Sedona Family Vacation – Day 4 – Dec 31st
New Year’s Eve In Sedona, AZ — Another gorgeous day for hiking – low humidity and perfect temperatures in the high 50s and low 60s.
Itinerary
Hiking the Chicken Point Trail
Today’s hike was from the Chapel of the Holy Cross parking lot to Chicken Point – a popular 2.6 mile round trip hike. Chicken Point is a well known site for beautiful views across the Sedona valley. Hikers, bikers and jeeps congregate atop this cliff to look out over the valley.
Every person we passed on the chicken pointe Trail, next to the chapel, commented on the weather. Mid 60s in January! The hike was really fun and the kids enjoyed throwing rocks and walking most of it themselves. Snacks at the top of the mountain are always Lauri’s favorite!
The chapel of the Holy Cross was a hit for all of us. Not only was it gorgeous, but it provided some lovely history and photo opportunities. Situated up high on mountain means that the views are just amazing! The architect who designed it was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Brittany was just disappointed that the elements inside of the church blocked much of the view from the inside. The chapel is very contemporary and artistic. The gift shop is larger than the chapel.
Dinner was a Mexican dinner at home. Homemade tacos with shrimp and beef. Mexican corn salad. Cole Slaw. Guac. Pico da Gallo. Queso and tortilla chips.
All watching the Penn State football game for the college playoffs.
I have used two methods to find our hiking routes. One is a book from the local hiking store: “The Sedona Hiking Guide Book”. We could have found hiking trail plans without it but it was a convenient book that outlined 30 popular hikes around Sedona. It was fun to look at and was a great reference and starting point for picking out daily hikes.
The second has been the Alltrails.com app for iPhone. Great app that has lots of detail for suggested hikes.
I am flabbergasted at the amount of people on the trails, the backed up traffic and no room in the parking lots at the trailheads. One of the locals told us that Christmas week and New Year’s week have become the most popular time to come to Sedona. Mild weather for hiking! Our secret is out.
Everybody’s final thoughts of the day:
Brittany: Anytime I think I want to turn around but keep going, I am always glad that I hung in there when I get to the end point.
Thea: When can I eat my M&M trail mix?
Sara: The views were breathtaking – well worth the hike.
Mark: Continue to be impressed with all our family hanging in there with rigorous hikes. Tomorrow might be time for break.
Lauri: I can’t believe we did not do these trips when our kids were little. The grands are LOVING the experience. Sooooo happy we are enjoying this as a family now.
