Travels with Ted: Fall Colors
We’re well into my favorite time of year, fall. The heat of summer is gone. The cold weather has not yet arrived, and the glory of nature preparing for winter is on display for all of…
We’re well into my favorite time of year, fall. The heat of summer is gone. The cold weather has not yet arrived, and the glory of nature preparing for winter is on display for all of…
Sedona and Northern Arizona offer a rich history of Earth and the remarkable art forms that the geology of the area has inspired. Artists who excel in every media visit and many, like myself, cave to…
Sometimes when you’re out hiking, you’re searching for a real challenge. A hike that tests your physical and mental limits and offers a great payoff. Bear Mountain is one of those hikes that fits that description…
I like cool temperatures. So let’s look at one of the coolest places I know: the San Francisco Peaks, north of Flagstaff. They are one of the first things you see as you go north on…
We’re featuring the San Francisco Volcanic Field in this issue of Sedona Monthly (see it here), and it is one of three active volcanic fields in Arizona. I love Earth, and I am constantly amazed by…
Everyone knows that Northern Arizona has some of the most stunningly beautiful rocks on all the globe. But did you know that it is also home to hundreds of volcanoes? With such landscape gems as Sedona’s…
It is easy to take things that we see and interact with daily for granted. One such thing is the Verde River. Corky and I decided to find the source of the river and follow it…
The Thumb Butte Trail is one of the most popular trails in Prescott National Forest for very good reasons. For starters, it’s easy to reach. The trailhead is a mere 10 minute drive from downtown Prescott….
Fall is leaving, and the chilly months of winter are back. Memories of more than 30 winters are revived. There are the years when there were feet of snow, and there were years when there was…
September brings a close to summer and ushers in the fall season. The daytime temperatures begin dropping, and the nights are cool. In Arizona, our weather is elevation dependent. The higher the elevation, the cooler the…
Flagstaff’s Aspen Loop Trail is a gem of a hike any time of year, but it’s especially worth the drive in the fall. Although peak leaf peeping season does vary annually, the fall colors are typically…
About 25 miles west and southwest of Sedona is Sycamore Canyon, the second largest canyon in Arizona. It offers an abundance of wild beauty. Sycamore Canyon Wilderness is over 50,000 acres and is Arizona’s first Wilderness…
I’m a new contributor to Sedona Monthly and have lived in Sedona (in the VOC, specifically) full time for nearly 30 years. My wife and I came to Sedona, seeking to escape California after spending 25…
After a season of hiking, sometimes you just want to get away from all the packed trails. And one of our favorite remedies for peak hiking season fatigue is Cottonwood’s Black Canyon Trail. You have to…
The trail that leads up Bear Mountain may only be 2.5 miles one way, but it’s easily one of the most difficult hikes in Sedona. There’s little to no shade, so if hiking this trail is…
SEEING STARS View the sun and other stars through a special solar telescope by day, and at night explore the vastness of outer space in the Rotunda Museum at Lowell Observatory. You can also experience out-of-this-world…
One of the coolest (literally) spots to be this month is on top of 11,500-foot Mt. Agassiz near Flagstaff. How do you get there? Take Arizona Snowbowl’s Scenic Chairlift to the top. The chairlift takes you…
If you don’t mind the long drive, hiking into the amphitheater of Red Mountain, a 1-million-year-old cinder cone in the San Francisco Peaks Volcanic Field, is a must-have experience. The trail begins at the end of…
One of the best things about autumn? The changing leaves. Leaf peepers don’t have to wait for Oak Creek Canyon to peak at the end of October or beginning of November, either. Head north to the…