On the westside of Sedona you’ll find Munds Mountain Wilderness looming overhead with Pink Jeep Tours navigating the dirt roads, telling fun facts and jokes along the way. You’ll also find slightly less trafficked trails with beautiful views overlooking many different red rock structures in the surrounding areas.

One of my newer-found favorites is Hangover trail. I do it as a loop and get all of my favorite things: shaded, beautiful trees, elevation, and amazing rock structures with views for days! You’ll park at the red rock station off of Schnebly Hill Road that also leads to Huckaby trailhead. It’s $5 to park there and has a little bathroom as well as a few picnic tables. At nearly 9 miles long and about 1100 feet of elevation gain, this loop is ideal for a solid day of hiking in the area but once you turn to take Hangover trail, you don’t have nearly as much shade so please come prepared with water, electrolytes, a hat and sunscreen!

Take the Munds Wagon trail to get started and head down and around a little sinkhole of sorts. This beginning area navigates you around the jeep road as you take a turn and rise up to the road – walking across and onto another trail before crossing it again and soon, descending downwards with a beautiful view of Sedona red rock sprawling out in front of you. I’ve taken this initial start-off trail in the winter and in warmer weather and never stop loving the sights you get to take in. Truly, Sedona is one of my favorites. From the red rock to the unique formations and mix of dense trees, cacti and shrubbery — I never get bored.

You have about 1.7 miles enjoying Munds Wagon trail with shade, a dry creek (which may have nice flow once there is rain) and slight elevation gain before you turn left and connect to Hangover Trail. Hangover gives you all of your elevation gain, switchbacks winding up and around as the Mitten Ridge views breakaway the higher you climb. Truly, these vistas are stunning and it’s one of my top 4 favorite views in the area. You’ll find cactus blossoms in the Spring in multi-color along the way and, if you’re lucky, you may catch sight of a deer, coyote or fox! Mountain bikers and trail runners also love this trail so keep an eye out — I’d say there are more mountain bikers than hikers on this route!

You’ll overlook trails to the South with the dusty red rock and hunter green melding together below you as you hike across layers of red rocks. You’ll climb up between two towering sections of rock and over onto a jaw-dropping saddle that gives you views of Mt. Wilson, Oak Creek Canyon and further beyond to the west. The saddle has layers that you follow white markers to climb up, toeing edges and soon, facing Oak Creek Canyon fully. Seeing the lush green close to the water in contrast to the forest green and red is lovely. You’ll see lots of unique rock, spires and overlooks as you follow the trail. This trail is very well kept and easy to follow – so no worries here!

You’ll see a cairn that has you climb up and over a large ledge on the lefthand side that invites you back to a view of Munds Mountain Wilderness, the Merry-Go-Round rock and Cowpies. All of the diverse structures are amazing to take in in one panoramic view.

Follow the trail on down as you pick your way towards the Cowpies area with the canyon cutting open in front and below you. Take a moment to stop and hang out with your feet dangling off the edge, looking out into the distance – I promise you won’t be disappointed. All of this is exposed hiking, which is when you’ll probably start feeling the heat (especially if you’re doing this in Spring/Summer!)

Head back down the Cowpies connect for a little dense tree area that will loop you back around to Munds, which you’ll follow right back to your car. The lot is usually bustling by the afternoon but this trail isn’t heavily trafficked with others on foot, which I really enjoy.

If you’re looking for an escape in the Sedona rocks, I highly recommend giving this route a shot. I absolutely love this trail, PLEASE if you use it, take great care of it, pick up trash if you see it and leave this one (any one) better than you found it!

Prescott, Arizona is about an hour and a half from Scottsdale. A nice, easy drive Northwest will lead you to this bustling little area with some of the neatest rock formations I’ve seen.

I started my day trip with a stop at the Constellation Trail System. The trail is free and is a total of 2.74 miles with plenty of off shoots to choose between! Going through the Dells is a really unique experience with very well marked pathways. The granite juts out of the ground, is growing inside other rocks and all-in-all makes it a really pretty trail (if you like rocks and things!)

There’s a nice monument with several benches at the beginning along with a shaded grouping of trees for when the exposure gets a little too toasty. Once you head out on the trails, there are plenty of rocks to scramble up, between and over. I thoroughly enjoyed all the water markings, rock coloring, formations and looking out into the distance where it looks like an ocean of flowing rocks.

I meandered around taking photos and enjoying the formations for about an hour before heading towards Watson Lake. Since I had never visited Prescott before, I tried to not set expectations of experiencing something “really cool”. I pulled up to one of the parking lots above the lake, looking out at paddle boarders and kayaks leisurely venturing across the lake. It was serene and beautiful with the multicolored rocks jutting out and cropping up to the left. I noticed a frisbee golf course in the same direction and thought it was a gorgeous backdrop for a day of fun.

