Thinking Red Rocks? Consider Sedona Rouge.

Sedona is world-famous: People come for the beauty of the red rock monuments, serenity and centering (some say there are spiritual vortexes here) and world-class accommodations. Nearby Oak Creek Canyon is also one of America’s great scenic areas, featuring sheer cliffs and a cool forest environment with summer green and fall color.

When planning your trip here, don’t forget about West Sedona, perhaps a little less touristy and crowded than “downtown” Sedona. Here are all of the activities and the landmark red rocks at a little less pressure. Highway 89A leads into this part of Sedona from the Clarkdale and Cottonwood areas.

Your family can bike, hike, ride horses, picnic, camp, and climb, and you can book balloon, trolley and jeep rides. Many golf courses are here, too, as are a number of vineyards. Many accommodations are family friendly. One to consider is the Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa, adjacent Thunder Mountain. Combining Moorish, Spanish and Mediterranean styles, Sedona Rouge features 77 rooms and suites, many configured with adjoining rooms to meet family needs.

Sedona Rouge has a swimming pool for the children, a Jacuzzi for mom and dad and a fireplace for everyone. Adjoining is a 700-sq.-ft. fitness center; just outside, yoga and Tai Chi sessions are offered. And, Reds is a 150-seat bistro lounge and bar with comfort food and small plate appetizers, excellently prepared by Executive Chef Ron Moler and staff.

The adjacent 5,000-sq.-ft. destination spa, under Director Greg Retegan, has seven overnight suites, including one spa suite. Featuring 10 treatment rooms, the spa also features a tranquility room and garden for relaxing before-and-after treatments and indoor and outdoor whirlpools. Mom and dad can also enjoy a couple’s treatment room. Teens may like specialized offerings such as the 60-minute Crystal Clear Complexion Facial which targets breakouts in all skin types.

Nearby, your children will enjoy Sunset and Posse Grounds parks, with playground equipment, and the Sedona Skate Park, municipal tennis courts, bowling, miniature golf, four-wheeling, a trout farm and fish hatchery.

Consider, too, a family outing on the Sedona Trolley, which offers entertaining, educational and short 55-minute tours every day on the hour, new owners Sarah and Jeff Beard explain. The children can even ring the bell, and the uptown depot has antique trolleys to enjoy. On first Fridays, the trolley provides free transportation between the Sedona galleries for their monthly showcase.

On the way up or back from the Valley, you might stop at 104-acre Out of Africa Wildlife Park, a safari-like experience, or book a trip on the Verde Canyon Railroad, a four-hour, round-trip excursion through sublime Sycamore Canyon.

Sedona Rouge, in fact, is offering an Out of Africa Wildlife Park Package through the end of the year including two-nights accommodations in a deluxe guest room, admission for two to the park and $50 dining credit at Reds Restaurant.

Says Ed Conway, general manager: “Sedona is one of the great places to stay in the world, and we believe that you’ll find Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa to be one of the best places for you and your family to stay in Sedona.”