You’ll See More Terrain

Remember the early morning drop-off? A guided hike allows you to see more of Sedona by dropping you off at the start of a trailhead and picking you up at the other end. Our hike was 6 miles straight through. We would have never attempted the entire trail if we had to turn around and do it all again when we got to the end. By taking care of the pick-up and drop-off, they allow you to see and experience more of the beauty. It maximized the memories we made and the time we spent together as a family.

They Change How You View Nature

My 8-year-old son said it best, they’ll make you think differently about nature. You will never view what you see on a hike the same again. Our guide pointed out animal tracks and got down with the boys to show them how to tell what kind of animal they belonged. He had us scratch the bark of a tree and smell it’s scent of vanilla. He showed us a 1,000-year-old tree, which we would have walked right by had we been on our own. When I wanted a closer picture of the tree, Jason made sure we didn’t step on anything we could have damaged to view it. As we learned, where you step can change that environment for years to come. He also identified the beautiful red rock formations and shared their many names, and then posed the interesting question: Should we name them, why or why not? The significance of these experiences greatly affected all of us. Every hike since, no matter where we are, we know we are missing things that someone who knows and loves the area would be able to tell us.