Hike Up The Famous Sedona Rock That Looks Like An Iconic Cartoon Character For Expansive Views

Years ago — too many to know for sure — somebody was trekking through the middle of Sedona, Arizona. This traveler looked up, saw a cluster of ancient red rocks and thought, "Y'know, that looks kind of like a saddle. I'm gonna call this here ridge Saddle Back Rock." After all, Sedona is full of towering formations of sandstone and shale, and many of their official names on maps are based on visual comparisons: The cliff that looks like a cathedral is called Cathedral Rock. The cloche-like one? Bell Rock. The conical one with an apparent "spout"? Coffee Pot Rock. The iconic rusty color, caused by oxidization, has inspired some names as well, such as Red Mountain (also known as Mount McDowell).

But eventually, pop culture intervened. As fewer people rode horses through Sedona and more read comic strips, the formation of Saddle Back Rock took on a new semblance: Snoopy, the novel-writing, biplane-flying beagle from Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" cartoon. Specifically, the stone traces the outline of Snoopy lying on his back, usually on the roof of his doghouse, and staring up at the sky. Today, the attraction is universally known as Snoopy Rock, and hikers love to climb to its top ridge, both for nostalgia and for the spellbinding view. If you're making a road trip through this scenic southwestern state, do yourself a favor and spend some time in Sedona.

One way to see Snoopy Rock is the Mogollon Rim Supreme Jeep Tour, courtesy of Viator, a three-hour ride through Sedona's rugged mountain country. Putting the safari jeep's suspension and four-wheel-drive to the test, guides will transport you up age-old wagon trails, ascending 2,000 feet of sparsely populated outback. The Mogollon Rim is the rocky perimeter of the Colorado Plateau, and it extends 200 miles through the Southwest. Sedona's Red Rocks are a gorgeous expression of that geologic frontier.

Bring a small group — or use the tour as an excuse to meet some fellow adventurers — as the jeep takes you from one spectacular lookout point to another. Snoopy Rock stands among several other favorite natural landmarks, such as the bulbous Merry-Go-Round Rock and the towering Schnebly Hill, both of which feature prominently on the Mogollon Rim tour. You'll also get to see some of the region's most extreme highs and lows, such as Bear Wallow Canyon, the Munds Mountain Wilderness, and Mitten Ridge Wilson Mountain.

Sedona is one of the most beloved towns in Arizona, thanks to its energetic hospitality, its massive wellness and spirituality scene, and of course the primeval landscape, widely considered the most beautiful in the U.S. This is a place where you can wake up to a sunrise yoga session on the edge of a cliff, hike for hours over ponderosa-studded trails, and then sit down to a six-course French meal at L'Auberge de Sedona. Adobe-inspired storefronts advertise everything from jewelry to Navajo blankets to sturdy new boots. If you have a hankering for horseback riding, Arizona is the place to do it, and Sedona trails are ideal for equestrian outings.

Snoopy Rock is actually visible from uptown Sedona, and for hikers, the most famous trail in that area is Margs Draw, an easy path that extends about 2 miles across the foothills beneath Snoopy's tableau. The summit stands less than a mile from Route 179, but if you want to reach the top, you'll can also take a switchback trail, which is a bit more challenging but still doable by rookie hikers. Sedona has no shortage of epic views, but the top of Snoopy's belly reveals miles and miles of Coconino National Forest. This is just one reason Sedona is regarded as a hiker's paradise. You might even find yourself doing the Snoopy "happy dance."