy regarding sleeping in your car or RV. They told us about their favorite campgrounds near Sedona, as well as an incredible boondocking location.

Hiking

There is no shortage of beautiful hiking trails that offer spectacular views of the surrounding red rock in Sedona. Marc and Julie named a few of their favorites, including Boynton Canyon and Bell Rock.

Sunsets in Sedona

You can’t leave Sedona without experiencing a sunset, and how the fading sun casts growing shadows across the vast landscape. They shared a view of their favorite sunset locations in Sedona, although they also mentioned that as long as you have views overlooking west, you can’t go wrong!

Restaurants

Whether you are looking to fuel yourself for a long hike, or catch dinner with amazing views, Marc and Julie listed several of their favorite restaurants and Sedona. And don’t miss their tip on how you can sometimes find the best tasting food at popular destinations.

3, 2, 1 Countdown

3 Things You Should Pack to Sedona:

· Hiking Boots

· Layered Clothing

· Bikes

· Sunscreen

2 Complaints or Things You Should be Prepared For in Sedona:

· Crowds

· Planning Ahead & Limited Camping Options

1 Thing You Can’t Leave Sedona WITHOUT Doing:

· Boynton Canyon

· Watch sunset over the red rocks

00:00 Introduction

03:30 Favorite Activities in Sedona

07:30 How Long Should Someone Plan to Stay in Sedona?

09:30 How Far in Advance Should You Plan to Visit Sedona?

12:45 Is Sedona Dog Friendly?

15:45 Boondocking or Campgrounds?

18:30 Restaurants

22:45 Internet and Cell Service in Sedona

26:45 Overall Cost in Sedona

28:00 Nearby Attractions

32:00 Delicioats

33:00 3, 2, 1 Countdown

RVLove on Social

· Website (take the quiz!): https://rvlove.com/

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rvlovetravel/

· YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Rvlove

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RVLoveTV

Hiking in Sedona

· Boynton Canyon Trail (with Subway Tunnel): https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/boynton-canyon-trail

· Bell Rock Trail: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/bell-rock--3

Sunsets Locations

· Boynton Canyon

· Enchantment Resort: https://www.enchantmentresort.com/

· Airport Overlook

Nighttime

· Sedona UFO Tours: https://visitsedona.com/things-to-do/tours-sightseeing/ufo-tours/

· Restaurants

Restaurants

· Mariposa: https://www.mariposasedona.com/

· Pisa Lisa: https://www.pisalisa.com/

· Cucina Rustica: https://www.cucinarustica.com/

· The Vault: https://www.thevaultuptown.com/

· The Indian Gardens: https://www.indiangardens.com/

· Steakhouse 89: https://www.steakhouse89.com/

To Do

· Holy Chapel of the Cross: https://chapeloftheholycross.com/

· Vortex ATV Rentals: https://www.vortexatvrental.com/

· Our Sedona Video: https://youtu.be/mXY8S3Fhg_k

· Our Sedona Blog: https://atravelpath.com/sedona/

Nearby Attractions

· Jerome Ghost Town: https://azjerome.com/

· Grand Canyon: https://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

· Flagstaff: https://www.flagstaffarizona.org/

Camping

· Cottonwood Campground

· Verde Ranch: https://verderanchrvresort.com/

· Verde Valley Fairgrounds: http://www.vvfair.com/camping-and-rentals.html

· Campground INSIDE Sedona: https://ranchosedona.com/

· Dead Horse State Park: https://azstateparks.com/dead-horse

Dogs

· Bring Fido: https://www.bringfido.com/

Music

· Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sky-toes/ready-as-ever License code: WYQ2IKRBMVFP3EJS

Disclaimer

*All content from atravelpath.com, including but not limited to The Travel Path Podcast and social media platforms, is designed to share general information. We are not experts and the information is not designed to serve as legal, financial, or tax advice. Always do your own research and due diligence before making a decision.

Transcript:

Host: Marc and Julie, welcome back to the Travel Path Podcast. It's great to have you here again.

Guest: Great to be back.

