Sedona Questions

This is really for AZ, but all are welcomed to chime in.
Going to Sedona for a few days with the family on June 1.
Besides MTB which I plan on doing. What are the must see or do.. Thanks

peace and love

Pink Jeep tour, reserve ahead.

Walk around with a sandwich board to protest the Snowbowl's use of reclaimed treated sewage for snowmaking.

June is wicked hot in Sedona. Plan on riding early or late. All of the shops are great in Sedona for bikes or parts. The Friday group ride out of the Bike And Bean is always super fun and it's an opportunity to meet locals. It's casual and very laid back,  Bike And Bean provides pizza and beer afterwords. Make sure to get some real Mexican food at Tacos De Fuego, it's legit and not overpriced like most of the places in Sedona. I'll recommend some patio time up at Indian Gardens Cafe and Market up in Oak Creek Canyon, it's right along the creek on 89A so it's surrounded by beautiful Sycamore and other deciduous trees that provide a ton of shade for the outdoor patio. They always have really good beers on tap. It's a very cool hang out.

How old are the kids? The Broken Arrow tour that Pink Jeep does is very popular. If your family is very outdoorsy though you can hike that whole loop in a couple of hours and save 400+ dollars. If you think the family would enjoy the off road jeep thing it's probably worth it. I worked there for 6 years giving those tours and people get really fired up on the BA. Do not do the Diamond Back Gulch Tour, it's terrible! If you do plan on doing a jeep tour book now and get on a early or sunset tour, it's not that much fun to get bounced around in the mid day 100+ degree sun. It can be more like 110-115 out on the rocks by 1.

I think most people that visit Sedona do a jeep tour, walk around the uptown shops (super touristy, sort of like the Jersey shore with a cleaner new age spin to it) and buy a t-shirt and that's the Sedona experience for them. For people into adventure sports it's a giant outdoor playground. It's a killer place for biking, hiking, and climbing. In June though you don't want to be out from about 11 to 3. That's the time to siesta and hit the pool or visit the Flagstaff area.

Jerome is a short 30 minute drive south from Sedona and very much worth a visit. It's a historic mining town built up high on the black hills mountains across the valley. If you can spend a night there in the Grand Hotel. It's a haunted hotel that was originally a hospital. It's really fun for the kids and they even have some goofy ghost hunting gear available at the front desk.



I took some photos of my daughter while she was ghost hunting in the hallways. this one captured an orb that seems to be right over her. Apparently this hall way is frequented by a child loving woman spirit that is said to have died while giving birth. ????


Make sure you visit Flagstaff. The historic downtown area is awesome. Flag brew is always fun for some patio time. The mountain biking here is pretty good too. The AZT section up by Snowbowl road is really bad ass. I like to do a big loop of it from the bottom of Snowbowl Road, from there ride out to FSR 151 to FSR 418 to the AZT. This is a clockwise loop with some of the best mountain views Arizona offers. This section of the AZT is arguably the best section of any of it. You cruise through huge Aspen tree stands and giant old growth firs with views of Humphrey's Peak and the Arizona Snowbowl. It really feels more like Colorado than Arizona. Take my word for it.....DO THIS RIDE. If I can I'll go ride it with ya. I'm way out of shape now though from getting just worked this past semester in school.

What else? Ah the ditch. We have this canyon up the road from here that you should probably check out, I don't know if you have heard of it, it's called the Grand Canyon. The backpacking in there is alltime. A shorter day hike that I would recommend is Horseshoe Mess. Check with the Park Service on the status of the Cave Of Domes. It's a freaking wild ass cave on the side of the mesa you can explore. Bring headlamps, you have to have them. You have to crawl in some places and then the cavern opens up into these huge rooms, it's super rad. there are these domes you can stand under that are filled with historic signatures from famous early Grand Canyon explorers. The mesa was also a mining camp and there is some historic mining junk laying about. If you want more adventure in there hike down to the miners spring, the trail to it is exposed and super narrow, the rocks jet outward just enough that it adds to the experience.

that's it for now, I gotta get ready for work but I'll probably post back with more as I think of it.

I'll give you some ride suggestions for Sedona too once I have more time.

AZ thanks for the info
my kids are 19 and 22 ..
we were in flag 2 years ago , cool place..i will be solo when it comes to biking..a tour would be great..staying at Hyatt pinion pt....
once again thanks for the beta..

