Red Rocks of Sedona

 

Red Rocks of Sedona

One day while visited Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Arizona, we took a drive on Snebley Hill ‘Road.  Although the name of the road is not terribly impressive, the views from it are!  It’s perhaps the best way to see the red rocks of Sedona.

And, they are impressive!!  From the direction we were driving, they were on our left, so when Jeff stopped the Jeep so I could capture an image, I truly had to look both ways before crossing, as the fairly rough dirt road we were on was pretty packed with Jeeps – tours taking visitors who don’t have a Jeep on a very bumpy ride to see the same red rocks!!  I felt like there should almost be periodic traffic lights, just to allow folks like me to cross the road to get some photos!!

I did love the snippets of views that allowed for some perspective.  This one gives you some perspective about how high the rock formations are.  No, they aren’t considered mountains, but they do tower above the prickly pear cactus you can see in the foreground of this image!

I know I just said there weren’t any mountains here.  Still, this quote really seemed to fit this image, if one doesn’t get too technical!!  The red rocks were actually formed by erosion and are made up of buttes, mesas, pinnacles or hoodoos.  They are at an elevation of about 4500 and are a part of the Colorado Plateau.

Although this seems to be a trail leading up to the red rocks, I don’t recall seeing any mention of any trail head on the road on which we were traveling..  There certainly are opportunities for hiking, however.  Parallel to the road we were on were some biking trails, too.  I don’t know how far up into the rocks they went.

I was struck at how wonderful the red rocks and green trees, shrubs and bushes looked “next” to each other.  In a way, it seemed like Mother Nature is always wishing travelers a Merry Christmas!

One of the things I really enjoyed about this day’s view of some spectacular rock formations was how the sky was just perfect, and set off the rocks beautifully.  I especially like the wispy clouds that are in the lower sky.

I thought I’d leave you with this last expansive view of the red rocks in Sedona.  As an interesting tidbit, the road we were driving on is called Schnebly Hill Road, as I mentioned before.  I was curious about the name of the road, and after doing some research, discovered that the layer of rock that makes up the red rocks is a unique layer of rock known as the Schnebly Hill Formation.  And, Sedona is the only place you will find these rocks.  It was deposited during the Permian Period.

Enjoy!