Host: So, if anybody missed part one, we got a crash course on everything RV. You guys have been traveling for 10 years, talked about all the five different types of RVs you've been into or five different types of RV you guys have had over the years, talked about budgeting, planning, preparing—a whole bunch of information. Everybody, check out part one. For part two, travel tips. We're talking about one particular destination. So, Marc and Julie, where are we talking about today?

Guest: I say we talk about Sedona. I say we talk about Sedona too.

Sedona, Arizona. It's one of our favorite places that we've visited multiple times on our travels. And, yeah, yeah, we were just there last month. Actually, we're not currently there. We're in AR-Iona, but we're not in Sedona right now. But we do love it. In fact, in all of our years of travel before we actually got a home base back a few years ago, when people would ask us where we thought we would settle, it was on our short list of places because that surrounding area, yeah, that it's getting really expensive now and very touristy now too—very touristy, very busy.

Host: So, obviously, you've been to Sedona multiple times. It's something that's very special to you. What made you decide to talk about Sedona out of all the places you've been?

Guest: There's just something magical about it, you know? And anyone that's been there knows. And it is actually known for having what they call vortexes of these, and I should have looked up what's the proper explanation of what they, these special magical energy. It does attract a lot of people that are healers or spiritual teachers and authors and people that are going through major life changes and reinvention. There's something about it that just envelops you. And it's just incredibly scenic. It's very beautiful—red, scenic, very beautiful. If you like that kind of thing. If you're somebody who prefers like the keys and trees, maybe not. But we happen to love Red Rock scenery and landscape. And it's just quite stunning and in different times of the day, so beautiful. Amazing hiking, fantastic biking, yeah, biking, off-roading, Jeeping. And there's even some, if people—there's some Rivers there too. And it's also reasonable proximity to get up into altitude into the mountains, so there's a lot of really cool stuff with a reasonable too.

Host: Yeah, yes, that's a perfect opportunity to talk about all the different activities that you can do. I know when we were there, we did atving through the Red Rock, which was amazing. Have you guys done anything specific that you've really enjoyed?

Guest: You know, one of my favorite memories of Sedona is when we actually boondocked. We weren't in a campground. We were off a road called Forest Road 525. And we probably took—it was our first RV. It was the one, I think we showed in the last episode actually where that picture was taken. Right, so that is actually where we were parked. This is not a Photoshop of the RV in this scenic spot. This is the whole big photo that Marc took with the Drone. But we found this parking spot right with this 35t class A Motorhome that is not really well, not at all designed for off-roading. And we ended up with this fantastic spot. We did have to do a little bit of slow and yeah, get a little creative and slow to get in there. But what I think, I know what you're gonna say is what was so fun is we were at the day after we were there. You know those Jeep tours in Sedona, they have the pink Jeep tours, you know, and then the yellow ATVs. This road we're on is one of their popular exit points for one of their big tours, right? So they go on this big long super technical off-roading Trail, and then they come up to our RV. And because we came, we backed in from the end where they come on the big long route. And then so they see us and the looks on their faces were so classic because they're like, how in the world did you get that here? So that was a really fun memory. But we came in from the road, they came in from the trail, so we saw a lot of that there. We actually, funnily enough, haven't done Jeep. Well, we have done Jeeping, not one of the Jeep tours, but we do have a Jeep, and we did do some of the trails with our Jeep. Yeah, we've done a lot of biking and hiking out there too, though. Just the trails are so amazing and just even just watching a sunset or a sunrise because the land is so textured with all the red rocks and so much texture in the shadows. It's really dramatic for sun when the sun is setting while it's still craning the shadows and even just from the airport is actually one of the good spots for vantage points. There's a lot of great vantage points in town, but that's one of them. And in the last episode, we talked about sunsets, right? So any RV would be familiar with this. It's something we talk, we as RVers as a community talk about a lot. And it's like there are so many vantage points just to get an amazing sunset view from Sedona. So that can just be a fun thing, especially if you're there for a week or two, go to a different spot every night to see the sunset. That's actually one of the things we love about RVing is people can still enjoy the same sunsets, the same experiences of an area, whether you're driving a $5,000 motorized or if you're driving a $3-4 million bus conversion. That a lot of that lifestyle can be had from whatever price point. So.

