Sedona, AZ

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.

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.

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.

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.