We have camped here since we bought our first motorhome in 1999.
We badly skipped rocks across the creek.
We climbed on the rocks when the water was low. We walked up to “the Y” where all the shops are and indulge in a brownie fudge sundae at The Black Cow Café.
My fondest memory was game one of the 2001 world series. We decorated the RV windows and arrived right as the broadcast started.
The family that used to own the park was so nice. The wife ran the office. She saw us in our Diamondbacks year and “Go Dbacks!” on our RV window and hustled us off to our campsite. She said we could come back and pay during a commercial. We set up our tiny TV on the patio to watch the game. She came by late in the game to find several people from other campsites gathered around that tiny TV and stayed to watch.
We always stayed in what we called “the horseshoe” campsite section. Sites were set up like a horseshoe around the edge with a giant BBQ and fire pit in the middle. Each night after dinner, lots of campers sat on the long benches around the firepit. We met many people from all over the country around that firepit.
We spent many long weekends there. Then sports schedules ate up our weekend time and we didn’t go for a few years. Our next time back was a little different, the family that owned it sold to new owners. The firepit was replaced with concrete, no fires allowed, which eliminated a fun way to meet fellow campers. Boo.
Also new was a long list of rules. And signs, literally everywhere. For us, it kind of killed the fun family vibe of the park. It was now just the two of us as new empty nesters but we missed seeing kids ride their bikes for hours and head down to the creek to play in the water.
Camping here is still beautiful with huge oak trees that have to date back to TC and Sedona Schnebly’s time founding the town in the early 1900’s.
The sites vary in size with the largest sites backing to the creek. Site 84 is a fabulous pull-in site that faces a large grassy area near the creek. You don’t have to worry about people crossing through your site to get to the creek.
Designated creek entrance sites are clearly marked as are “do not cut thought site” at every campsite.
All the wonderful shade made it a challenge to get a Dish signal, the cable hook-up at our site gave us all the football channels we wanted.
The campground has a bank of bathrooms with showers near the “horseshoe” section along with a small laundry room. We never stayed long enough when the boys were growing up to need the laundry room but it is handy to have. Same for the showers, we’ve always used the one in our motorhome.
Rancho Sedona is in the perfect spot in town, sitting just off US179 at Schnebly Hill Road. We like to walk across the road and walk around the shops at Tlaquepaque. We also walk up the hill to the main shopping area known as “the Y.’ You can head south on 179 toward Chapel on the Rocks, Broken Arrow Trail and lots of fun hikes. You can head north on 179 to the Y then head north on 89 toward Slide Rock, West Fork Trail and more. Heading south from the Y on 89 takes you to Cottonwood, Clarkdale and Jerome as well as Palatki Ruins, Soldiers Pass trail and Devil’s Bridge trail.
Sedona is one of our favorite places to escape the desert heat, hike countless trails and take in the beauty that is Sedona. Rancho Sedona RV will remain our home base.