Sepia Saturday: Pony Express Riders

This beautiful statue is located in the midst of Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona.  It's enormous and sits in the middle of a traffic circle.

Passing the Legacy statue depicts 2 Pony Express riders connecting.  Created by Herb Mignery

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: Sedona, Arizona

On a trip to Sedona in the Arizona high country, my Husky Icy had some fun posing with a pink Jeep and a handsome coyote!

C'mon you guys, get a move on! We're going for a jeep tour through the desert!

I think there might be romance in the air!

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100 Places To See With Your Dog: Flagstaff, Arizona

Last Thursday the weather in Phoenix was expected to hit 100 degrees.  It's way too early for 100 degrees, so last minute we decided to load the dogs into the car and head North to Flagstaff for beautiful mountains and much cooler weather!  Although it's only 3 hours away, it's nearly 30 degrees cooler in Flagstaff than in Phoenix!  Temps in Phoenix can easily reach 110 degrees in Summer, so it's no surprise that Phoenicians flock to Flagstaff in Summer!

Icy was in heaven with the cool weather in Flagstaff.  Here she is posing amongst the beautiful Aspen trees.  Aspen trees look a lot like White Birch trees.

Flagstaff is largely known for being a fun college town, but high elevation and levels of precipitation provide lots of natural beauty and cooler outdoor activities as well.  You can be skiing in Flagstaff in the morning, and sipping a latte at an outdoor cafe in 70 degree Phoenix weather in the afternoon!  It's the coolest thing!

BLACK & WHITE SUNDAY: A Cowboy & His Dog

This young cowboy is just taking a break with his dog.

This beautiful bronze statue is displayed outside one of the many art galleries in the Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village of Sedona, Arizona

SEPIA SATURDAY: The Frog Prince

The Frog Prince blew me a kiss!  Sorry toad, this Princess is taken!



Mama, it's too bad you're already married to Daddy, you could've had a real Prince!

This beautiful bronze statue is called THE KISS, created by Kim Kori.  It is displayed in the Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village in Sedona, Arizona by the Rowe Gallery.

Dogs Day At The Lake

We took our dogs on an adventure to beautiful Saguaro Lake, just a few miles North of Phoenix, Arizona in the town of Mesa.  The lake is named after the Saguaro cactus, which you can see in the background of the first photo.  Saguaro cacti are native to the Sonoran desert and don't grow anywhere else.



Iscy, Phoebe and my husband at Saguaro Lake.  You can see a Saguaro cactus in the background.

Icy surveys the area from her perch on a rock.

Checking out the place some more.

Icy looks longingly at the water. Uh-Oh, we know that look. 

And there she goes, into the water!  Of course the first thing she does is sneak a drink of that water.

Phoebe had no desire to get near the water.  She was content to sniff some desert wildflowers instead.

Saguaro Lake is an easy day trip and quick getaway from the city of Phoenix Arizona.  The drive is lovely, the lake and wildflowers of Arizona are so pretty and relaxing!  It's a great dog friendly place to visit in the Phoenix area. You can also do some boating in Saguaro Lake but there is a fee.  Check out the web site for more information.

DOG FRIENDLY SEDONA, ARIZONA

More and more, my husband and I find that we don’t want to leave our dogs home when we go on vacation, especially if our travel is domestic. Over the years we’ve taken many vacations with our dogs across the U.S. but dog friendly Sedona, Arizona is by far our favorite dog friendly travel destination. Sedona is pure magic!

My dog Icy perched on a rock, hiking in Sedona Arizona

Our love of travel with our dogs started when we didn’t want to put Icy, our 50lb Husky, in the belly of an airplane plane. Instead, we decided to drive from Arizona to New York to see family one Christmas. Since it’s more than 2,500 miles I wanted to make a fun adventure out of it. We chose to spend 8 days traveling and stopping at some fun dog friendly travel destinations.  

That trip was such a fun, interesting adventure we decided to continue our trend of travel with dogs. We've developed quite a bit of expertise on how to travel with dogs successfully, and Icy has become a true connoisseur of dog friendly hotels!




Icy and Phoebe, piled in the backseat, ready for a Road Trip!

One of my absolute favorite places to visit with our dogs, is Sedona, Arizona.  Sedona is one of the most dog friendly places in the U.S., and one of the most breathtaking.  People head to the Grand Canyon in droves, but they often pass right by Sedona, which is only about 2 hours South of Grand Canyon.  But oh what they're missing!

The Red Rock Region, as Sedona is called, is spectacular.  The rock formations and deep red desert colors set Sedona apart from most other unique geographical areas. Sedona is nature’s beauty at it’s finest. 

 

Hiking In Sedona With Dogs

We love hiking in Sedona with the dogs. Our favorite hike in Sedona is the West Fork trail in Oak Creek Canyon.  It's just a few miles round trip, every inch of it displaying gorgeous scenery. You hike across Oak Creek at several points along the trail, but it's not difficult and it's shallow all the way through.  

We also love the Boynton Pass hiking trail. There are miles and miles of hiking trails that allow dogs throughout Sedona.  

Honestly, every part of Sedona is stunning and there's a photo op every where you turn.  Many of the old western movies were filmed there because of the dramatic backdrops.

  

Icy taking a dip to cool off during a hike in Oak Creek Canyon.  She won't go  near a pool, but we can't get her out of the creek!

Like most of Arizona, Sedona is super dog friendly.  You can take your dog just about anywhere.  Nearly every hiking trail, park and recreation area in Arizona is dog friendly, you’d be hard pressed to find one that isn’t.  

Bring the beauty of the Southwest and the magic of Sedona to your home. Right now, I'm offering a Printable Wall Art bundle of 4 digital art prints depicting the beauty of Sedona that you can print out and enjoy in your home or office. Visit my Etsy store to get these four digital prints for only $2.00!

Dog Friendly Hotels in Sedona, Arizona

There are lots of dog friendly hotels and Inn's in Sedona. Two of our favorites are The Lodge At Sedona, a gorgeous Bed & Breakfast. We love the beauty of the property, the quaint rooms and atmosphere, and the wonderful Chef!  Another favorite of ours is the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock.  

We also enjoyed staying at the beautiful, authentic Southwestern El Portal Sedona Hotel. If you want to step up the luxury, look into the Enchantment Resort. It was a bit too pricey for us, but we did have a delicious lunch on the patio. The mountain views from their patio were exquisite.

Dog Friendly Restaurants in Sedona, Arizona

Several restaurants in Sedona are dog friendly on their outdoor patios.  One of our favorites is the Creekside American Bistro (previously Ken's Creek Side).  They even have a dog menu with items like doggie beef stew, which our dogs devoured!

Wildflower is a casual dog friendly restaurant in Sedona. It's largely self serve, you can pick up your food and bring it outside to an outdoor table. They are up on the hillside, and the views from the outdoor area are gorgeous!  

There's a Starbucks up there as well. We enjoyed late afternoon coffees after a day of hiking with the dogs. We just relaxed and enjoyed the mountain view! Check out the photo below of John and our dogs taking it all in.

Icy enjoying eggs at breakfast, made just for her by the chef at The Lodge at Sedona, a B&B we frequent in Sedona.  They're serious dog lovers!

My husband John and Icy a the end of the West Fork trail in Sedona

Icy, Phoebe, and John enjoying a Starbucks after a long day on the Sedona trails.  This is our favorite way to end a day in Sedona.  Fun Fact: John and I met at a Starbucks!

What travel destinations have you ventured to with your dog?  What was your dog’s favorite travel destination?  Tell us in the comments, we Love hearing from you!

See my post Road Trip With The Dogs for tips on traveling with dogs.