This is a guest post by Ashlee from SimplHolistic.com.
Wondering where you should book your next vacation? How about Sedona, Arizona! This beautifully mountainous town just two hours outside of Phoenix is the perfect getaway from the heat and the masses. Make sure you book your ticket for travel between March and May and you’ll catch the hot weather with a reprieve from the cool breeze!
This weekend guide to Sedona will show you the best food, hikes and places to stay in Sedona. We believe you should feel well while you are traveling so, the recommendations will reflect that. Here’s to good health and happy vacations!
Where to Eat in Sedona
Sedona is packed with local and delicious restaurants. Whether you have 17 different allergies or can eat anything under the sun, they have something for you. We stopped into two spots and visited them twice while we were there; they were that good! The first was ChocolaTree and the second was Local Juicery. Let’s dive into each of them.
First, we visited Chocolatree and believe you can’t complete your trip to Sedona without making a stop into this garden restaurant. You literally eat your meals in their backyard garden where they have over 20 different plant species. From apples to figs to pistachios to mint, they have it all in their backyard.
ChocolaTree sources 100% organic ingredients and chooses local and seasonal whenever possible. Their menu explicitly says “if it’s not in season, we won’t serve it”. Better than that? Their entire facility is a dedicated gluten and soy-free facility. Celiacs and gluten-intolerant friends, rejoice! We got the Classic Sweet Waffle with their stone-ground chocolate sauce. Get this, it takes 8 days to make this sauce, it’s a labor of love! Next, the International Platter (savor pancakes) and the Pachamama Latte (coffee free but tastes similar to coffee).
Don’t leave without their world-famous chocolates, they have a chocolate for everyone!
Yes, there’s more food…
We stopped into Local Juicery for two meals of our weekend. Their menu is diverse enough that you could eat here for two months and try something new each day! They, like ChocolaTree, are gluten-free and organic. Local Juicery sources from local farmers as a way to support their Sedona community. Mike and Summer, the owners, believe in real food that heals.
If you’re looking for a refreshing treat after your morning hike, you must stop in for one of their organic cold-pressed juices. You can choose from simple green juices, ginger turmeric shots or fruity citrus juices. I recommend the Kickstart (grapefruit, orange, coconut water, vanilla, cayenne).
Not feeling a juice, go for the Classic Acai Bowl with their house-made granola. The crunch to acai ratio is dreamy and the staff is all over the toppings game. You can customize as you’d like with protein, superfoods or mushroom powders.
Where to Hike
If you’re into popular hikes in civilization, there are plenty of those in Sedona. Maybe you’re not so keen on the whole “people” thing? I feel you. Sedona has the perfect mix of well-populated and off the beaten trail hikes. If you’re feeling more friendly:
If you’re feeling like getting away:
- Seven Sacred Pools
- Or, do what we did and drive until you see a pull-off. It makes for an amazing adventure.
Where to Stay
We live in our self-converted sprinter van which means we can sleep wherever we go! One of the best parts of exploring a new place is camping and getting out in their unique environments. Sedona lies in the Coconino National Forest which means as a van dweller, we can sleep down any service road. All you need to do is head south about 5-9 miles out of town and find a service road. Drive down until you find an empty spot and pitch your tent. There’s something about getting out and listening to the crickets chirp.
Whatever you do on your weekend trip to Sedona, make sure you try something new. That’s the most important!
Ashlee is from Alaska and is a sustainability and wellness travel blogger. She is a Holistic Nutritionist and dedicates her time to simplifying wellness, even on the go. You’ll find her traveling the world in her sprinter van with her husband and rescue pup, Gilligan! Say hello — @simplholistic
