When Craig and I were married we knew due to our busy lives we may not have the chance to go on a proper honeymoon. One year and a crazy pandemic later, we came up on our anniversary. I’ve wanted to visit Sedona since I watched the documentary Blood into Wine a few years ago about the first vineyards in the desert. Researching Sedona I learned of the gorgeous views and unique hiking it offered. Located only 2 hours away from Page, AZ we figured we could take a road trip up to see Horseshoe bend and Antelope Canyon. Unfortunately, Antelope Canyon was closed, but that wasn’t a good enough answer for me and I found a way for us to paddle board in the lower canyon. More details of our 5 days are listed below.
Cathedral Rock Hike – Sedona
Day one after hopping off the plane and driving 2.5 hours to Sedona we made it to our first hike – Cathedral Rock. I was super excited about the views of this hike, but was not prepared for the mostly vertical climbing. Sedona area guides rate this hike as difficult and I totally agree. It’s only about 2 miles, but there are areas so steep and narrow your are using your entire body. The views are ridiculous and worth every ounce of energy to get to the top.
West Fork Trail Hike – Sedona
West Fork trail was the longest hike we did during our stay, 7.2 miles and rated one of the best hikes in the U.S. We hiked mostly under the shade of trees, a nice change from the extreme 105 degrees of sunlight beating on us the day prior. West Fork Trail has really interesting rock formations and follows a river with plenty of places to stop and cool off.
Bell Rock Hike – Sedona
Bell Rock is probably the most well known area in Sedona because of its unique shape. This hike was not on our list at first, but we decided to try it since there was some free time in our day. Another moderate hike and no obvious marked trail so there was a lot of climbing and hoping we picked the easiest route. Many times we did not…whoops. When we got to a good stopping point we took a break to sit and enjoy the 360 degree views. The landscape is just wild and the warm colors pop against the blue skies.
Horseshoe Bend – Page, Az
About 3 hours north of Sedona sits Page which is known for a pretty popular elopement location called Horseshoe Bend. We did not see any elopements during our 6 am hike, but there were tons of cameras. Horseshoe Bend is really easy to get to once you’re in the city of page. A short flat hike right off the road and you’re at one of the most Instagrammed places in the U.S.
Lake Powell / Lower Antelope Canyon – Page, Az
This part of our trip sparked the most messages – “How did you find that?!” Well, I learned that Antelope Canyon was closed due to the Coronavirus and was pretty bummed. Lake Powell looked amazing though and is rated one of the top 10 lakes to SUP. Regardless, we were going to the area and were going to make the best of it. After some digging on the internet and my friend social media, I saw that you can Paddle around some cool slot canyons. I was not aware that they are part of the lower Antelope Canyon until we arrived – bonus! We rented our boards from Lake Powell Paddleboards and Kayaks who were super efficient and gave us the map to get to the canyon. The paddle trip was about 6 miles round trip (1 mile from the boat ramp and 2 miles into the canyon). Once you get to the very end you can hike if you want. We loved the crystal clear water and decided to paddle back to the entrance and stop to swim before ending our day.
Tampa Wedding Photographer | Joyelan Photography | Camera: Nikon D600
