Stop #15: Verde Ranch RV Resort, Camp Verde, AZ

When thinking about visiting Arizona, Sedona was at the top of our list. Paul and I visited 4 years ago for our 10 year anniversary and knew we had to return with the kids. That time, when we drove into Sedona we were greeted by the most vibrant rainbow against the bright red rocks. It set the tone for the rest of our trip which entailed local hikes and day trips to Antelope Canyon/Horseshoe Bend and Slide Rock State Park. While this time around we did want to visit all of those sites, we had the luxury of time, and therefore the ability to break the trip up with an initial stay in the Sedona area, followed by a stop in Page.

We are not big planners and like to play it by ear which has its pros and cons. Being this flexible allows us to stay in places a little longer if we feel like it (like we did in Colorado) and add unplanned stops to our trip, like we did with Palo Duro Canyon after hearing about it along the road. The downside is that not booking campgrounds in advance means that sometimes it's hard to find a place to stay in popular areas. Sedona was the latter. Turns out there aren't many campgrounds in Sedona and the few that are there were all booked. We expanded our search out to Cottonwood, which does have a few campgrounds but those had no sites available for big rigs, like ours. We made tons of calls, till finally one of the people we spoke to recommended reaching out to Verde Ranch RV Resort in Camp Verde. This was a bit further away from Sedona than we hoped (40 mins away vs Cottonwood which is 25 mins away), but they did have availability and had to do.

While a bit far from the points of interest we had in mind for this stay, Verde Ranch RV Resort turned out to be a wonderful choice. It's a beautiful campground, with great amenities. It is large, but it didn't feel that way to us. When booking online, we chose our site next to the river, but as far away as possible from the highway (which is adjacent on one side of the park). Our site backed up to trees and the river and while the streets are paved, sites are lined with river rocks which gave it a nice and clean look. We had wonderful weather (this was in late April), a lot cooler than in the Phoenix area, so we laid out our mat, took out our camping chairs and the kid's toy bins. There are no picnic tables at each site, which would be a good addition, but we still spent a ton of time outside, playing with the kids, enjoying the beautiful sunsets, biking, and skating. The spacious club house looks brand new and is fully equipped with a full kitchen, work stations, TV watching areas, a pool table, shuffleboard, bathrooms and a nice gym, among other things. The clubhouse opens up to a beautiful pool area, that includes a splash pad, two hot tubs, and a fire pit. We took full advantage of these amenities.. visiting the clubhouse for shuffleboard matches, taking advantage of the fully equipped gym, and cooling off in the pool (with a few dips in the hot tub when we got too cold) when the temperature rose.

Our outdoor set up at Verde Ranch RV Resort

In addition to the RV sites, this campground offers a variety of lodging options including some super fun Conestoga wagons (a Little House on the Prairie experience! lol), cabins in different sizes, and luxury safari tents. I peeked in these and they all looked brand new and very nicely designed and decorated. These are all great options for those not traveling in an RV and don't wish to stay at a hotel. The property also has a cute playground, pickle ball courts, laundry facilities, and a path down to the river. We loved this place and would certainly book again if returning to this area. However, we do recommend choosing your site. Being next to the rivers and trees probably made a huge difference in our experience. There are many other sites in the middle of the park that might have you feel like you are in a parking lot. So choose wisely! Oh, and the cottonwood trees did let out a ton of the white stuff which made it look like it was snowing at times. A bit of a downside but we managed to get past it.

We arrived to Camp Verde a bit early so while we waited for check in time, we drove by Verde Brewing and stopped (parking lot was big enough for our rig) for lunch, which turned out to be a good find. Food was good, the outdoor setting was cute, and we even got a free brewery tour. On the next day we visited Montezuma Castle National Monument and Montezuma Well (which was a short drive away). This was not as fun as Bandelier National Monument because you are not able to climb into the cliff dwellings and as you do there, but still made for a nice educational outing. The kids did the Junior Ranger booklet for another badge, which they always get excited to get and we saw a ranger remove a rattle snake from the premises which was probably the most exciting part of the visit. lol

