The Great American Drive takes us to Sedona, Arizona. Join YurView’s Driven correspondent, MotorTrend’s Rick DeBruhl, as he travels to the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona. Cruising, hiking and terrific off-road adventures await you at this scenic outdoor paradise.
Watch the show segment above, or read the full transcription we’ve provided below, lightly edited for clarity. And let the good times roll. 🚗
Red Rocks of Sedona
Rick Debruhl, Driven Correspondent (00:18) – It’s probably not a big surprise the number one tourist attraction in Arizona is the Grand Canyon. I mean, after all, this is the Grand Canyon State. So, what’s the number two tourist attraction? It’s a town about an hour and 45 minutes north of Phoenix called Sedona. And while Sedona’s got a lot of great things going for it, there is one thing that put it on the map, the rocks. The red rocks of Sedona. So why are the rocks red?
Becca Daltroff, Pink Jeep Guide Supervisor (00:52) The rocks are red here in Sedona because of the iron deposits, and when iron is oxidized you get rust. So, when you’re here in Sedona, you’re looking at rusty rocks.
RD (01:03) – Alright, I know we call this the Great American Drive. But while you’re in Sedona, you’ve got to get out of the car and do a great American hike. My recommendation, go up what’s called Schnebly Hill Road. When you get towards the top is all kinds of easy trails, fun to hike with all kinds of amazing scenery that will put you right in the thick of the red rocks.
Sedona Car Club
RD (01:37) – What would a Great American Drive be without be without great cars? Ladies and gentlemen, I want to introduce you to the Sedona Car Club. Hi guys.
Pat Weigand, Sedona Car Club Member (01:46) – Well, there’s a lot of trails around town that you can drive on. We particularly like driving in the outback as we call it because we have a Jeepster with the Wrangler rearend under it. And we can climb anything that the Pink Jeeps can climb. We can go anywhere they go. And we have a ball with it.
David Lombardi, Sedona Car Club Member (02:09) – Well, Sedona is very famous for our most popular rock drive. It’s called Oak Creek Canyon. Oak Creek Canyon goes from Sedona, winds up through the hills and ends up in Flagstaff. And it’s just a beautiful trip, any season. It rides along the creek for many miles so you’re looking at the water. When you get to the top, there’s a beautiful outlook where you can see for miles back down the canyon and into Sedona, through Sedona. It’s a wonderful ride, fun to drive in any cars, including my own, which goes pretty quickly. There’s a ton of off-roading.
Pink Jeep Tours
DL (02:46) – Sedona is crowded every weekend with people that come up both in side by sides and four-wheel drive vehicles. And one of our big businesses in Sedona is the Pink Jeep Tours. And there’s several others. But Pink Jeep I think is the most well-known and famous. And they give tours. There’s off-road drives all over where they take tourists.
BD (03:16) – So when it comes to vortexes here in Sedona, a lot of people come to this area because of the vortexes. And the vortexes are thought to be fields of energy here in Sedona. And it’s a very personal experience. So you come here to experience a vortex, you might feel something, might feel tingling in your fingertips or your chest, or you might not feel anything. So it’s more of a continuum. But most people come to Sedona and they feel great here. And some people link that to the vortexes.
RD (03:38) – So what makes Sedona so darn cool?
BD (03:41) – You’re looking at it. It’s the red rocks. It is the iron oxide. It’s the sandstone. It’s the fact that we have these Jeep Tours here. People are able to come here do Jeep Tours, go hiking. We’ve been listed as the “Day Hiking Capital of America.” People come here to experience the beauty of our town.
RD (04:03) – Keep heading north through Oak Creek Canyon, eventually you wind up in Flagstaff. And from there, well, Northern Arizona is your playground including the Grand Canyon or even historic Route 66. But then, that’s a Great American Drive for another day.
Visit Sedona | The official site of the Sedona Tourism Bureau
