Rock cairns populate the area known as Buddha Beach at the Cathedral Rock Vortex along Oak Creek in Sedona. There are literally hundreds of tiny hand crafted rock piles, made from rocks and stones along the shore.

Buddha Beach (also known as Buddha’s Garden) is an area in the shadow of Cathedral Rock along Oak Creek in Sedona, Arizona. It is accessed via Cresent Moon Ranch which is managed by the Forest Service. As you exit the back of the park you will find a path that takes you along Oak Creek. As you walk down this peaceful path you will see people in the creek, people sitting in the shallow water or on the banks.

Then you round a bend and see rock cairns, just a few to begin with. Then you see what appears to be a sentinel guarding the path.

When you head farther down the trail, you start to see more rock cairns, which here are called Buddhas.

As you look closer you will see the Buddhas are all unique, some are whimsical, some are complex. There are small ones and there are large ones.

I invite you to enjoy this book filled with the rock Buddhas paired with quotes from Buddha. The first time I walked through the area it was what immediately came to my mind. Peace and serenity.

Do you have photos of rock cairns? Show us! Tell Us Your Rock Cairn Story.

We are where we are supposed to be, when we are supposed to be there.

~ Deborah Carney

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I’m the kind of photographer that takes in the whole area and doesn’t jump right to the piece ‘d resistance. As a matter of fact our tour guide thought I was having difficulty with the downhill hike, when I was just taking my time and photographing the view along the way. You will see in the gallery below photos of the area, the plants, even a caterpillar in addition to the beautiful vistas. And then of course we get to the Horseshoe Bend, a 270 degree bend in the Colorado River.

If you look closely in the photos of the river, you will see boats, which are part of another tour, the Colorado River Float Trip.

After a 20 minute drive through thick sand that looks like you are going no where, BAM, there it is. The guides make sure you “get the shot” and are very knowledgable about cameras, they know everyone wants to take great photos as part of their experience. The guides are in charge of making sure you get through the canyon, get your photos, and get back out safely. There are very narrow passages and they time the tours so there are only a limited number of people in the canyon at once. Our guide told us the best tour times are the one we took (11am) and the 2pm. She said it is busiest and most crowded at 1pm. Weather affects the availability of tours, so check the weather on the day scheduled for your tour.

This tour includes a stop at Glen Canyon Dam. On the way back to Sedona/Flagstaff the guide take questions and allow folks to relax. There is a bathroom break at a lovely trading post each way. This full day tour is more than worth the time and cost. Below are some photos from the “main event” of the tour, Antelope Canyon.

Video of the fascinating rock “Buddhas” that people build in an area of Oak Creek near the Cathedral Rock. A living “garden” of rocks that is everchanging as people passing through build and add to existing formations. See some of these rock cairns paired with quotes from Buddha in our full color Kindle book http://loxly.com/go/buddha

Sit and listen to the water and watch it flow… relaxing and energizing at the same time.

Relax, refresh and re-energize with this video from Oak Creek near the Cathedral Rock vortex in Sedona Arizona.

Sit and listen to the water and watch it flow… relaxing and energizing at the same time.

Video of the magnificent mountains that surround Sedona Arizona. Recorded at one of the stops on the Airport Loop that has stunning views of the Sedona area.

Video that shows the beauty of Sedona Arizona from one of the vortexes on the Airport Loop.