Our concierge in Sedona recommended the Marg's Draw hike, and it was definitely my favorite hike of the trip. The trail, dotted with varieties of cacti with a deep, red soil running through, was so weedless it looked like a garden for miles.

The path wound up and around dry gullies and a few streams.

Meanwhile, above, there were always the stark red, rusted rock formations like stalagmites escaped from a cave and glowing in the sun.

Halfway through the hike, a family passed in the opposite direction who seemed more familiar with the trail. They told us to look out for stones tiled into the path and then turn left and hike up onto the mesa. A few minutes later, who found their trail and walked up onto a stone plateau with the rocks right there. It was enchanted.

Spy the hikers way at the tops of the rocks? Still mystified about how they got there!

We walked out and hiked around til it felt like we were in a bowl with the rocks creating an amphitheater around us.

I was checking my steps for rattlesnakes, but we barely saw any fauna--only a few birds.

The red sandstone's color, we learned, contains iron oxide, so the red is really from rust.

The dry warmth, sun on our backs, and smooth color palate made for such a relaxing visit to Sedona. Next up: Scottsdale!