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Since our campground was a tad far from Sedona we knew we weren't going to be able to fit in a ton of hikes. The first time Paul and I visited, we hiked Bell Rock and Devils Bridge. While both were memorable, we figured we'd do different ones this time around. We used All Trails to find short, yet fun hikes. Seven Sacred Pools was one we tried to do during our first time in Sedona, but we didn't find parking and ended up hiking Bell Rock instead. On All Trails we saw an option to do this 1.1 mi hike followed by Soldier Pass Cave, which is an additional 0.5 mi one way, so we set out to do this during our first day in Sedona. This was on a Sunday, which was a mistake on our end as it was busier than it would've been during the week. We knew the small parking lot at the trailhead would be full (only fits 14 cars) so we didn't even give that a try (turns out this lot was closed that day so it was not an option at all), so we planned to park at Posse Grounds Park and Ride from which you can get a shuttle directly to the trailhead. We imagined this lot to be much bigger, and while bigger than the small one at the trailhead, it was not large and was full when we go there. We did manage to find a spot in a lot which was about a 10 min walk away and we got to the park and ride just as the shuttle was arriving. We sprinted to get in line but unfortunately we got cut off right at the door. The shuttle was full and the driver would not allow us to ride standing up. This marked a turning point on the success of our hike. The shuttle runs every hour which we did not want to wait, so as the driver suggested, and we had already read about, we proceeded to walk to the trailhead which added a mile (mostly on a paved unshaded road) to our hike... which is a big deal when hiking with kids. This is when the whining commenced. :(

Once we finally made it to the trailhead, our hike became more interesting. While pretty flat, this hike has elevation and some spots where the views are breathtaking. We stopped at Devils Kitchen for pictures with this large sink hole as a back drop. We made one more stop along the way to rest a bit, as our daughter had continued to complain all the way over. Fun, right? In hindsight and in her defense, it turned out that she was starting to come down with some virus and didn't know to express this and there were no symptoms for us to notice. Poor thing! But also, poor us. lol It made for a not very enjoyable hike.

Once we reached the Seven Sacred Pools, we picked a shaded spot where we could enjoy the view and our packed lunch. The pools themselves were on the murky side, but maybe they only look clear after some rain?? Nonetheless, it's a beautiful spot. We relaxed, took pictures, and explored a bit and while this helped our daughter feel better, we knew that hiking the additional 0.5 mi to the cave was out of the question.

Thankfully, our hike back went by quickly. Despite the whining and later finding out she wasn't feeling well, our daughter did most of the hike by herself which deserves some merit. We got to the trailhead parking lot as the shuttle was arriving and once again it got full by the time we reached the door. It was the same driver and this time he took pity on us, and some folks behind us, and allowed us to get in and ride standing back to the Posse Grounds Park and Ride. My question is, why didn't he show this level of compassion on the way over? But don't get me wrong, we are thankful. lol

Following our hike we drove over to Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village for some ice cream at Cream. This shop looked busy so we thought it had to be good, however the ice cream turned out to be overpriced and not so tasty. Plus, the cupcake our daughter ordered was frozen solid, which the sales person forgot to warn us about when purchasing. You'd think they'd know that kids aren't good at waiting an hour for something to thaw so they can enjoy it. :/ So, do save your money and skip this place. The Tlaquepaque village is very picturesque though and worth a stop. There's a spot full of wind chimes which is quite the site and the gardens and architecture are reminiscent of a small Italian village. On the way back, we stopped at Rotten Johnny's for their wood-fired pizza which hit the spot after our adventures.

Our second visit to Sedona was for a celebratory dinner at Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill on the day of our anniversary. I say dinner, but our reservation was at 4:30p because that was all they had when we booked two weeks prior. That alone is a clear indication of how fantastic this spot is. It's a splurge, but if you are planning to splurge at one restaurant in Sedona, this is the one you want to book! The food is delicious, deserts are amazing, and the cocktails are creative and beautiful. Then there's the setting. The restaurant has stunning views of red rocks which light up during sunset time. Just make sure to reserve months in advance if you want to get seated during sunset hours. Dinner was amazing and we then spent some time taking pictures in the front yard before driving to the Sedona Airport Scenic Lookout which apparently is popular for sunset time as it was pretty crowded. The city and red rock views from this spot are spectacular. We stayed for a bit but it got too crowded for us and we decided to drive down near Bell Rock to catch the sun going down before driving back to Camp Verde.

Backdrop at Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill

One place we did want to return to, from our first time in Sedona, was Slide Rock State Park. We knew our kids would love splashing around in what the Travel Channel has named one of America's Top 10 Swimming Holes, so returning to this spot was a must. Since we were taking breaks in between our day trips, we ended up extending our stay at Verde Ranch RV Resort by a couple of days so we could include this last fun filled day in Sedona. This was on a week day, which we recommend for visiting Slide Rock. Last time, we visited on the weekend and there was a line of cars waiting to enter the park when we arrived and the park itself was pretty crowded. This time around, there was no line and parking spots were plentiful. We had forgotten this park is also home to an orchard, so it was a pleasant surprise to be greeted by apple trees in full bloom. We stopped to admire them up close and then made our way down to the creek.

