Best of Sedona: Natural & Cultural Landscapes in Red Rock Country

I encourage people my age to go with Road Scholar. Less stressful way of planning a get away. Also it is not just sight seeing it is learning. Love it as my yearly get aways.

Karen and Rocky Sullivan were excellent guides for our trip. They were so knowledgeable and always ready to answer any questions and provide interesting details about all the places we visited. We loved that they kept us informed about our plans for each day so that we could we relax and enjoy being in Arizona without worrying about transportation and meals!

The Sedona area is gorgeous and historically significant, and this program provided activities and learning opportunities for people with a range of interests. This was my introduction to archaeoastronomy and skywatchers in this region.

I am an avid traveler and this was one of the greatest trips of my life. My interests lie in History, local Culture, food, architecture, engineering, and geology. This trip covered all of those things and more. I think many people travel to Sedona for the scenery and the hikes never knowing that around the corner lies the prehistoric Cliff dwellings of the sinagua people or The crane petroglyphs. Our tour guides we're experts in their fields. Our guide for the petroglyphs was the man who literally wrote the book on the petroglyphs. The geology tour through Red rocks park was given by an actual geologist. Our driver on the trolley was more of an entertainer than just a driver. Playing multiple instruments juggling and a jokester. He was very entertaining. Our docents Karen and Jeanelle kept us well informed everywhere we went. I highly recommend this tour and will definitely be taking tours with road scholar in the future.

This program is bathed in immense natural beauty and includes a train trip into the heart of some of that beauty. The knowledge obtained about native prehistoric peoples and the geology of the area and the entire west was a real treat!

Great program! Included historical, archeological, geological and Native American cultural information in a stunningly beautiful location.

This was my first solo trip and first Road Scholar trip. I loved this, and was on the RS website today to see where I can go next! The leaders (Karen and Kelly) were amazing, and I loved that very little time was wasted - when you arrive somewhere, they are ready for you, and the tour or lecture gets started right away. We had full days and saw so much. I loved the Montezuma Castle visit with the expert. It added to the experience, and is not something I would have been able to access on my own. I especially loved that each stop we made was aware of where we'd been previously and where we were going next, so information was not repeated and, in fact, it all fit together very well. I loved that the small group was split in half with two vans, so the loading and unloading went very quickly. We were encouraged to switch up our seating and try each van to see which leader's commentary suited us, while meeting new friends. I loved the speaker system on the bus, and the whisper ear pieces while we were out and about. I loved that shopping is not a big part of a Road Scholar trip (unlike other group trips I have been on), and that we were given just enough time to quickly look around and make a bathroom stop. I loved that the leaders were well aware of special dietary needs and made sure everyone got their correct meals. My only criticism of the trip was the mediocre food, however. The hotel was excellent. I would highly recommend this trip.

The Best of Sedona :Natural & Cultural Landscapes in Red Rock Country was an exceptionally good trip, which exceeded our expectations in all that we got to see and experience . Each day was better than the previous in sights and vistas seen , knowledge and insights gained. Our group leaders ( Shayla and Karen) were exceptionally good, with in depth knowledge of Red Rock Country, Sedona and the Verde Valley, all of the cultural, historical, and environmental aspects that make this region so unique and beautiful. The Grand Canyon was the culmination of a week that provided jaw dropping and inspiring and unforgettable landscapes, to last a lifetime of memories. Do not miss this trip, it truly captures the uncompromising variety of landscapes that make up the Best Landscapes of Red Rock Country and the Grand Canyon.

First, I want to express my enthusiasm for “Best of Sedona: Natural & Cultural Landscapes in Red Rock Country.” I appreciated every aspect of the program, the fellow group members, the excursions to the Grand Canyon, native American dwelling sites, Verde River Valley, train trip to a ghost town with Hollywood history and especially the group leader. Our leader, Karen Sullivan, even went to great lengths to accommodate special wishes, even spontaneously taking several of us out to a nearby ‘dark sky’ area to view the heavens unencumbered by city lights. Another special visit to the Crane Petroglyphs Heritage Site opened my eyes to the fact that the apparently haphazard petroglyphs there in fact document sophisticated calendrical observations of the former inhabitants. The program included a very entertaining evening musical presentation and introduced us to experts helping me appreciate the history — geological, biological, archaeological and social — of the people and things we encountered. There were quite a number of first timers on this program and I believe all were impressed with this introduction to the Road Scholar experience. Highly recommended.