Host: Yeah, very true. There are definitely a lot of areas for sunset and sunrise. We went to one sunset particularly and it was so crowded. So I would say definitely give yourself the opportunity to see maybe where you can find less of a crowd. Just because sometimes.

Guest: Good luck with that. In years ago was easier, less so now, yeah. But you know, also just try to avoid, and this, this goes for any touristy place, not just Sedona, but just obviously try and avoid weekends if you can. That's when the people that just have the weekends off. I think as RVers, that's one of the huge advantages of the lifestyles, you get to enjoy things because you're already right there. So you don't have to wait till Friday or Saturday or Sunday to go see something special. You can often do it, especially in the summer time, go and see it after hours or, you know, if you can get out in the middle of your workday, if you have a flexible schedule, go and do that. But yeah, absolutely.

Host: So, to get that full experience of Sedona, how long do you think someone should actually plan their trip for?

Guest: Now, we're talking about somebody who's just going for a little short vacation, like, do you want to, or somebody that's like an RV traveler that wants to either...

Host: I think, you know, mostly we're talking van RVs that are typically listening. But, I know, of course, you could do Sedona in a little extended weekend. But for someone who's going to take their RV and really wants to enjoy some of those hikes, the Red Rocks, the food they have, how long do you think they should go?

Guest: I think at least a week. I think so too, yeah, because there's a lot of great food, there's a lot of great hiking, and a lot of exploring. And especially because there's so much other stuff that's a reasonable distance drive from that area as well. You can drive to the Grand Canyon from Sedona if you want to do a day trip or get up to Flagstaff, you can go up to Jerome, that little quirky up on the hill. But I think it's really, it comes down to a couple of things. One is, what's your pace, you know? Do you have to work or have you just got the whole week off? Are you somebody who just likes to run around and see a bunch of things or take a more leisurely paced? But I think if you can give yourself a good week there, it's... there aren't a ton of campgrounds in the area and they are popular, the ones that are there, and they're not necessarily inexpensive because it's such a popular touristy area. But you can stay a bit out of there. You can stay half an hour away at places like Cottonwood, which is where we've stayed. There's a really nice state park over there as well. I think it's called Dead Horse. Terrible name. T-Ran State Park or something. But it's a nice location and, you know, if you're an RVer, you're a driver. So I mean, we don't necessarily have to be right in the heart of everything. Sometimes it's nice just to be out a bit of the main touristy area and we'll just drive in for a restaurant or drive in for or park somewhere and go do that biking and hiking and just try to avoid those downtown tourist areas at the busy days.

Host: Yeah, of course. Now, when you're planning your trip to Sedona, how long in advance should you start planning? Because I know for us, we typically don't plan, but with Sedona and having some of the ordinances of not being able to just pull over and sleep anywhere, I think you do need to plan ahead a little bit because the camping is popular and those campgrounds fill up. So what do you think the planning time is for your trip?

Guest: No, just as soon as you can because I don't know what the booking window is for that state park. You'd have to go in and check their website. But as soon as you can. We have a camping membership that we use. There is a campground in Cottonwood that, and that is one of the most popular parks in Arizona. So we probably, you know, when we're full-timing and we would go and stay there for a couple of weeks at a time, we probably planned that a few months in advance, yeah. But also, I recommend trying to go on a shoulder season when it's less crowded too. So that's a big part of planning is if you can go avoiding the peak times both on the day of the week but also the peak month, you have a much better opportunity which is usually outside of, you know, from Memorial Day to Labor Day is typically your busiest time anywhere in the summer. So you know, go in April, May, or go in September, October, something got nice times a year to be there. But I would say if if you are a planner, because not everybody is, three to four months or, you know, you could even plan one or two months out. Really just depends on your your stop.

Host: Do you have a specific month that you like to go in or is it when it fits into your schedule?

