Slim Shady + Mescal
Flowy desert singletrack: the fun, accessible side of Sedona. Great warm-up ride.
Trail 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.
When to go
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.