With another free trail on my hands I headed down the ravine to what is listed as the Watson Lake Circle Loop, meets Flume trail, meets Mile High Trail. I started walking on the graveled path nearing a big canopy of shaded marsh area with pretty budding flowers, vines, cattails and trees. There was a social trail that branched off that included plaques that shared information about the different flora along the way that I really enjoyed reading about. It looped me up and above to another wide, dirt trail headed back towards the lake, passing a police shooting range on my right. Once I got to the lake, Granite Dells and fun shaped rock formations appeared. I began to climb and veer off the trail, exploring in between these rock groupings and towards the water. The ground was super soft, although it looked hard and cracked. I watched herons and ducks wading and bobbing in the water before following the trail marked the “Mile High Route” and advised as “more tactical and harder” than the previous one I’d been on –perfect.

I followed the white markings along the rocks and wove up and down, between and below all different kinds of rock mounds. The views as you scramble around are lovely and the rocks themselves make for a diverse viewing. At one point you begin to descend and reach an area that is lush with high green fronds. It immediately reminded me of Havasupai and soon, I heard that same bellowing roar, knowing very well I was about to see a waterfall. I walked up the trail between the high grass and saw the creek dump from a large stagnant pool. Above it shoots out a large, prominent waterfall that is coming from the lake dam. It has smaller waterfalls trickling from its sides and, although it’s in a dam reservoir, it is really pretty to see! There are metal ladders and a chain to use if you want to shimmy over for a closer look (but there is a bit of a potent smell!)

Once you’re done oogling over the waterfall, you cross a small grated ladder over the creek and begin your ascent out of the small canyon area. You reach a higher point where the trail taunts you with a “steep or steeper” sign, pointing in two directions. I chose to use the steeper section and felt a little out of breath once I reached the top! It is definitely a fun, good workout doing this loop around the lake and is just enough to get the blood pumping. I climbed up and over, down and around the lake, admiring the rocks with their blue and purple rings along the bottom. Soon, I saw the kayak rental area appear in the distance and my car above it. The total hike was about 7.5 miles for me after adding in the nature trail at the beginning. I spent a lot of time meandering through the rocks, climbing off trail and enjoying the area and the views it had to offer. You could spend so much time here but remember, it is almost all exposed with no shading and a lot of rock, so it gets toasty — bring plenty of water, a hat and sunscreen!

When you think of the desert, you may not correlate that with volcanoes, lava rock, craters and pine trees. But that is exactly what you find when you visit Sunset Crater National Monument in Flagstaff, Arizona.

When you turn onto the forest road you are surrounded by some of the 3,040 acres the monument claims in Coconino National Forest. Open from 9am to 5pm you can pay $20 per (passenger) vehicle to enjoy the 34 mile scenic loop that winds back from Highway 89 through Sunset Crater Volcano and leads you to Wupatki National Monuments. While you enjoy the drive, you will go from high Ponderosa Pine forests of Sunset Crater, down nearly 2,000 feet in elevation to the red rocks and painted desert vistas of Wupatki. Experiencing the climate change between these two areas in such a short amount of time is a thrill in and of itself! Roll your windows down and enjoy the breeze while you pass mounds of volcanic rock, Ponderosas and see mountain after mountain rolling in the distance. 

If you want to explore this area more in-depth there are five hiking trails in the monument! Ranging from .2 scenic overlooks to 3 mile routes, there is something for everyone.  

Sunset Crater is actually the youngest volcano in the San Francisco volcanic field. The Sunset Crater cone is 1,120 feet high after its eruption around A.D. 1085 (which is debated). The eruption itself created the Bonita and Kana-a lava flows that reached 1.6 miles and 6 miles, respectively. When you visit this monument, you’ll see that the volcano has somewhat revegetated with pine trees and beautiful wildflowers.

Driving further back beyond the crater and hiking trails, you will wind down onto flat plain lands with higher climate temps. You’ll curve back and forth watching the pine trees disperse into scattered wildflowers and cacti with the painted desert as your backdrop in the distance. Soon, you’ll see a turn off for Wukoki and Wupatki pueblos.

There are many settlement sites within the monument that were built by Ancient Pueblan People like the the Cohonina, Kayenta, Anasazi, and Singua. Wupatki, which means “The Tall House” was inhabited around 500 A.D. and has several stories and over 100 rooms, a community room, a ball court and a natural blowhole (from the lava tubes!). This stature makes it the largest building in nearly 50 miles and truly, when you’re taking it in from up close it is truly grand.

There was a population boom after Sunset Crater erupted thanks in major part to the volcanic ash that blanketed the ground, making agricultural endeavors more fruitful and productive with the soils newfound ability to retain moisture.