We loved everything about this program! Our tour guide, Rocky Sullivan was excellent and we learned so much from him as well as from all the presenters. Thank you for a great experience! Michael and Susan Adams-St Petersburg, Florida

Great program and I learned more about our great United States.

This trip was wonderful and gave a great overview of the Sedona area. I enjoyed the ride on the Verde Canyon railroad and the trip to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We arrived at the canyon on a snowy foggy morning and slowly the sun came out and the fog lifted to unveil the beauty and splendor of the canyon. There are no guarantees on weather, but this couldn't have turned out better. This is an interesting tour and Shayla and Rocky were great group leaders. Free time in the afternoon one day is provided to go to the museum, take a pink jeep tour, hike, or shop in uptown Sedona.

Loved being in a Women’s Only group. Women were from all over the country, some were highly educated while some were not, different ages and backgrounds, but we all bonded and enjoyed being together. It was hard to say goodbye at the end of our trip. Sedona and the Grand Canyon were beautiful and so very interesting. This was my first trip and I will be scheduling more.

What a fun experience! I learned a great deal about this part of the country and made many new friends. I especially enjoyed having a small group that was all women. We really bonded and had a great time!

Everyone must see Sedona.

This trip is a good tasting menu of northern Arizona and covers many different subjects of interest to those interested in geology, archaeology, and local history.

This is a very educational experience. You experience so many sites in a short period of time. The program was well organized and fun.

This program was enjoyable and informative. I felt more energized after the program - its nice to know there is so much more to learn and experience.

Food was the worst ever.- at the hotel, and the Chinese restaurant was filthy dirty, moldy and food was HORRIBLE. WE ALL COMPLAINED. And then the tour leader said we should bring our own food on the Verde train if we wanted, and the staff CONFISCATED our lunches we brought. The tour group leader was apologetic, but did not advocate to the supervisor on my behalf.. I am diabetic and needed that lunch, but instead they threw a box of lettuce at me (I have pictures. I had to speak to a supervisor myself in order to retrieve my personal lunch. Additionally, when we registered, the first RS agent said we had to pay for two separate rooms--that there were no singles left. That was an additional $700. Then, after speaking with the hotel, they said they never heard of such a thing and did have a room available where my husband and I could be together. I called back RS and the agent said she did not understand what happened and they did have a single room available and would refund us the $700. Still waiting.

Great and educational program about Sedona and its history. So very much fun with a very engaging leader and group of people. I'm in awe of the surroundings and the Grand Canyon specifically. Quite the head turner!

This was my first Road Scholar trip, and I was very impressed and satisfied and happy with everything. I look forward to taking another trip. Well organized and well done in every way! No wonder people say wonderful things about RS.

Always available experience going on a Road Scholar tour.

Five days were too short for this tour as there is so much to see and experience in the Sedona area. However, this tour offered a variety of educational lectures, whether it was about desert critters, the prehistory and recent history, the geology, or the movie industry in Sedona. Sedona and the Grand Canyon are must-sees for anyone who loves the Great Outdoors!

The Sedona experience was fantastic. I learned so much about an area of the country I had never seen. The geology, history, scenery, and history of the native peoples was interesting and informative.

Loved the knowledge of indigenous people in the area. I appreciated the seminar headed by Ken Zoll who discussed his research into the Sunwatchers of the Sinagua people. The Sunwatchers developed a solar calendar etched into the rock, petroglyphs, which functioned to guide seasonal farming. Bill Krieger, our program leader was always available and approachable. In addition to his informed leadership, he knew ancient history and had a profound understanding of indigenous people and their contribution to life in the area. Bill kept things light; he interspersed his dialogue with witty asides. :) All 'round good trip.

Thank you, Road Scholar, for allowing us to learn about Sedona in depth. The speakers were terrific and our co-travellers were interesting. The one thing I felt that was missing was physical guidance at the sites we visited. That is, instead of a lecture at the beginning of the site, I felt the leaders should bring us all along and provide details as we went. I'm not saying they didn't present the information in advance, but physically lecturing as we went could make it all come together at the time we were visiting. I felt "left out to dry" at Bell Rock and the Grand Canyon. Visiting the Chapel of the Holy Cross, I felt, took up much valuable time, better spent at the vortices. All in all, it was a wonderful time -- the weather was great and the company was divine. Thank you.

