Sedona Overwhelmed

What places you’ve visited recently seem to be impacted by tourist overcrowding?  

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” (Henry David Thoreau)

I need to be completely honest about Sedona, Arizona in this blog. Our latest road trip visit last Saturday to this land of mystical red rock landforms noticeably disappointed me. Quite simply, I’ve observed that  this beautiful but pricy locale now struggles with a tourist overpopulation crisis. Know then upon viewing some evidence of this congestion problem, I’m not convinced that enough free spirited hikers will adapt well to a rigid departure/return schedule of a new shuttle bus option that now runs on busy weekends. Nor do I reason that limited parking lot space and those restrictive safety regulations on trail sites about hiker movement will adequately satisfy those pure vortex seeking enthusiasts who expect total silence and energized inner peace during daytime hours on any given day. As we’ve normally chosen to find more inexpensive lodging and other amenities in nearby Oak Creek on previous hiking endeavors to this region, that strategy no longer seems to work. For there’s too many visitors lingering around at restaurant/shopping sites along with a gentrified lodging crisis of escalating redevelopment costs further impairing touristic satisfaction there as well. 

I still believe that it’s worthwhile to visit Sedona if you’re willing to wait and thus exercise patience in enduring the company of others.  But on this unintended “drive in – drive out day” at Sedona, I felt compelled to share a few photos to better illustrate this town’s sightseeing problem.