For me, walking around these expansive ruin sites was breathtaking. Looking up at the height and detail of these structures still amazes me. Native American craftsmanship was genius. From natural ventilation made from perfectly placed holes in their structures to mortar and beam placement that withstood nature for thousands of years, you can truly feel the history in these places. I sat looking at these pueblos for long periods of time, imaging their lives in these large estates with Humphrey’s Peak still snow capped in the distance. It is a beautiful sight.

These monuments are well worth your time while passing through, not only for the trails and beauty but for the history!

February of 2017 I walked into the local Dick’s Sporting Goods thinking “I’m just looking”. I had been getting more into hiking the year before but had beat my Nikes to pieces. It was time for me to invest in real hiking gear. To me, that started with boots. I’d been researching online, ridiculously nervous about getting just the right pair. I didn’t know what the big deal about hiking boots was, but it sounded like there were all different styles and features. It was a little intimidating.

From researching and seeing Instagram hikers, I knew I wanted mid-height boots and not just shoes. I wanted the ankle support and besides, they looked cooler to me. I walked up to the minimal selection they carried and saw all the bigger names I’d been browsing: Keen, Ahnu and then…Columbia. Most of the boots were between $90-120 but I was still hesitant to drop a bunch of money without really knowing their value. Then I laid eyes on a camel-colored pair ofColumbia hiking boots, mid-height with red laces. I fell in love, even more so when I saw the sale sticker that they were now only $69.99. I couldn’t resist. The box was under my arm without even thinking it through and soon, I had my first pair.

They were pristine. The laces still tight, taught and the boot was unmoving as I forcibly made them fit to my foot for the first time. The tongue was crisp, the treads grippy and full of traction. I immediately felt more legitimate in some way. I always knew once I invested in the gear I was 100% more likely to commit to whatever the endeavor may be. With the purchase of my boots, I vowed to get out hiking at least once a week. Once a week turned to two and my beginning hikes that topped out around 4 miles got longer and longer.

When I began, Echo Trail on Camelback was challenging, the McDowell’s overwhelmed me but soon, my favorite trail became Sunrise Trail. I’d find different routes to trek to the saddle for the summit. The more comfortable I became, the more I wanted to push myself….all in my newly trusted boots. I became more and more confident, bounding down boulders, digging them into the earth as I climbed more mountains with much steeper elevation gains.

The first time I got them wet, I cringed visually. I knew they were marketed as waterproof but still, they officially were worn in now, they were getting the adventure I had promised them and for that, I was proud. In May, I completed 18 miles in the Grand Canyon and looked down at these shoes. Something so minuscule in the grand scheme of things, that had been with me through so many first time experiences, amazing feats and blood-pumping situations. My feet were screaming but my soul was on fire down there. The boots that had been so shiny and impeccable were now more dull in color, no longer smooth but textured from rain and wear. The laces were frayed from snagging on bushes and trees and the tongues ebbed and flowed with the movements of my ankles. My foot slipped effortlessly into the boots now, knowing the exact shape of my arches and toes. These boots were more a part of me than my own limbs at this point. They’d put in hundreds of miles at this point and I had logged serious mileage, come to know myself better and shown myself what I was truly made of wearing these discounted digs.

My boots have seen desert, mountains, rain and snow. They’ve been plunged knee-deep in drifts and submerged in standing canyon water I didn’t see scaling a wall. I flipped them over the other day and the grips were not so grippy anymore, actually, missing from my right big toe and the meat of my left foot. Downhill was a little more cautious-filled now as the slipping and sliding was becoming more and more common. Over a year of self-confidence building and exploring had been done on the soles of these shoes. I just started looking up my next pair and have been having a hard time thinking about parting with my big time “firsts”.

When I think about the smallest purchases that end up being the most meaningful, these are at the top of that list. How can I replace the things that gave me the stability and encouragement to be self propelled and limitless when it comes to what I am capable of? What else have I bought that has brought me this kind of independence and joy? Not many things. I hate to place my joy in material things, but this is one purchase I will be forever grateful that I made.

Now, my best friend Racheal is getting into hiking. She had been hiking in her tennis shoes for awhile before biting the bullet and purchasing her first pair of boots. When she sent me a picture, her boots were nestled in their box. Gleaming and untouched, that camel-colored boot with red laces looked back at me. My heart skipped a beat as I got nostalgic and so excited that this boot was going to change her life and help her find new depths of herself, just like they had for me. We hiked this weekend, taking on the longest hike she’d done to date. Two men hiking down past us stated, “hey! nice boots!” We both said “thanks!” before giggling to ourselves.  My worn, tattered Columbia’s trekking beside her still-new, untarnished pair. Both caked in mud, rocks in between the treads and wet from the previous rains, making memories as we went.