Images of Sedona Arizona – Northern Arizona, taken in April 2018.

The area around Sedona Arizona is protected land as most of it lies within the Coconino National Forest and the Munds Mountain Wilderness. And the area is indeed spectacular! Red rock buttes, ridges and spires are everywhere; no matter which way you look there is a magnificent vista to view or photograph.

I visited this area over 30 years ago when Sedona was a small grouping of shops at the intersection of Arizona Routes 89 and 179. It has certainly grown, or more fittingly exploded throughout the valley since my last visit. This area, once a small community with some connection to businesses that sold solitude and peacefulness among the red rocks, is now more of a full blown tourist town. It’s not quite as bad as a Myrtle Beach South Carolina, there are no rows of cheap t-shirt shops, instead Sedona caters to the upscale visitor. And residents; as this community is host to some very large homes and even mansions. To be fair the city has done a good job of protecting the beautiful scenery and developing areas to view and hike through them but the encroachment of man, probably inevitable, has occurred and I’m sure will continue.