Guest: It's usually just when it fits into our schedule. We were there for a couple of weeks in June when we were doing that boondocking location we showed you at the beginning. And that got really hot. We were boondocking, so we weren't in a campground. We weren't plugged into power, so we weren't running the AC's. We positioned the coach in such a way that we could take advantage of the climate. And that's a really important part when you are boondocking, is to learn how to park your RV to work with the areas where the sun is coming up and going down and where what patio side so you can get the shade. So, just something to really be aware of when you start doing boondocking. I would say if you're going to Sedona in the spring in particular, just be really mindful of the weather because it can rain and even snow. It is an elevation and if you're boondocking out off that road like we were talking about, I mean, we've seen friends that have been really stuck and bogged in that and that red dirt turns into clay and it's sppy pretty and that can be raining and snowing right up till April or May. We, I don't think, I don't recall any significant rain when we were there the month of June, but boy did it get hot up to, you know, 95 and high 90s. And so, there would be a little bit every day that we would just run the generator and turn on the air conditioner just to cool things down. So, that was probably... I wouldn't want to go there July, August. I think that would be too hot. I would avoid it. It's still hot July, August is very hot. So, I think, you know, June, September, you know, May, June, September, October, I would say would be the optimal months to visit Sedona, yeah.

Host: Perfect tips. And you guys are a dog family. So, how is Sedona traveling with pets? I found it to be pretty dog friendly when we were there.

Guest: Yep, yep, it's dog friendly. And, you know, that is definitely a high priority for us when we travel. We use an app called BringFido, which I mean, you can search on Yelp and Trip Advisor and things like that and put in the dog friendly, and we usually search for restaurants with outdoor patios anyway, but they are the ones that are more likely to be dog friendly. So, for restaurants, but BringFido is a really great app to be able to find anything that's where you can bring your furry friends. Perfect.

Host: Did you find a lot of dog friendly restaurants with patios in Sedona specifically?

Guest: Well, actually, I don't think we had a dog when we went to Sedona because, um, sadly, we lost our first dog only five months into our travels. And so, we hadn't been to Sedona then. And then we were without a dog for about six years, which and the times we visited Sedona. And we do have a dog now, but we left him with somebody who took care of him just for the day. We just rented a car for the day. We were staying in the Phoenix area in Mesa and we just rented a fun convertible for the day. And we just took a day trip just to go and take a drive, have lunch at in Sedona, and left the dog behind. So, it was a date day. So, I wasn't paying much attention to the dog's needs that day. It was all about us.

Host: But I'm sure they'll make it to Sedona at some point. Sounds like you'll be going back, yeah.

Guest: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Well, that's the other thing too, like when you ask about the time how long someone should spend there and this is something we learned in all our years of travels is it's a shift of mindset when you go on a vacation regularly before we started RVing you feel like you have to jam it all into you know however long you've got to be there for a week or two but you need to switch gears in your mind that no this is this is a lifestyle now I don't have to see everything now and check everything off the listes let's just see what we see and do here now that fits our desires is suitable for this particular time of year and fits our budget and fits our just your own personal Cadence of of what feels good for you some people are more on the-go people and some people want to go a little bit quieter and slower uh is just remind yourself I can always come back and you you know you don't like we we're here in Tucson right now and I don't think we'll ever run out of things to do here there's just so much great and that's almost everywhere you can always find great things to see and do so I think um hit your first hit your main high points but then keep some things for later to come back.

Host: Yeah, absolutely. Now, of course, you have mentioned you've stayed in boondocking which you shared an area there. You also have stayed in campgrounds there too. What do you prefer when you go to Sedona?

Guest: Well, we like mixing it up. I think if the weather's right, it's hard to beat the boondocking. But if the weather's on the higher or colder side, we definitely like to have the convenience or a longer stay if we're staying multiple weeks. It's really nice to be plugged into, especially when you're working a lot of the time. It's like us, we stayed at a few different places. We stayed at the state park and then the Thousand Trails Park in Cottonwood. And then there is an RV park right down in town, but we haven't stayed at that one. And we've tried to can't quite recall off the top of my head, but it's with the solar panels too. That one's nice too. Verde Ranch. Verde Ranch is really nice too.

