Sedona "the Beta"
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| Just coming into town on 179 |
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| We loved the Dry Creek area, uncrowded beauty |
We have gone to Sedona 4 times and only on the last trip a few weeks ago did I finally get information on trails and trail head locations. The key was to have a good topo map with the trails and major access roads clearly marked. First, when you go on 179 towards Sedona, do stop at the forest service information building on the right side of the road. It has the 12 page bulletin that gives the overview of what is offered in Sedona. Get the overview!
Most of the destinations in Sedona only need a rental car or one with high clearance! You will just be forced to drive a little slower and with more attention. The map which makes everything work is titled "Sedona Core Trails". It is a topo map with all major access roads and mountain bike/hiking trails overlaid. It can be purchased at "Bikes and Beyond" on 89. Do not cheap out on this key to the kingdom. Most of the locals driving in Jeeps with the tourists know about these maps and will be happy if you pay for something that is easy to master on your own.
Much of the trail system in Sedona is made for the high end mountain biker! Sure the trails are well marked, but this is a rocky place. Be sure to be aware of the difficulty rating, especially if it is hot. Certainly do Tempelton, but come back on Easy Breezy, unless you want to do much of the return on city streets. Our favorite ride was the Dry Lake area. It is much less crowded and has spectacular views. It is fairly open and probably not the best choice if it is hot. I used my wrist gps to get tracks of our bike rides and hikes. All bike routes are hiker friendly. It is easier and more effective to use a vehicle to get to the trail heads. Sedona is fairly close to Phoenix and gets a huge tourist car count. Not my favorite place to road bike.
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| Templeton Ride |
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| Dry Creek Area |
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| Adobe Jack area |
Just as good as the mountain bike rides are the hikes! Bell Rock area is the easiest for hiking or biking. Most routes are very well marked and fun. One that is only a quarter mile up from the Rancho Sedona RV park is the Marg's Draw trail. It has beautiful views and is deserted in comparison to the Bell Rock area.
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Marg's Draw hiking only trail
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| Kathy at the top of Boynton Canyon (by a big resort) |
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Marg's Draw gps track
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If RV'ing , stay at the Rancho Sedona RV, up Schnebly Hill , just before meeting 89. It is a low key RV park that has just enough rules to make it a quiet, well run place. It is also close to the "Javalina" restaurant and other good eateries (Walking distance). No tents, but Australians were using rented minivans for shelter.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rancho-sedona-rv-park-sedona-2
We went to the Palatki Cultural Site. You can make this with any vehicle if you go slow. They have two docents that cover the ruins to the right and the pictographs to the left. I am a Indian art fanatic and could not have had such a great experience without the information of the docents and volunteer rangers. Do not miss this treasure. The Indians lived here from 650 to 1300 and were called "AguaSin" by the locals (without water). The Indian art in Baja Sur is generally more colorful, perhaps because of it's more recent age.
Here are some of the pictographs:
