Second Mesa Travel Guide

This is basically the only restaurant on the Hopi Mesas. The interior of the restaurant is bright and pleasant, and it appears many locals eat here as well. The have an excellent salad bar, and serve a wide range of American as well as traditional native dishes.

Favorite Dish: I wanted to get the full experience of being on the Hopi Reservation by trying the traditional Hominy and Lamb Stew with Green Chili. It tasted ok, but was fairly bland save for a fair amount of salt. The roasted green chili added some spice, and to be totally honest, the best part of it was the accompanying fry bread. I probably would not eat it again, having tried it once.

Our guides had the salad bar and the ham chowder soup that they had with it was excellent. My husband said his Philly Cheesteak sandwich was quite good.

You may want to try the Indian Taco -- flat, pizza-shaped fry bread with beans, chili, beef and cheese.

I feel a tour is the best way to see the Hopi Mesas, as we found our guides extremely knowledgeable, and we got much more out of the experience than just going on our own.. They had so much information they seemed to have degrees in geology and natural history and we learned so much from them.

Our guides were from the local area, and part native themselves, so they gave the tour from an interesting perspective. We got to know each other very well (my husband and I were the only ones on the tour) and by the end became very good friends.

We rode in comfortable van, and since it can be a long day, depending on what you want to see, it's nice to leave the driving up to someone else. On comparing different tours on the internet, the cost is aproximately $120 - $130 US per person. The includes transportation, lunch, water and snacks. We left our accomodations in Sedona at 8:00 am, and returned at 7:00 pm, so we got our full money's worth.

Many people come to the Hopi Reservation to shop for crafts, such as pottery or Kachina Dolls. If you would like to buy on the reservation, make sure to do your research into what to expect to pay, and what to look for in quality.

When you are in the villages, most Hopi approaching you will want to sell you crafts. I found they varied in quality, and you can get some pretty good deals on items. Many of these people live in poverty-like conditions, but don't make this pressure you into buying. They will not be not offended if you say no.

Most of the very high quality stuff is sent out to galleries and stores, so don't expect to find exceptional items being sold to you by the villagers. Overall, though, I found the quality available is quite good, and remember, you get what you pay for. Warning: You take your chances if you give a down payment for an item that will be promised to be sent to you later.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: If you travel to the Mesas, make sure you dress in layers, and have a windbreaker on hand. The Mesas are at quite an elevation, and therefore, the wind can blow quite strongly, especially in the spring.