Verde Ranch is really... it's not quite in Sedona, but it's one of those locations it's great to drive in. It's got really nice amenities. But there is one that's right in the heart of Sedona, and the name escapes me, but it's really easy to find in a Google search because I think there's only one and it is walking distance to everything. But it is hard to get into. It is very popular, and it's definitely a bit more on the more expensive side. But sometimes it's nice just to be at a place where you could just walk everywhere.

Host: Yeah, absolutely. Do you guys have any favorite hikes that you've done in Sedona?

Guest: Yeah, there's a couple. I love Boynton Canyon. But I would say my favorite hike is the Boynton Canyon. And I also really like seeing Boynton Canyon with the sunrise. Sunset from Boynton Canyon is beautiful, less crowded too.

Guest: Yeah, it's less crowded. There's this Trail Angel who helps people get every time I go. I have... I didn't... we didn't go there on the last trip because we just drove up for the day and back. But there was... there's a gentleman from Texas called Roger. This is how much of an impression he had on me. I saw him more than once that I would go, and then he had these little red rocks and were in this heart shape, and he just would hand them out to people going on the hikes. It was really sweet, very nice.

Host: Have you ever done the Subway cave? It's off the Boynton Trail.

Guest: No, I haven't done that one. Do you recommend it?

Host: We did that and then continued down to the Boynton Canyon Trail, and we did that more in the middle of the afternoon. But I imagine for sunset it would be absolutely beautiful.

Guest: Yeah, we actually saw the sunset from the Enchantment Resort, and you can go out, but you have to get there earlier than normal, then the sunrise time because of the mountains and the shadows. It actually sets much earlier. So, get there earlier in the day. That gets very crowded as well, but it's beautiful, a terrace to sit out there, and they've got the little fireplaces and really just gorgeous.

Host: Yeah, sounds beautiful. So, what do you guys like to do at night then other than the sunset?

Guest: I... to go out to eat. So, there's some great... I think have you done anything else apart from going out to restaurants at night?

I think that's it. Yeah, other stuff that's good. We like to eat, so it's just being cheeky.

Yeah, it's a dark sky town too, so the star viewing is really nice.

Host: Yeah, nice dark sky watching is amazing.

Guest: Yeah. And we haven't done these, but we've heard of people going. You can go and, like, I think they... you were... or you know, ghost hunting tours or something like that. But we haven't done those.

Host: Yeah, we heard about them, but we didn't do them. But mostly, and because it does get darker there with the canyons, it's mostly just going out to... going out to restaurants is our favor to do.

Guest: They do have some great ones too. And especially, you know, Mariposa and Piza Lisa and...

Thea by the same person, yeah. Lisa D has a restaurant who has several restaurants. We haven't been quite to all of them yet, and we've been to, I think, maybe three or four and always really good and really different. And then, are we up to the restaurant part of the podcast now? Can I talk more about the restaurants?

Host: Yeah, we can talk about restaurants now.

Guest: I wasn't sure if I was jumping the gun.

Piza Lisa is great for, as Marc said, for really nice pizzas and salads. And you can sit out... they've got a little terrace out there where you can sit out if you get there early enough to... it's on the main highway, so it's not like you have the majestic open view like some of the other places. But the price point of that restaurant is more, you know, midpoint, which is great. Always really good food and a good vibe in there. Um, we recently drove up there for the day and had lunch out on the terrace at a place called The Vault Uptown. VLT that had a great big patio with amazing views. Amazing views and that's some great food too. But if you also want that view, you can also go to... you can go to Chipotle right next door that has a patio as well. So, yeah, we had a great lunch, and, you know, they have nice cocktails and everything at The Vault. But that's when we left, I said, you know what, if we're in this area again, and I do really like the idea of trying that Chipotle out. And another place that I really like is called the Indian Gardens, and it's an Indian Gardens Courtyard or something like that. And it's a little bit past all the rest on 89, and it's this cute little place on the left-hand side, and it's got like a little market, and you can get things to go, coffees and sandwiches and wraps and things to go. But they've got this really darling little courtyard out the back where you can sit and have some lunch or have breakfast. And that's not open for dinner, that's a daytime place. But that's really lovely. I think that would be my favorite so far.

