Sedona!

Sedona rocks. Seriously. Go to Sedona.

Just a taste of the amazing views in red rock country.

If you enjoy the outdoors, beautiful skies day and night, stunning scenery, great weather, and/or friendly people, go to Sedona. If you like being active and want to be moving and shaking all day long, go to Sedona. If you like sitting still in complete silence and contemplating the universe, go to Sedona. Heck, if you just like being a couch potato and never want to leave your car, still go to Sedona.

More eye candy.

Sedona has something for everyone:

• Nearly 150 miles of off-road hiking and biking trails just outside town, along with plenty of well-maintained sidewalks and dedicated bike lanes.
• A unique downtown full of boutiques, independent restaurants and bars, eclectic gift shops, spas, gem shops, and meditation retreats.
• Easy access to scenic vistas. This is the place where we first noticed the phenomenon of the "drive-by tourist". There's apparently no need to even leave your car to snap some amazing photos of the panoramic views. Just idle slowly through the parking lot with your passenger hanging out the window to frame up the shot.

Mountain Biking

For mountain bikers, Sedona is an absolute mecca. Being an alpine desert, the weather is nearly always perfect, with low humidity and rare rainfall, and the higher altitude (about 5000 ft) keeps the daytime temperature relatively mild. Depending on which part of town you head to, the trails can be fairly easy with few obstacles and mild elevation, or extremely challenging with big technical moves on the edge of a cliff as you ascend a 30 degree incline begging for mercy.

No need to worry about getting lost! All of the trails are well marked with occasional maps printed at big intersections. Plus, there is usually decent cell reception in most places.

There are so many trails that even after a few weeks in town, we still hadn't discovered them all. If you only have a few days in town, make sure to do a little research to determine where your time will be best spent! Below I've listed a few of our favorites.

• Beginners will find an opportunity to enjoy the awesome scenery with a relatively easy pedal in a few parts of town.
• Bell Rock Pathway/Big Park Loop: By far the easiest trails in town. Mostly flat, wide path with a few short but surprising technical sections scattered here and there.
• Chuckwagon/Mescal/Aerie: A fun mostly cross-country loop without any treacherous exposure or frustratingly endless technical sections. There are still challenging spots, but this trail system offers plenty of time to recover and not as much climbing as some other areas in town.

  

  The Mescal trail offers all the amazing scenery without all the trail challenges.

• Intermediate riders will find the random assortment of rock piles the locals call a trail to be both frustrating and rewarding.
• Slim Shady: This trail epitomizes Sedona. It contains a little bit of everything - smooth desert singletrack, rocky downhill sections, and challenging chunky ups that require big moves. It is a great trail to warm up and get a feel for what Sedona has to offer!
• EZ Breezy: A very unique trail that follows a wash down the ledgy eroded sandstone. This is an excellent place to practice rock rolls and drops with some small, manageable features and multiple line options to choose from all the way down.

  

  Getting rad off rock ledges.

     
• Adobe Jack area/Javelina: Head down Adobe Jack for a fun and flowy but not too challenging downhill, or climb Adobe Jack and follow Javelina down for a rocky, chunky, more technical downhill that'll keep you on your toes.

• For advanced riders, make sure to hit the iconic trails in Sedona.
• Hogs: A good place to ease into the techy stuff. This is a loop that puts together the High on the Hog, Hog Heaven, and Hogwash trails. You'll find plenty of chunky rocks to navigate, big rock rolls, sharp steep switchbacks, and more.

  

  Following Little Horse out to the Hogs loop includes an amazing panoramic view at Chicken Point!

     
• Hiline: After a long bench cut climb over rocks the size of small dogs, you'll finally reach the overlook, where you can catch your breath and regain your composure for the downhill half of the trail. The descent starts off innocently through some gentle switchbacks and rolling terrain before dumping you down a steep rock roll and into "the Chute". Look before you leap for the rest of the trail, since this is some of the rowdiest terrain we have ever encountered. Steep, rocky, tricky, and technical.

  

  Bring your skills and look before you ride on the back side of Hiline.

     
• Hangover: More of a hike than a ride (for us), but still fun to experience and claim that you have ridden it! Hangover will make you wonder who actually rides this shit. Insanely steep ups, extremely technical features placed innocently next to a drop to your death, and big rock rolls that if executed poorly will lead to a few hundred feet of tumbling. This trail is gnarly. Ride with caution!

  

  One of the not so treacherous sections of Hangover.

• If you're in town for more than a few days, check out the new Posse Grounds Bike Park. It is still a work in progress as of late 2017, but already has a small pump track, dual slalom, flow trail, and tech flow downhill runs. It's a great place to bring the kids or play around for a couple of hours!

The pump track is a choose-your-own-adventure group of berms, tables, and rollers. 

The Tech Flow downhill trail has optional jumps, doubles, and drops along the way. Be sure to look before you leap!

If you (or your significant other) are not an avid mountain biker, don't fret. There are still plenty of things to do in Sedona! Go on a hike to get a closer look at the views. Check out the vortexes and the history of their believed healing powers. Relax in one of the many meditation classes or spas. Regardless of your interests or your fitness level, Sedona has something for everyone, with a big focus on physical and emotional wellness.

Camping

One of the reasons we loved Sedona was the easy access to free boondocking. Drive any direction out of town, and within 15-20 minutes you'll be on BLM land. There are no water, dump stations,  bathrooms, or garbage receptacles, so follow Leave No Trace principles and pack out whatever you packed in.

• Forest Rd 525, west of Sedona: This place has the best views of the red rocks, and therefore seems to be the most popular. The road is well maintained and offers easy access to a number of large campsites. Don't expect much privacy here - the camping is limited and the sites are large, so strangers will share sites to ensure that everyone has a place to stay. As long as you are friendly to others and respect quiet hours and the space they need for their own camps, you'll be welcome.

If you're an early riser at the Forest Rd 525 campsites, you might catch a glimpse of the hot air balloon tours as they glide past the red rocks lit up by the sunrise.

• Beaverhead Flats Rd, south of Sedona: For those who prefer more privacy, try this area. The sites are smaller and lack the awesome views, but are generally a little more secluded. I wouldn't recommend large rigs traveling to this area, as the road is a little rough and mostly narrow with few opportunities to turn around.

  

  View from the top of a big mound showing off a Beaverhead Flat campsite.

     
• Forest Rd 689, south of I-17: There are only a handful of sites here, most of which are quite a ways down the road. A perk is that you can jump right on South I-17 for just a mile or two and find a rest stop with clean bathrooms and spigots of fresh water available. (No dump station or refills for big rigs, but this is a great place to refill your portable water jugs.)

  

  There must be something in the air in Sedona - nearly every winter sunset looked this good.

      
• Forest Rd 237, north of Sedona: If you are arriving or leaving town from the north, or if you don't plan on spending a lot of time down in Sedona, this is a great place to camp. Slightly higher altitude provides a pine forest and cooler temperatures. The biggest disadvantage to this area is that it's about 30 minutes north of Sedona up a series of terrifying switchbacks (be aware there is a vehicle length limit for good reason here). 

Overall...

Sedona is a magical place that I would recommend to anyone. There are a huge variety of places to see and things to do. If you ever have the opportunity, go to Sedona. You won't be disappointed.