If you've seen a picture of Sedona, you've probably seen a picture of Cathedral Rock. We'll even go out on a limb and guess that you've seen a picture of Cathedral Rock from the vantage point of Red Rock Crossing, showing the incredible juxtaposition of red rock, mirror-like water, crayon-blue sky and soft sage greens that typifies the perfect Sedona scene.

There is no other hike in the Sedona area that offers such awe-inspiring views as the Sedona Airport Mesa Loop Trail. It offers hikers a 360-degree panorama with views of almost every major red-rock landmark along the perimeter at an elevation of 4,500 feet.

Is the Sedona Vortex real? To help answer that question, we looked at some examples of a vortex and thought about why Sedona has long been considered a very special place.

Thousands of years ago, only Native Americans knew this desert expanse with its rocks and creeks and canyons where they lived, fought and died on what they called their sacred land—what is now Sedona, “The Land of Fire." Traditionally sacred to all tribes of Turtle Island (North America), they came for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to seek a vision the Great Spirit might have for their lives.