Pick up one of these at a shop

I think I am going to Sedona just to follow AZ recommendations.  Looks like a lot of fun.  

The Beartooth map is a must. It's one of the best maps I have ever seen and it will make sense of this ride suggestion.

For your first ride I would suggest warming up with the West side trail system. It's the most XC cruiser friendly system in Sedona and a good place to get used to the terrain. Some of the trails in that system are totally bitchin too.

Take Dry Creek Road out to FSR 152, it will come up on your right, this is where the trail head is for Devils Bridge and Chuck Wagon. Drive just past the 152, not even 100 feet or so and you will see pull offs on the side of Dry Creek Road. These spots are free as opposed to the fee parking at the actual trail head. Start your ride from here. Head down Chuck Wagon for about a mile and take the left turn onto the connector trail that will dump you out onto Long Canyon Road. Now cross LCR and onto the Mescal Trail. Follow Mescal to the next connector trail on your right, follow that over to the Long Canyon Trail. Ride the LCT up and over Dead Mans Pass. From the pass and down the Dead Mans Pass Trail you get to rip an old school favorite that has lots of fun little jumps and drops. Follow this out to the Boynton Canyon trail head. Go across the parking lot and onto the Aerie Trail. This will cut across Boynton Pass Road. Continue on the Aerie to the Cockscomb Trail. The Cockscomb back to Aerie trail loop should be done in the clockwise direction for the most downhill ripping sections. The Cockscomb has some killer g-outs and the Aerie in this direction is really fun. Follow the Aerie back onto the section you had previously rode from the Boynton Pass trail head. This is another super fun section that keeps you on your tires edges the whole time. It's like a natural pump track in and out of the washes. Double back on this and then the Dead Mans Pass Trail for a short distance to connect with the Mescal Trail. Climb up onto the slick rock ledges that circumnavigate the mesa until you get to the Canyon Of Fools Trail that will drop off to your right. This trail will drop you through a super narrow wash with fun banked corners. You should end up back at Boynton Pass Road (152C). Cross the road and take the Dawa to the OK Trail on your left. Shortly after take the next left onto the Arizona Cypress Trail. Then the right onto the Snake Trail then a left onto the Girdner Trail. This will dump you back out to where you had parked.

I have found this to be the best connection for the most fun ripping descents in the West Side system.

Another ride you shouldn't miss that is much more technical is the HiLine Trail. It's the classic. there is short steep section that really challenges people but it's completely ridable. The views are killer and the descent is amazing. The climb is one of the coolest anywhere too. You can link this one up with the Carroll Canyon System if you like long epic-ish rides or just loop back using the Templeton to Easy Breezy and back to the Yavapai System which will get you back to Slim Shady and the VOC. Most people park in front of the Bike and Bean shop to ride this area. If you do the short version climb up the Yavapai System trails up onto the slick rock bench that you were on when you started the Hiline Trail and take a rip down the Slim Shady Trail that will put you back down onto the Templeton Trail for a quick bonus loop. This section of Slim Shady is also one of the areas best and it will only add on about 20 minutes to your ride.

If you like getting weird and the Hiline just wasn't enough try out the Hangover. Give me a call if you do, I love guiding that one. I have some secret bonus lines I can share that a very exciting!

Another really fun area is the Broken Arrow Hogs system. That's where you can find Submarine Rock and Chicken Point. The White Line is just above Chicken Point.

Have fun!

Some stoke for you!
From 2013.

This is some footage I collected for a local tv commercial for Absolute Bikes just last spring.

And a little more old school when I rode around on a 38 pound 7 inch travel freeride bike. This was the first time we rode the White Line in December of 2010. the shot of my buddy Ryan is the first time anyone had connected the upper ledge to the lower ledge 5 years before the Polish guy became famous for filming it.

JasonWx wrote

AZ thanks for the info
my kids are 19 and 22 ..
we were in flag 2 years ago , cool place..i will be solo when it comes to biking..a tour would be great..staying at Hyatt pinion pt....
once again thanks for the beta..

 I just checked my schedule, it looks like my summer class starts on May 31st and runs though all of June. I probably won't be able to get out then. Summer courses are brutal but it gets it done in 5 weeks. Between school, work, and parenting I'm going to be buried! :(