Yeah, that's... anything you try and get off the main bit is always a good thing. Oak Creek Canyon's also got good choices. That's where Kachina Rustic is, which is that Italian restaurant that's quite big actually. Another one of that's actually a tip from our travels is from all the years and we travel when you go to a touristy area, you often find better food if you go off the main strip because to find someone that's a smaller restaurant that's more focused on the food instead of the tourist attraction. And in fact, sometimes some of the best restaurants we've had have been strip mall restaurants that are just small family-owned ones that are really focused on the very unassuming. Sometimes we've gotten to places because they were really well-reviewed on Yelp or Trip Advisor and then we'll pull up in the parking lot and we'll go, oh, really, it's I had, and it was this strip mall restaurant, and I remember the first time being really let down. But we went in anyway, it was fantastic. And then, so the next time we're like, you know what, this is a good sign. So, now we almost always find that strip mall restaurants, if they're well-reviewed, be turned off by the fact that it's a strip mall. You're not going to get views mostly, hardly ever, I don't think ever. But the food's really good and the service as well. So, they can be some real hidden gems. I don't remember any of those in Sedona.

Host: That's okay. So, how's the Wi-Fi situation in Sedona for you?

Guest: You know, it depends on where you stay, and we prioritize our travels around internet connectivity. But the campground that we originally can stay at with our camping membership for no nightly fee has really poor internet connectivity for the bulk of that campground. So, that's part of why we don't stay there as often because only a small percentage of that campground has connectivity. So, that does play a factor, and especially if you go on peak times when you go to any small areas when you have peak times, the crowds can start reducing the speeds on your connectivity when you overload the towers. But what we found, the... this is why we moved from that. And here's a little tip: that campground that we mentioned that's part of our membership, it's called Verde Valley, and we've been to some others. So, if it's got Valley in the name or Canyon in the name of a campground, that's usually a tip that the internet's probably not going to be great. Right, like Hidden Valley. Oh, be careful, that one.

Host: Yeah.

Guest: So, anytime got Canyon or Valley in the name of a property, call them and ask them what the cell coverage is like. And if you're speaking to just somebody who answers the phone, make sure you ask what carrier they have because they might say, oh, yeah, mine's great, and they might be Verizon, but you might be T-Mobile, so you know that doesn't really mean anything if there's not a T-Mobile tower in the area. So, that's why we actually left Verde Valley years ago to go down to and we discovered the Dead Horse Ranch State Park, and that had really good cell coverage there. So, that was great, and that was a nice drive into Sedona and also Cottonwood. That's not far. So, it's got some good restaurants too, and it's not Sedona proper, but I would call it in the Sedona area, has some really good restaurants and a nice vibe down there, some murals, and it's a fun little town. So, sometimes there are just neighboring those really higher in more exclusive towns like a little enclave like Sedona, just the neighboring towns can be really cool as well.

Host: Yeah, absolutely. Now, are you guys traveling with a Starlink or like a T-Mobile home internet base or how are you getting internet right now?

Guest: We are just using our cell phones on T-Mobile network. But that's about to change this week. We're getting a new Peplink. Most of our travels, the last seven or eight years, we've had a mobile router of Peplink right antennas. And we're missing that right now, and so we're going to be getting that put back in here this week. But we don't have Starlink yet. We haven't... I think if we were full-timing, you know, it might become more of a priority. I'll be really honest. We had redundancy with our... with our Peplink. We would have like... well, we used to have three carriers. We had T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. So, if we weren't in a good area for one, then the other would kick in. So, we actually never found the internet to be lacking to need Starlink. But we have seen places in our travels that are. But when we had connectivity and we were full-time, we would just move. But now with Starlink, there are a lot of other options, you know, like one particular we can think of is Blue Mesa in Colorado. No cell coverage from any carrier there, so Starlink is gold there. Very good. So, if it's important, you should have it. Now we have heard good things about T-Mobile home, and we did look into it, but when I put in our address, we weren't eligible. So, I might try that again. It might have changed. But I have heard good things about T-Mobile home. We do have T-Mobile on our cell phones, and we've been with them since 2017. So, we've had Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile for ourselves, and I would say I'm the happiest with T-Mobile. Very good. But really, we're just happy with Jebin Works. We've had really good experiences with T-Mobile, and the service is great.

