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Arizona

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

Program No. 1062RJ

Immerse yourself in the story of Sedona as you join local experts to learn about and explore ancient cliff dwellings, iconic red rocks, a heritage railway and the majestic Grand Canyon.

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6 days

5 nights

13 meals

5B 3L 5D

Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner

Sedona, AZ

History, Archaeology, Sedona's Loved Sites

Sedona, AZ

Jerome & Verde Canyon Railroad

Sedona, AZ

Geology, Sedona Exploration

Sedona, AZ

Full-Day Field Trip to Grand Canyon National Park

Sedona, AZ

Program Concludes

Departures

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At a Glance

Discover why Sedona and the Grand Canyon are the two most awe-inspiring sites in Arizona. Go beyond the geology to uncover the natural and human histories of these color-splashed landscapes. Enjoy an exploration of Sedona’s best-loved sights and red-rock vistas via an open trolley excursion. Ride the rails along the wild and scenic Verde River and beside its verdant canyon as you scan for wildlife. Explore Grand Canyon National Park on a full day journey to this iconic and quintessential American treasure with time to walk along the rim while soaking in its grandeur.

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Walking up to 1/2 mile with longer optional hikes. Elevations up to 7,000 feet.

Best of all, you’ll…

See ancient cliff dwellings while uncovering the past of the Sinagua people at Montezuma Castle National Monument.
Visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross and Airport Mesa with its magnificent 360-degree views of Sedona.
Spend a full day at Grand Canyon National Park's South Rim, complete with interpretive walks accompanied by a local expert.

General Notes

Select dates are designated for small groups and are limited to 24 participants or less.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Carl Bowman

With a bachelor’s degree in biology and having spent 25 years of his life on the South Rim, Carl Bowman knows the Grand Canyon well and specializes in relating the Canyon’s varied and constantly evolving geologic stories. He worked for the National Park Service from 1974-2013, and during his career served as a janitor, wildland fire fighter, archaeologist, ranger, and scientist. A long-time student of the Grand Canyon, Carl has shared its stories with park visitors, staff, university classes and lifelong learners.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Carl Bowman View biography

Amanda Sahli View biography

Since studying at Northern Arizona University and exploring the Colorado Plateau, Amanda Sahli has lived in the Grand Canyon area for over 20 years. After teaching and leading groups throughout the area, she began working in native plants and archaeology while continuing to share the Grand Canyon with groups of all ages. She has worked as a ranger at the Grand Canyon experiencing it from the rustic winters at Tuweep Ranger Station to baking summers at Phantom Ranch and the wild waters of the Colorado River.

Ken Zoll View biography

Ken Zoll is the executive director emeritus of the Verde Valley Archaeology Center, and a board member of the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society. He is also a volunteer docent at cultural heritage sites in the Coconino National Forest. He has conducted fieldwork in cultural (ancient) astronomy of the Southwest and is a certified instructor with the Arizona Archaeological Society. Ken is the author of several books and articles on cultural astronomy, rock art, and the local history of Sedona and the Verde Valley.

Rocky Sullivan View biography

Rocky Sullivan, a Kansas native, has been living in the southwest working on ranches among other things for the better part of three decades. During the last few years, he has brought his poetry into the limelight, gaining respect and praise from peers and audiences. Rocky won in his division of the 2015 National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo in Abilene, Kansas, and again in 2017. He has been asked to perform at numerous venues since.

Karen Sullivan View biography

Karen Sullivan was raised near the ocean as a beach baby, but has been a desert rat for over 30 years now. She has worked as a white water river expert in New Mexico, Idaho, and Colorado. As for hobbies, Karen enjoys gardening, snow skiing, and bicycling cross country. Karen has a background in art, sells her own pieces when possible, and has made her own Victorian gowns. She is well versed in photography and has a love for history.

Jeanelle Carpentier View biography

Jeanelle Carpentier grew up on a small island in Washington state, where she gained her love of nature and outdoor adventure at a young age. Studies in psychology, outdoor management, and wilderness medicine have set her up to lead groups to global destinations, including in the American West. She has explored more than 50 countries and resided in New Zealand, Peru, and Australia. She established her home in the heart of the Colorado Plateau in Northern Arizona, drawn by its diverse high-desert landscape.

Suggested Reading List (7 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

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

Program Number: 1062

Sedona (Images of America Series)

by Heidinger, Lisa Schnebly

Little more than a century ago, when only a handful of families lived in what is now Sedona, in Oak Creek Canyon, none would have dreamed it would become such a popular destination. The matchless combination of bright blue skies and red rocks has inspired artists of every medium to attempt to capture the mystic formations. Fortunately some began almost before the town was named after the wife of early settler T. C. Schnebly, who organized the first post office, at the beginning of the 20th century. From early apple growers to artists, what has united the diverse residents of Sedona over time is the conviction that they have found one of the earth's great treasures. 128pp.

Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest

by Steve Plog

The American Southwest is home to some of the most remarkable monuments of America's prehistoric past, such as Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde. Stephen Plog, who has spent decades working in the region, provides the most readable and up-to-date account of the predecessors of the modern Hopi and Pueblo Indian cultures in this well-received account. Chaco Canyon became the center of a thriving Anasazi cultural tradition. It was the hub of a trading network extending over hundreds of miles, whose arteries were a series of extraordinary roads that are still being discovered and mapped. Interweaving the latest archaeological evidence with early first-person accounts, Professor Plog explains the rise and mysterious fall of Southwestern cultures. 224pp.

The Archaeology of Ancient Arizona

by Jefferson Reid and Stephanie Whittlesey

General overview of the archaeology of Arizona written by archaeologists with combined experience of over half a century of a combination of laboratory and fieldwork.

Grand Canyon Geology

by Beus, Stanley

This second edition of the leading book on Grand Canyon geology contains the most recent discoveries and interpretations of the origin and history of the canyon. It includes two entirely new chapters: one on debris flow in the Canyon and one on the impact of water flow releases from the Glen Canyon Dam. All chapters have been updated where necessary and all photographs have been replaced or re-screened for better resolution. Written by acknowledged experts in stratigraphy, paleontology, structural geology, geomorphology, volcanism and seismology, this book offers a wealth of information for geologists and general readers interested in acquiring an understanding of the geological history of this great natural wonder. 423pp

Half Broke Horses

by Walls, Jeannette

Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, wrote this true life novel which unfolds across Northern Arizona from the 1920s to the 1960s. Its heroine, Lily Casey Smith, (Ms. Wall's grandmother) battled the elements, prejudices, economic conditions and politics of remote frontier Arizona. Many of the locations described - Peach Springs, Seligman, Flagstaff, the Navajo Reservation, the Arizona Strip - are sites visited by NAU Road Scholar programs. Readers of this selection will feel the sense of heritage from this tale of life in our distant corner of America.

Arizona: A Cavalcade of History

by Trimble, Marshall

During America's first 100 years as a nation, pioneers moved ever-westward to new frontiers. When it became too crowded or the soil was mined out, they moved on to virgin land. Those days are gone forever. We have to learn to live with the problems we create. The knowledge gained from studying the mistakes of the past can help provide a better future. Will Rogers said it best: "The Indians never got lost because they were always looking back to see where they'd been." 368pp

Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West

by Stegner, Wallace

Here Wallace Stegner, a Pulitzer Prize-winner, gives us a thrilling account of Powell's struggle against western geography and Washington politics. We witness the successes and frustrations of Powell's distinguished career, and appreciate his unparalleled understanding of the West. "Stegner's most exciting work." (San Francisco Chronicle) 496pp

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

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At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

General Notes

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