Chasing Sunsets in Sedona
Nick Fauchald
From Every Day with Rachael Ray
February-March 2006
The Perfect Sunset Spot
For the town's best spas, hikes and bites,
get off the beaten path.
People are drawn to Sedona, Arizona, for lots of reasons. They come to rejuvenate at resorts and spas. They come for the landscape's mystical energy and healing powers. They come to retire and round out their wardrobes with turquoise and buckskin. Me, I come to watch the sun slip away. A funny thing happens after a day or two in red-rock country: My sleep schedule syncs with the daily light cycle. I carefully plan my day to ensure I'll be on top of a hill or mesa 30 minutes before sunset, when the surrounding rock formations are set ablaze by the Western sun. And I'm not alone. Both tourists and locals scurry off at sundown to favorite vistas. I'm still looking for that perfect sunset spot, and when I find it, I'm going to keep it to myself. |
ENCHANTMENT RESORT
Tucked inside the red walls of the sacred Boynton Canyon, this over-the-top
compound offers the usual resort fixtures—swimming, tennis, fancy dining—but the most prized amenities are its views and seclusion. Sharing the grounds is the Mii amo spa, where guests can splurge on treatments such as the Blue Corn Vichy ($130), a head-to-toe scrub-and-rub followed by a water-jet massage. Rooms from $295; 525 Boynton Canyon Rd., enchantmentresort.com, 928-282-2900
SEDONA ROUGE HOTEL & SPA
This Moorish-style boutique hotel is Sedona's posh new sleepover spot, where sun-saturated rooms house plush down beds and enormous rain showers. The Spa at Sedona Rouge specializes in customized massages, facials and body treatments (starting at $95 per hour). At Reds, the hotel's sleek dining room, chef Kyle Evans reinterprets American comfort foods with dishes like skillet-baked macaroni and cheese ($6) and bacon-wrapped meat loaf ($18). Rooms from $159; 2250 W. Hwy. 89A, sedonarouge.com, 866-312-4111
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Many of Sedona's best sunset views are captured by looking away from the sun, which paints everything to the east a brilliant orange.
AIRPORT MESA
The guidebooks will tell you to drive to the top of Airport Road (1.1 miles west of the "Y") for the area's most famous (and crowded) sunset spot, but you can avoid photo-snapping gawkers by pulling over halfway to the top and making the short hike to a lesser-known scenic overlook.
Schnebly Hill Road (just south of the "Y"):
This winding, rocky road is one long lookout in itself, but my favorite point on it is 3.8 miles up from where the pavement ends (keep reading to the next page, and you'll learn where to get an SUV). Park by the NO OVERNIGHT CAMPING sign. Walk up to one of the rock spires and have a seat: There's a good chance you'll have the space to yourself for the big red light show.
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