Host: Yeah, absolutely. So, transitioning back to Sedona, what did you guys feel like the overall cost was when you go? Do you feel like it's more expensive or less expensive than, you know, you typically...?

Guest: It's more expensive, but it's worth it. There's nothing like red rock. Yeah, it's... we don't mind. We don't mind. I mean, you're not living there. Like, we didn't end up buying a house there, but it's nice to go visit. And that's when we... you know, this is one of the things we like when you're traveling, you might stay in some places and be spending less so that when you go to other places that you really want to go that are more expensive, it's a bit more of a splurge, and then you treat that more a bit like that's your vacation, you know, within your life on the road. So, we do that with... with our living. There've been times we're down in, you know, the Florida Keys. No, I'm taking that week off work because I'm spending a fortune on my nightly fee, so I'm not going to sit here working away. What a waste. So, that's what we do. And we try to do that in Sedona too, is to just really immerse and explore it more and do less work. And then when we go to the other places that maybe aren't as exciting, then we hunker down and do work. So, it's good to have that flexibility.

Host: Yeah, perfect. Now, if you haven't mentioned it already, are there any other nearby attractions that people should be on the lookout for when planning their trip to Sedona?

Guest: Oh, you know, again, I think it's... it's the surrounding areas. So many people just head straight for that downtown area, and it is really nice. It's... if you can just get... go park and just walk, there's some little boutiques and coffee shops and things. But just... just go out, even just go for a drive. What's that little loop where you did your biking that we drove through last week? What was that called?

Was that a little park, was it?

No, it's off 89, so if you're coming in from Cottonwood heading into Sedona, it's off to the right-hand side, and it's like a little park, like a little loop.

But I forgot. Red Rock Loop or something. Red Rock Scenic Loop, it might be called. Don't quote me on that. Might be, actually. But it's a really lovely little drive. We saw this really cool architectural feature. There's some gorgeous homes around there. So just seeing the architecture. The Holy Chapel of the Cross is a really beautiful, very well-known tourist attraction there that's a really gorgeous place to visit. But again, just getting out, you know, we... for us, we just like getting out of the crowds. Yeah, the little town Jerome, the little mining town, is a quirky little place that if you want something unique. And they had an amazing... what was it? Kaleidoscope store there that was fantastic. They shipped all over the world because they were a specialty shop. But yeah, and then again, getting up into the mountains too. So, if you get tired of the Red Rocks, you want to get up into some green forestry stuff, it's an easy drive as well. And in Cornville, we even just did the loop. So, sometimes we'll just drive with no destination. We... I remember once we were, you know, over in the California area, and we just couldn't stand the traffic, so we just got out of there, and we just... we just drove. So, we do that with Sedona, around that downtown area. We're not really big fans of those crowds down there. So, just... almost any direction you can take that drive up north to Flagstaff, 89 is quite a curvy road if you like that. And that's... and there's some great places to stop and hike along there as well, and some stores, that little Indian market as well. So, yeah.

Host: Yeah, perfect. Yeah, no shortage, that's for sure, of any activities in or around Sedona. The only thing I'll add, we did... so the Jerome ghost town, which I think you were talking about the mining area, we went to the Jerome ghost town, which is a really cool place to visit. And I thought it was brilliant how the people there, it was a mining area and then it shut down and they didn't know what to do with all their equipment, so they just left it there and turned it into a destination. And now it's a big tourist attraction.

Guest: Yeah, now they're making money instead of having to hold it away would have cost money.

Host: Yeah. And I'll link our video in Sedona and the show notes as well because we did... there wasn't a ton of overlap because there's a ton of things to do in Sedona. But there's a... we did some things you guys mentioned but a lot of things we actually... we did differently. We did... we stayed at the fairgrounds in Cottonwood. I can't remember the name of the fairgrounds, but we had a hard time finding a place to stay. And we did our Vortex ATV rides through Cottonwood, so it was a little more economical 'cause it wasn't in Sedona. But we could look out and see the Red Rock. And the best part about that ride was they gave us an iPad with a map on it, and we were by ourselves. So, it wasn't guided. We did it on our own time, and that was amazing, just driving through the off-road, the dirt gravel roads, looking at all the Red Rock in the distance. So, we'll add a link to everything that we did as well in the show notes.

