SCENIC DRIVE

FOREST ROAD 525 The red rocks of Sedona have been attracting

people for thousands of years. There's scenic beauty in every direction, including the landscape along Forest Road 525, which leads to two of the area's most impressive prehistoric sites. BY NOAH AUSTIN / PHOTOGRAPHS BY DEREK VON BRIESEN The human history of Red Rock Country stretches back much further than the late 1800s, when a handful of hardy settlers founded the community that later became Sedona. Deep in the sandstone canyons and alcoves are archaeological sites created by the area's early inhabitants, some of whom were there at least 13,000 years ago. The two sites along Forest Road 525 aren't quite that old, but they're among Red Rock Country's largest and the view along the road is worth seeing, too. After a short drive southwest from Sedona on State Route 89A (a scenic route in its own right), head north on FR 525, which quickly becomes a wide gravel road that's washboarded in parts but easy to navigate overall. Straight ahead is the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness, which protects more than 48,000 acres of layered rocks and alluring canyons. Closer to the road is Windmill Mountain, a small butte you'll curve around at Mile 2. Here, numerous pricklypear cactuses line the roadway, joining the oaks, junipers and yuccas that mark the views early on.

Past Windmill Mountain, the junipers get larger and more numerous, and as you crest a hill at Mile 4, the vegetation clears to reveal a panorama of the red and white rocks to the north. Two miles past that view is a "Y" intersection; the right fork leads to Palatki Heritage Site, a Sinagua cliff dwelling and rock art site