We walked back to what seemed to be the most popular entry point for those sliding down the rocks and placed our belonging up on the ledge which was shaded. The kids gravitated to an area right above this entry point where they started rearranging rocks to create a little dam. The water was a freezing 57 degrees but that didn't keep us from making the most of our visit - except for Paul who was feeling a bit under the weather (probably what our daughter had a few days before) and only dipped his feet in the water. When getting our feet in, the water felt so cold, it literally hurt. But once our bodies adjusted it started to feel refreshing and invigorating.

Later on, we sat up on the ledge to eat our packed lunch while watching the brave souls that ventured into sliding down the creek. It was super entertaining, I must say, with folks cheering people on, no matter how ungraceful their execution was. Doing it was in and on itself quite the accomplishment. Some folks even got very creative going down in large floats, which slid down without a hitch against our belief - so don't shy from bringing yours if you've got them. After seeing a couple of kids giving it a go, our son got encouraged to do so himself, but after several attempts he gave up due to the cold temps, and we couldn't blame him.

After lunch, we walked further back, along the path to the higher end of the creek. Make sure you make it there as there are large boulders along the water and the remains of a historic cabin which is great for a photo op. While we didn't do this, there are also trails at this park that you can hike, one of which allows you to view the creek from above which is probably a nice sight. There are also picnic tables in the orchard area, restrooms, and a gift shop that probably has anything you'd need in case you left something at home.

Following our little walk, the kids and I built up our courage, and eventually dipped in the creek completely to see who could stay in the longest and get a taste of why cold plunges are a thing these days. I think we managed to stay in for over a minute and a half but boy, my heart was racing in the beginning and I had to work hard on slowing down my breathing in order to stay in. I did feel great afterwards and while we didn't submerge ourselves again, we did stay playing in the shallow water for a while after. We all had a great time at this park. I declare that next time will be the time we slide down the rocks (if we go in the late summer- lol)!

Upon leaving the park, we drove over to Oak Creek Vista which gives you a bird's eye view of the canyon below. This location also has restrooms and a Native American marketplace. The kids are over overlooks by now, but Paul and I love them. So that's that. lol

While going to Slide Rock is probably enough adventuring for a day, we still had one more stop we wanted to make. Since this was our last day in Sedona, we wanted to fit in one last hike. We chose to visit the Birthing Cave because it's only 2 miles out and back and we've noticed that hikes with caves (specially if it's a cave they can play in) are much more enjoyable for our kids. This trail takes you along fairly easy terrain, except for the last bit which requires a scramble/climb up to the cave. Our kids did great, requiring very little help so it's definitely family friendly.

The parking area at the Long Canyon trailhead is VERY small so would once again recommend avoiding going there on the weekend. We timed our arrival just right as there were only a couple other vehicles at the time (4:30p). The trail is fairly easy to follow but it never hurts to download All Trails or research in advance. There is one fork on the road, at the 0.6 mile mark, where you will see a wooden fence. To the right of the fence you will see a sign that reads 'trail' and to the left of the fence there's a slightly narrower trail which is where you need to go to visit the cave. Many follow the Long Canyon trail sign to the right of the fence which would not take you to the cave.

Once on this trail you will continue to walk towards the cliff and you will probably start hearing the voices of hikers that have already reached it - sounds echo all the way down from the cave. From down below the cave looks like a large heart shaped carving on the side of the cliff. The scramble up is short and it won't leave you feeling exposed at all. We aided the kids a couple of times, but they did most of it on their own. Once you reach the cave and turn around, the Red Rock views are the perfect reward for the work you've put in to get there. In the cave, the kids had a great time running from one side to the other and attempting to climb the sides a bit. Paul managed to climb all the way up to the round hole at the back of the cave, but there were some very slippery areas that he had to get though to get there, probably from all the people wearing the rock off. We saw some folks walking on the ledge close to the edge of the cave which looked very treacherous. There is a big drop from those top ledges so do proceed with caution.

Before visiting, we looked up the meaning behind the name of this cave and learned that it is believed the indigenous Hopi people sent their women to give birth in this cave. It was a spiritual and uplifting place for them. While possibly true, I can’t imagine doing the scramble up to the cave at full term… but maybe it helped induce labor? However, once you've seen the cave in person, it's impossible to dismiss the fact that the cave does looks very much like the privates of a female. So maybe that's the reason for the name.

We hiked back at around 6p and once we returned the parking lot was full. The cave is probably a busy spot during sunset and no doubt it's probably a beautiful time for being there. We loved this hike and enjoyed spending time in the cave, taking pictures, admiring the views, and talking to the different hikers that coincided with us there. This last adventure filled day, made for a great end to our stay in Camp Verde. We could've easily stayed another full week here, doing many more hikes in Sedona, but Page awaited!