Guest: Yeah, looking forward to watching that. Yeah, and this is what I love, is that, you know, you can learn from other people where they went, what they did, what they saw, but you'll always have your own experience of it. But just... and know that you can watch someone can watch your video, listen to this podcast, watch someone else's video, read another blog, and then they'll go there and then they'll never have the same experience that any of those other people had. It's always just so different. I mean, there's one thing that's really cool about.

Host: Like you guys said, we were there a day and a half and we really want to go back, and you guys have been there a bunch of times and there's still things you haven't done yet. So, it just goes to show there's... like I said, there's no shortage of activities. We'll start wrapping this thing up, the 3-2-1 Countdown, the final three questions of the podcast. So, what are three things you are bringing with you to Sedona?

Guest: Hiking boots, layered clothing because the weather can change your climate with altitude quickly, and a bike. Bikes, it's great for biking, biking, hiking, and yes, the weather can really change.

Host: Sunscreen. That's it. What are two complaints or things people wish they would have been more prepared for when visiting Sedona?

Guest: Like I've said before, the crowds downtown, take that Highway 89 right, and there's such... back in 2014, it wasn't near as bad, but now it's much... there's a bottleneck around that, around that roundabout coming right into 89A. So, yeah, just plan your trip accordingly and try to avoid the weekends. One other thing... are only one... oh, one other thing would you warn them about, PL?

Yeah, I think we already covered this earlier too, but plan ahead because you don't just expect to roll up and be able to park anywhere, like you said, if you have a van, you know, stealth camping on the... yeah, even... even we... we looked at maybe ending up in Sedona one day, but it's actually really strict with rules around RVs, like even having them on your own property in the town of Sedona in that area, so that kind of was taking it further down on the list. So, not as... be prepared to drive in. I would stay out of Sedona and then just come in on the days you want to come in.

Host: Yeah, we had a really hard time. We drove for hours trying to find a place to stay in Sedona, so that's a very good point. All right, last question, guys. What is one thing, if you had to pick just one thing, you can't leave Sedona without doing? What would that be?

Guest: Hike Boynton Canyon. What would you say? Watch a sunset over the Red Rocks.

Yeah, you can't... you can't go there and not watch that whole progression of watching the shadows change the whole valley as the shadows change the rocks, and then the colors, because the colors get much more vibrant at that time of day. So, I don't think you can go to Sedona properly without having the sunset.

Host: I agree with both of those.

Guest: Yeah.

Host: Did you have... did you have any sunset locations, or can you just not go wrong when you're in Sedona?

Guest: I think you can go wrong. I don't think you can go wrong if you can get some elevation to be able to look down across a valley. I think that's important.

Host: So... oh, what I liked about Boynton Canyon too is we talked about the temperature change. I remember we were hiking, it was hot out, but Boynton Canyon is so shaded, it was almost like 10 degrees cooler, and it was so refreshing doing that trail after we... we went off onto the subway tunnel and came back, and it was... yeah, it was really nice hiking that trail.

Guest: It's not exposed like, I think the Bell Rock hike is beautiful too, but there was more... you're more exposed there, getting in and out. And that's why I like the Boynton Canyon too.

Host: Perfect. Well, great, guys. Marc and Julie, thanks again for coming on the show. This was a really great podcast, informative on Sedona. This is definitely making us want to go back.

Guest: Yeah.

Host: Yeah, like we... we, for us, guys, makes me want to go back again too.

Guest: We were just there last month. It wasn't that long, but it's... it's a wonderful place.

Host: And last question before I say goodbye. Where can our audience find out more about you guys?

Guest: You can find us at rvlove.com and on social media at rvlovetravel. So, come and hit us up and send us a note, and we'd love to say hi.

Host: Great. Right. Marc and Julie, thanks again.

Guest: Thank you, guys. Bye.

Guest: Bye.