Sedona

Beta: Park at Yavapai Vista off Hwy 179 between Sedona and Village of Oak Creek ($5/day Red Rock Pass required, or America the Beautiful). Ride east-to-west starting from the Village side — the other direction is a hike-a-bike and not worth it. Finish by linking Baldwin Trail back along the creek as a ~10 mi loop. The east-side exposure is no joke — if you clip a bar end on the wrong rock you're going 200+ ft down; scope everything, walk what you don't like, and always fall toward the cliff-wall side. Ride mornings to avoid sun and crowds.

Season: Rideable year-round on Coconino National Forest (USFS Red Rock Ranger District) land — a Red Rock Pass is required at the trailhead. Best conditions October-April when temps are in the 60s-70s; summer riders must start at dawn to beat 100F+ heat on this fully exposed ridgeline. Avoid riding when rain is forecast — the sandstone gets slick and the clay sections damage easily.

Beta: Park at the Cow Pies / Munds Wagon paved lot about 0.5 miles up Schnebly Hill Rd (just before pavement ends, Red Rock Pass required). Ride counter-clockwise: climb Munds Wagon, turn left at Cow Pies, then drop into Hangover at the top. Double-black — knife-edge slickrock with 200 ft of exposure on the 'hangover' section, mandatory steep slickrock climbs and rolls. Walk anything that isn't a hard yes, especially the exposed traverse and steep rolls; most has no go-around. Early morning = tacky rock, better grip, fewer hikers.

Season: Best ridden October-April under Coconino National Forest (USFS) jurisdiction; Red Rock Pass required. The trail runs through the Munds Mountain Wilderness boundary area with exposure that makes summer heat dangerous — locals stick to March-April and October-November. Avoid riding when wet; the exposed slickrock slabs become seriously hazardous.

Beta: Park at Yavapai Vista (Hwy 179, Red Rock Pass) for Slim Shady or stage at Bell Rock Vista if you're staying in Village of Oak Creek. For Mescal: from the Sedona Visitor Center take 89A 3.2 mi, right on Dry Creek Rd 3.0 mi, right on Long Canyon Rd 0.3 mi to the Mescal lot. Slim Shady is intermediate flow with slickrock wall rides, bermed corners, and stacked-rock rollers — ride it as a loop with Made in the Shade or link to Templeton. Mescal is a mellow slickrock traverse on a sandstone bench — perfect warm-up or rest-day ride.

Season: Best September through May on USFS Coconino National Forest land (Red Rock Pass required). Slim Shady is one of the few Sedona trails with meaningful tree cover, making it more tolerable on warm shoulder-season days, while Mescal runs exposed along slickrock. Summer (June-August) is too hot for comfortable riding unless you start at dawn.

Beta: Park at the middle viewing point on Hwy 179 between Village of Oak Creek and Sedona (Red Rock Pass required) and ride Bell Rock Pathway 0.7 mi through the tunnel under 179 to reach Templeton. Use Llama Trail as the connector between Little Horse and Templeton to avoid the hiker-packed Bell Rock Pathway. Templeton winds northwest around Cathedral Rock and links into Cathedral Rock Trail at 2.4 mi — stop at Cathedral for the classic view. Sedona intermediate-classic loop when stacked with Baldwin, HT, or Slim Shady.

Season: Open year-round on USFS Coconino National Forest land (Red Rock Pass required at trailhead). Best September through May; fully exposed with almost no shade, so summer rides demand dawn or dusk starts. Templeton is a popular hiker/biker shared trail, so weekend mornings in peak season (October-April) get crowded. Avoid riding within 24 hours of rain.