Chapel of the Holy Cross (Free Entry), Bell Rock Vortex & Courthouse Butte Loop

Driving north into Sedona along the Red Rock Scenic Byway (Arizona State Route 179, an All-American Road), three landmarks rise along the eastern side of the highway within five minutes of one another: the conical red bell of Bell Rock, the flat-topped citadel of Courthouse Butte, and high on a 75-metre cliff spur above the valley, the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

1. The Chapel of the Holy Cross (780 Chapel Rd, Free Admission Daily)

Inspired in 1932 when local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude (a former student of Frank Lloyd Wright) envisioned a modernist church anchored by a structural cross, the Chapel of the Holy Cross was completed in 1956 under a special-use permit inside Coconino National Forest:

• How to Visit Easily: turn east off Highway 179 at the Chapel Road roundabout and drive up to the free car parks (open daily from morning until late afternoon; volunteers run a free electric golf-cart shuttle from the lower spaces up the curved concrete ramp to the chapel doors).
• What You See Inside & From the Terrace: step inside the candlelit, 150-seat sanctuary before the floor-to-ceiling glass altar wall, visit the downstairs gift shop, and walk the cliff terrace for views of Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and the twin pinnacles of the 'Two Nuns' behind the chapel.

2. Bell Rock Pathway & The Courthouse Butte Loop

Three kilometres south of the Chapel at the northern edge of the Village of Oak Creek rise the twin icons of the southern entrance:

1. The Bell Rock Climb / Pathway (1.6 to 3.2 km Round-Trip | 30 to 60 Minutes): park at the Courthouse Vista or Bell Rock North Car Park and follow the gentle path to the sandstone benches at the base of 1,499-metre Bell Rock, one of Sedona's four vortex sites. Because its lower tiers step up like wide stairs, you can scramble up the northern ledges for a 360-degree view.
2. The Courthouse Butte Loop Trail (6.0 km Loop | 110m Gain | 1.5 to 2 Hours): circles around the base of both Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock through peaceful juniper desert with views of Spaceship Rock.