Sedona Mountain Biking: An Overview
by Aventura on April 11, 2023
Mountain biking in Sedona, Arizona has a rich history that dates back to the early 1980s. Back then, Sedona was a small town with a population of just over 2,500 people, and mountain biking was just starting to gain popularity in the United States.
In 1984, a group of local mountain bikers formed the Sedona Mountain Bike Club, which quickly became one of the most active mountain bike clubs in the country. The club organized races, trail building events, and advocacy efforts to promote mountain biking in Sedona.
As Sedona's reputation as a mountain biking destination grew, so did the number of trails. In the early days, the trails were mostly old jeep roads that had been converted for mountain biking. But over time, more and more purpose-built mountain bike trails were added to the area.
Today, Sedona has over 200 miles of trails, ranging from easy beginner trails to challenging expert-level trails. The trails wind through stunning red rock formations, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding desert landscape.
Sedona has also hosted a number of mountain biking events over the years, including the annual Sedona Mountain Bike Festival, which draws thousands of riders from around the world.
Mountain biking has become a major part of Sedona's tourism industry, with many local businesses catering to mountain bikers. Today, Sedona is widely recognized as one of the best mountain biking destinations in the United States, and its rich history continues to attract riders from around the world. Let’s dive into some of the best trails Sedona has to offer:
Slim Shady Trail (Intermediate)
The Slim Shady trail is an intermediate-level mountain bike trail in Sedona that offers a thrilling ride for moderately experienced riders. This 3.5-mile trail begins at the Bell Rock Vista parking lot and winds through stunning red rock formations, providing breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape.
Riders will encounter a variety of technical terrain, including rocky sections, tight turns, and some steep climbs and descents over 400 feet of elevation. One of the highlights of the trail is the "Mescal Bypass," a narrow section of trail that winds along the side of a steep hill, with rock formations jutting out from the trail. Overall, the Slim Shady trail is a must-ride for intermediate riders visiting Sedona.
Chuckwagon (Intermediate)
The Chuckwagon Trail is a popular 5.4 mile long intermediate-level trail that begins at the Dry Creek Vista Trailhead. If you’re looking for a great intro to Sedona riding, Chuckwagon is both the right difficulty and the right length to fit the bill. It showcases the types of terrain you can expect in the area more broadly. The trail spends a lot of time rolling through slickrock washes, but there are some technical features and quick, explosive slickrock climbs that will get your heart rate up as you traverse them.
Chuckwagon is also a great place to start if you’d like to explore other trail options, as there are plenty of trail intersections along the route to keep things interesting for you and your crew.
Hiline (Expert)
The Hiline Trail is an expert-level trail that offers a challenging and rewarding ride for expert riders. This legendary trail is 3.1 miles long across some of the most difficult riding Arizona has to offer. The climb begins mostly manageable with some fun rocky technical bits, but the descents are where this trail truly earns its double black rating. It’s called Hiline for a reason. The trail is often very narrow with extreme exposure to cliffsides and the potential for freefall if your balance isn’t on point.
This one isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’re comfortable riding blacks and double blacks as your go-to trail levels, Hiline offers some of the most technically demanding terrain you can find in the area.
Templeton (Intermediate to Difficult)
The Templeton Trail also starts at the Slim Shady trailhead, but takes you about 3.5 miles over Sedona red rock and along Oak Creek. Templeton is mostly mellow and fun blue square material, but there are a few spots that you may want to walk if you’re less confident in the saddle during steep descents. Keep in mind, this trail crosses the heavily trafficked Cathedral Rock Trail (hiker only), so keep your head on a swivel through this portion, as there are generally a ton of fairly inexperienced hikers out and about. Toward the end of the trail there are even a few spots to hop off the bike and jump into Oak Creek if the weather calls for it.
Hangover (Expert)
The Hangover Trail is very appropriately named and should only be undertaken by expert level riders looking for a unique and extremely white knuckle experience. Though the trail is just barely over 3 miles, about a third of that distance is descending over exposed slick rock with a number of 3-4 foot drops as it goes. If this sounds terrifying, then do yourself a favor and avoid it. If, however, this sounds like a great way to spend a morning, the riding on Hangover is one of the premier challenges Sedona has to offer on two wheels.