Enjoyed the trip very much. The leader was great - always a good word to say, talked well with the group, and was very knowledgeable. Fellow travelers were congenial and fun to be with. The rooms were great as was the food. The Greek restaurant in Flagstaff was the absolute best. Enjoyed the afternoon off to prowl around the area. Would not do Spring Break again - just too many people. The trip was less active than I anticipated. Will try to get more information the next time I book. Sitting for several hours was difficult - the lectures themselves were well presented and very interesting but the chairs were very uncomfortable. I'm glad I did the trip. It was my first trip and it was interesting to see how many of the group had done multiple trips and really enjoyed it.

This was a beautifully organized trip in great location with a wonderful leader.

Website was easy to use.

Sedona is beautiful this time of year. The Verde Canyon RR trip was the highlight.

I am happy with everything about Road Scholar!

I enjoyed the program immensely! It was everything I thought it would be and more.

Not been to Red Rock Country? This program is jam-packed with archaeological, geological, and ethnobotanical information. The views are breath-taking. The cliff dwellings, the Canyon, the dessert, the red rocks, anywhere you look. Guaranteed: You'll fall in love with Sedona and want to return.

This was my first Road Scholar trip and it will not be my last!!!! Enjoyed every minute and learned so much!!

This was the best RS trip I've ever been on! Ashley our coordinator was caring, energetic, kind, organized and smart: in sum, perfect! Only tweak I would make is to the Grand Canyon day - think it might work better to eliminate 1-2 stops while in the National Park and allow folks more time, especially at the first location (Watchtower on our program). Otherwise, everything in Sedona and Northern AZ was outstanding. This is a great trip. FIVE STARS!

Our first Road Scholar trip was an amazing success. From the landscape of Arizona to the breathtaking beauty of the Grand Canyon, it was all we had hoped for. We are already planning another trip!

Our Best of Sedona Experience was wonderful. It sets the bar for our future trips! Ashley Hardy was a great leader with great relationship and management skills. The daily activities were exciting and memorable. I'm so glad we participated in this wonderful program.. We stayed at the Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa for a wonderful 5 nights with our Road Scholar group. The customer service we experienced was exceptional. Our room was very comfortable. The meals served to our group were delicious and varied. Our dietary needs were taken into account each meal. My commendations to your staff in each area of service - from the front desk to housekeeping to catering to the barkeepers. All spot on. THANK YOU!!!

I always learn new facts and have new experiences even when I am familiar with the topics and locations.

This was a great program introducing participants to Northern Arizona and Sedona. The participants were very interesting and pleasant. There was a good balance of educational offerings and sight-seeing with a little down time built in. Our group leader was excellent, and she really came through for us when several people became ill at the same time. The Hilton at Red Rocks is a beautiful venue and I particularly liked the gas fireplace in the room. it made it very cozy. There was a nice kitchen set up including small frig, microwave, coffee maker and lots of storage.

Ashley Hardy is a gem! Wonderful spirit and extraordinary knowledge. Truly enhanced the trip!

Our leader, although new to Road Scholar, performed wonderfully. The geologist offered in-depth lectures on the rock formations as we traveled, and in the Grand Canyon. He was wonderful. Go on this trip soon, as he is over 90 years old. The train ride is a bit long but we were offered a running commentary on the landscape from a local who was informative and humorous. The gent who gave the lecture on archaeology and prehistoric peoples had an in-depth knowledge which he very effectively shared. I will certainly not remember all the information he presented but it gave me an idea of the settlement of this part of the country.

This was my first Road Scholar program and it certainly won't be my last. It was a fulfillment of a lifelong dream to see and experience the Grand Canyon, and to have Dr. Beus share his knowledge of the geology of this wonder made it all the more rich an experience. Sedona was stunningly beautiful. Our leader Mary Hanson was the best...warm, knowledgeable, and incredibly well organized and skilled in her leadership. Thank you Road Scolar for the trip of a lifetime!

The Road Scholar program provides an interesting and stimulating opportunity to learn, re-learn places, events and cultural narratives of people and disciplines in a compressed wrinkle in time. The interaction among the participants from various backgrounds and regions is in itself a life-embracing surprising joy.