Ecosouthwest.com: Sedona - Verde Valley

	Sedona - Verde Valley Colorado Plateau

As a favored old Spanish saying goes, "Bienvenidos!" - welcome to SEDONA. Sedona is the gateway to the high Colorado Plateau country. Other than the Grand Canyon, this alluring geologic gateway is the most visited tourist mecca of Arizona. Located in the lush Verde Valley with its high walls of surrounding mountains, Sedona offers anything you could ever want from a municipality created within a setting of utter beauty. In this land of superlative natural features is found the region's most colorful cliff faces that tell a fascinating story in the history of the earth as well as the people who first settled this area.

JEROME, which is a reborn ghost town now turned into an artist's haven and tourist mecca, literally hangs on the side of a mountain and is one of Arizona's most popular historic sites. Once a roaring copper mining camp and a boom-town of 15,000 people, the town was abandoned, only later to become the state's largest "ghost city." Today Jerome is a thriving artist's community and you'll find scores of interesting shops and galleries to while away your time as you explore the old town and learn about its intriguing history.

TUZIGOOT INDIAN RUINS lies in the heart of the Verde Valley and is the site of ancient ruins that are the remnants of a Sinaguan village built between 1125 and 1400. Once a mighty fortress, Tuzigoot, which means "crooked water", crowns the summit of a long ridge which gives sweeping views of the VERDE VALLEY. Here is history of an altogether different order.

The historic Verde Valley, itself, is one of Arizona's most popular regions and boasts a rich and fascinating history that is second to none. For example, CAMP VERDE, which is now known as the site of the historic FORT VERDE STATE PARK, was built in 1871 as a military post without walls. The site also once served as a staging base for military operations throughout the (still) unsettled region. For much of its time of operation, two companies of cavalry and two of infantry were stationed at Fort Verde. The nearby General Crook road was built by the infantry and speeded troops and supplies throughout the area. Today, visitors can view the restored remnants of this historic site, including a museum.

Other famous landmarks in Verde Valley include MONTEZUMA CASTLE NATIONAL MONUMENT. Here you'll find the ruins of the first people who lived here> centuries ago, the Sinagua (pronounced, "seen-awa," meaning "without> water"). These ancient ruins offer a nearly perfect window back in time and the view from the setting is remarkable as the tour of the ruins is engaging. The Hohokam (pronounced, "ho-ho-kam," meaning "those who vanished") used this site to irrigate their crops. A Hohokam pithouse is on view along with the Sinaguan dwellings that vary in size from large pueblos to one room houses.

TOURS THAT FEATURE SEDONA - VERDE VALLEY - COLORADO PLATEAU:

MD5 (Sedona; Verde Canyon Railroad into the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness; Tuzigoot; Jerome; Oak Creek; Walnut Canyon)
MD8 (Sedona, Oak Creek; Petrified Forest)
MD9 (Indian: Walnut Canyon (also SD4); Sunset Crater; Wupatki)
SD6 (Sedona, Jerome, & Tuzigoot)
SD8 (Verde Valley, only)