Sedona - Arizona's Red Rock Country
by Tony Parkinson
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many visitors to Arizona, Sedona is little more than
a sign on the Interstate as they head north from Phoenix
to the Grand Canyon. For those more familiar with
Arizona it's probably best known as the foremost "New
Age" center in the South West. But for the photographer
it's a great place to spend a day or two. |
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Although
nomadic tribes had passed through the area for thousands
of years, the first settlers along Oak Creek were
Anasazi and Sinagua tribes in the first part of the
second millennium. Spanish Conquistadors searching
for gold passed through the area, but the first "Europeans"
settled here in the last years of the 19th century.
As the population grew and the 20th Century began,
T.C. Schnebly successfully applied to open a post
office and named it after his wife, Sedona. In the
1930s, as "the Western" reigned supreme, Hollywood
came to town and over the next 3 decades some 60 plus
movies were made here. In the 1970s and 80s, the New
Age movement "discovered" energy vortices and other
psychic phenomena in the area and started to flock
to the area and the town of Sedona was finally incorporated
in 1988. |
| The
town of Sedona itself is not that attractive. Stretching
out along US highway 89A and State road 179, the strip
malls, motels and resorts look strangely out of place.
The town is now making some efforts to reduce this
and the local McDonalds has even foregone the usual
neon "golden arches" for discrete pale green version
painted on it's pink stucco wall. For the photographer,
however, spectacular photographic opportunities lie
just a few minutes drive in every direction. |
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For
me, the best photographic opportunity in Sedona lies
to the Southwest. Heading along US 89A, turn onto
Lower Red Rock Loop Road and follow it for a few miles
(a stretch of the Loop is a dirt road, but is easily
passable in a 2-wheel drive car). Eventually you will
arrive at Red Rock Crossing, one of the most iconic
places in the American west. The best photographs
will be taken here in the late afternoon or early
evening, but it's best to arrive early (especially
at weekend) otherwise, you may not find a space in
the line of tripods along the edge of Oak Creek. Sadly,
this magical place has been under threat for several
years as some local residents are pushing for a new
access road to be built with a bridge across Oak Creek
at Red Rock Crossing. Thankfully it appears that sanity
is prevailing and the Supreme Court has refused to
overturn a Yavapai county Court decision to dismiss
proposals to build the bridge. |
| Another
good spot for photography along Lower Red Rock Loop
is Red Rock State Park. With several hiking trails,
it provides many opportunities for photography. My
personal favourite is the Apache Fire Trail leading
to The House of Apache Fire. Jack Fry, the then president
of TWA had the house built as a vacation home for
himself and his new bride in 1946. Although the house
was built, the Fry's never actually lived there as
they had divorced by the time it was completed. |
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Before
flowing through Sedona and off to the Southwest, Oak
Creek flows through Oak Creek Canyon and it is this
area which holds much of the remaining interest for
the photographer as forests of pine and juniper cling
to red, orange and white cliffs. The Canyon is easily
accessed as US 89A meanders along it crossing back
and forth over Oak Creek. For those travelling with
children, Slide Rock State Park provides a great diversion
where Oak Creek sweeps swimmers (especially children)
through the natural rock chute from which the park
derives it's name |
| Other
photographic opportunities around Sedona can be found
in Boynton Canyon, to the north of the town at the
end of Dry Creek Road, or from Airport Mesa, overlooking
the town from the south at the end of Airport Road
(and yes, there is an airport on top of the mesa.
For those looking for more architectural photo opportunities,
the Chapel Of The Holy Cross is a modern church spectacularly
located between two red-rock outcrops about 3 miles
south of Sedona along State Road 179. For anyone interested
in photographing people, Sedona itself provides many
characters from working Cowboys, to Native American
jewellery sellers, from bohemian artists to crystal
vending "New Agers". Sedona also provides a wide range
of places to stay, though very little of the accommodation
could be described as "cheap", though 3 of the larger
chains (Quality Inns, Comfort Inns and Best Western)
have motels in the area. For those with travelling
companions who aren't interested in photography, Sedona
has a considerable number of Art Galleries (the best,
and most expensive, of them at Tlaqueplaque), Bookshops
and, just outside of town, places to buy Navajo rugs
and pottery. For those who need to rent a vehicle
and want to do some serious "off-road" exploring there
are several car rental outlets who specialise in Jeeps. |
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| Many
of the photographs around the Sedona area can be taken
with lenses in the 28mm to 105mm range, although some
of the wider vistas may require lenses as wide as
17-18mm and some shots to pick out details in the
landscape mat require lenses as long as 300mm. These
figures are based upon shooting on a 35mm SLR and
Digital SLR users may need to amend them to allow
for their camera's cropping factor. The light levels
during the day are such that a tripod is not really
a necessity, though for early morning and late evening
shots (such as Red Rock Crossing) one would be required.
The quality of the light is such that filters such
as polarisers, graduates and 81 series warm-ups are
not required and, indeed, none of the images in this
article were recorded using them. |
| Getting
There |
| For
those approaching from the north, the easiest (and
most scenic) route is the aforementioned US highway
89A along Oak Creek Canyon from Flagstaff. However,
most visitors will likely be heading north from Phoenix
along Interstate 17, in which case the easiest option
is to exit I-17 at Interchange 298 and follow State
road 179 through the Village Of Oak Creek and on to
Sedona. For those travelling in 4 wheel drive vehicles
capable of tackling dirt roads, a more spectacular
and scenic route would be to continue up to Interchange
329 and take to the dirt of Schnebly Hill Road to
descend into Sedona from the east. For those with
a little more time, another alternative travelling
from Phoenix would be to take US highway 60 to Wickenberg,
pick up US 89 to Prescott, then follow US 89A through
the Mingus mountains to the ghost town of Jerome and
on to approach Sedona from the south west. |
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| Sedona
may seem like a distraction on the way to the Grand
Canyon, but for me it's a hidden gem for the outdoor
photographer. Given the choice, I'd give the Canyon
a miss and head for Sedona. |
| Essential
Reading and websites |
Photographers
Guide to the Grand Canyon and Northern Arizona by
Joseph K. Lange
Sedona:
Official Guide to Red Rock Country by Lawrence W.
Cheek
A
Guide to Exploring Oak Creek and the Sedona Area by
Stewart Aitchison
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www.sedona.net
www.visitsedona.com
www.redrocknews.com
Red
Rock State Park
Slide
Rock State Park
Red
Rock Crossing
Online
Map of Sedona |
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