Feeling exhausted at the end of the work week, we sat in the car for three hours in traffic, trying to make it out of the city. I describe it as 'in the car' rather than 'driving' as much of it was spent in stop-and-go traffic with the speedometer reaching no greater than 20 miles per hour as we crawled our way out of Los Angeles.
It was both a buzzkill start to our road trip to spiritual Sedona and a great reminder of how badly my boyfriend and I needed a break from the city life.
We made it from our home along the coast in Southern California to Lake Havasu for the night. The hot desert air hit us as we stepped out of the car for burgers at In-N-Out before heading to our hotel. The next morning we woke with the sun and got back on the road toward Sedona.
You'll have to zoom in a little closer on a map of Arizona to spot Sedona. We drove through the forested mountain city of Flagstaff and passed close by the geological icon, the Grand Canyon, arriving in Sedona just before noon.
Sedona is a world of its own, more like a spiritual oasis. What better way to escape the city than to travel to a place that doesn't even look like earth? The red rock blends into the red dirt and sand, blanketing the Sedona region with a terracotta color enlightened by the Arizona sun.
The contrasting teal colors of the plants most commonly seen while exploring Sedona create an incredible visual sensory experience for hikers and visitors. If you're searching for that be here now spiritual experience, you can find it here.
The red rock formations layered with sandstone and limestone are unlike anything I'd seen before. Certain rock formations have been identified as vortex zones where visitors may have a spiritual experience. People travel to these sites in Sedona for a chance to feel the vortex energy.
The city of Sedona is a hub for spirituality, health and wellness, with healing centers and crystal shops lining the main road, 89A. The buildings blend in with the landscape, as the city works to keep the natural beauty of the area intact.
Driving through Sedona you'll find local trade stores, leather shops and Native American jewelry stores, reflecting the rich heritage in the region. Spiritual and symbolic jewelry pieces and local art can also be found at pop-up markets and art walks around town.
The city is a hub for spirituality, health and wellness
There are plenty of hotels in the area, but we decided to camp on our trip to spend more time outdoors. We spent three nights camping alongside Oak Creek, surrounded by red rock and trees. Spending 72 hours outdoors made me feel calm and refreshed. The days were warm and sunlit, while the spring nights were cold, dipping into the 30s with a draft running through our tent.
Tent camping felt like the right way to explore Sedona after getting the chance to sit in the caves people once inhabited on our hikes. It made the place feel even more special and grounded in magic, glimpsing how others lived in the area hundreds of years ago and discovering which special sections of the red rock they selected to take shelter.
Staying at the campground, the cold night air gave way to an open star-filled sky. Waking up in the middle of the night, we witnessed an incredible blanket of stars across the dark sky. I felt far away from the city, deep in the trees and red rock. The weekend trip to Sedona provided the peace I was seeking, and a sense of being connected to something greater than myself.
Sedona is a reminder that there are magical and spiritual places waiting to be explored, and the deeper we went, the calmer I felt. It's an incredible place that offers a new perspective on how our planet can look, and maybe a new perspective on life, too.
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