Sedona, AZ advice requested

[maurerl]

Hi Escapees!

Wendy is attending a workshop in Sedona AZ Nov 30 to Dec 5, and we're toying with the idea of taking Tumbleweed (17B) instead of flying/hotel. I'd get to hike & bike!

Looking for advice from anyone familiar with area/routes, pros/cons & considerations of taking the Escape. Coming from Vancouver Island, Would take 4-7 days travel each way, probably stay 1 to 2 weeks extra in or near Sedona, Tucson, Grand Canyon, Lost Dutchman SP, Sonora Desert Museum. What routes are recommended to travel or avoid. Prefer to avoid interstates.

Camping seems to be limited and/or outrageously (by my standards!) expensive near Sedona. E.g. Elsewhere on forum is reference to Scamp Christmas in Sedona rally the weekend following the workshop -- but at prices ranging from $53 to $77 per night!? Not in my travel plans! Sorry, I'm too cheap for those rates! Other RV parks in/near Sedona seem to close late Oct or early Nov. Weather? Ideas or recommendations from folks are appreciated. We prefer Forest Service or BLM boondocking anyway.

Happy trails, and thanks for any advice.

[Greg A]

Sedona is not for the faint of pocketbook. We live about an hour door to door and have spent much time there over the years. I also host the Scamp Camp SW in Sedona in December, and while the sites avg around $50 a night for the event, you should price out a hotel room there. The campground we use is also walking distance to the Christmas event which is fabulous because driving/parking in and around Sedona can be challenging. Eating out in Sedona is also another expensive topic. However, it is a magical place and one of our favorite destinations that we keep going back to.

I have two recommendations for you on the camping.

Dead Horse State Park in Cottonwood is a fabulous state campground and will run about $30 a night. (Water/Electric) It is about a 20 minute drive to Sedona to tour and there is much to do in the Cottonwood/Jerome area as well. It is a gorgeous campground with scenic views at the top loop. You can make reservations online now.

There is secret BLM camping right on the edge of Sedona on 89A about 5 min S of town on the way to Cottonwood. There is a turn in on the right side of 89A that is a dirt road and goes back onto BLM land and some wonderful campsites with red rock views. I'd recommend scouting first without the trailer and then pull in to where you found.

That is the off-season in Sedona and weather can be a mixed bag. It is their one month of winter and you can get anything from 80 degree days to freezing snow and rain.
Hope this helps give you some direction.

[padlin]

Snow and rain, I was wondering why Dead Horse is so empty for those dates.

[cpaharley2008]

I find places like Sedona,Az, Lake Tahoe,Ca, Jackson Hole,Wy, Vail,Co to be very beautiful but full of expensive homes and cars and people who want to show off. Reminds me of Hollywood. We economists call it "conspicuous consumption" and the cost of living there seems to be much more than elsewhere.

[maurerl]

Thanks Greg for the feedback & camping suggestions! We're still leaning towards taking Tumbleweed but will make up our minds after/if anyone weighs in about travel routes. Don't like the "winter" reference. Us northerners tend to think Arizona doesn't have "winter"!

Yeah, I'm getting a sense that Sedona is sort of like Carmel CA or Cannon Beach OR, or Jackson WY. Playgrounds for the 1%? I remember seeing in a gallery in Jackson last fall (we camped for a week @ Gros Ventre -- wonderful!) a sculpture priced at $875,000!!!

Does make me wonder why the presenters chose Sedona as their workshop location? Wendy's a "lamp worker" (glass bead artist), and this is from a famous artist she likes and has learned from in the past. But still . . .

[Rossue]

Discovered boondocking in Sedona in October 2013 due to Gov't shutdown. Rancho Sedona nice, but pricey, so we headed out. Beaver Creek SP looked cool, yet when we got there it was closed to camping due to flooding and is now permanently closed. However there is an overflow parking area for hiking that we've been back to at least three more times, and there are a few other areas to camp off the main road as well.

As for routes- a safe one of course would be the I-5 south to Bakersfield then then Hwy 58 over Tehachapi. There is a new Westside Parkway that saves time from going through on the surface streets.

We love hiking around the red rocks! Courthouse is a favorite hike, yet there are so many others as well. Damn the torpedoes and go!

[dfandrews]

We stayed at Dead Horse Ranch SP last January, and loved it, snow and all. We were in Cooper's Hawk Loop (the higher loop with the better views). It was our base for visiting Sedona, Jerome, Verde Canyon Railway, & Prescott. FYI: Just don't try to tow through Jerome; switchbacks are extreme and narrow. When we left, we went down and around (extra 30 mi.) to get to Prescott Valley, then up to Ash Fork, and on to Classic Route 66 west.