The national parks and monuments have it right.
It is a beautiful drive loaded with switchbacks for a very unique experience. Another scenic drive not to miss is the Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Road (SR 89A) north of Sedona from Flagstaff. But there will be a ton of tourists and traffic to deal with. For the casual driver, there are still some beautiful viewpoints like the Chapel of the Holy Cross, Airport Mesa and Red Rock Loop Road. We were mostly driving the Red Rock Scenic Drive (State route 179) and didn’t do any hiking. I was raving to my husband about this place, since he never visited, and was dumbfounded on how much it changed. I couldn’t even get to one of the viewpoints because the parking lot was full and closed off the two times I tried to visit. Now the Scenic Drive is filled with roundabouts and traffic. It was surreal, literally having this beautiful place to myself. When I was here previously, I took a drive on the weekend, and there were very few other vehicles on the road. I was shocked at the rampant commercialism. While the scenery is still breathtaking, the scenic byway is now filled with retail stores and restaurants, hotels and private residences. It became one of my favorite places I have visited. I first visited Sedona about 10 years ago, and was mesmerized with its raw beauty.
