Escapees January-February 2024

Famous “Cathedral Rock” provides a fabulous backdrop while mountain biking the trails around the base.

T he vistas around Sedona are breathtaking, and it is worthwhile simply to drive around town and relish the dramatic views at every turn. Shaped in a “Y” with downtown Sedona in the right fork, West Sedona in the left fork and the Village of Oak Creek at its base, every road in the area is a jaw-dropper! We’ve even found ourselves taking photos in parking lots because of the striking red rocks tower ing nearby. One of the most popular scenic drives is a 4x4 jeep trail on Schnebly Hill Road. We opted to take our own diesel truck on this road, beginning in the cool pine forests near Flagstaff and driving downhill into the blazing red rocks of Sedona. The road is extremely rough in places, but the sensational scenery was worth every bump to go see. As we snapped photos of jubilant jeep tourists being tossed all over the place, we heard one fellow yell to his buddy, “This is going on Facebook!” He held his camera high in the air for a sel fi e in the jeep with the jagged red rocks behind him. Hiking and Biking Trails Despite its small size (pop. 9,700), Sedona stands tall on the world stage for travelers. As we ventured out onto Bell Rock Pathway, perhaps the most popular hiking and biking route through the red rocks, we heard languages from all over the world, as we mingled with

Asian and European tourists. This hiking trail is an easy stroll right into the heart of the red rocks, and we soon discovered it is a great place to get your mountain-bik ing legs in action too. The Templeton Trail forks off of the Bell Rock Pathway, and a challenging mountain bike ride on this trail took us along a winding route to the towering monolith, Cathedral Rock. The fun thing about this trail is the smooth ride along the base of the cathe dral. Glorious red rock peaks are easily visible in the distance, while the trail hugs massive rock walls that reach up to the cathedral’s steeples. As we rounded the last curve, the buttresses and spires of Cathedral Rock overhangs that jutted out over wide, shallow pools, creating perfectly mirrored re fl ections…” “Walking under a thick canopy of lush green vegetation, we soon found ourselves next to a series of huge rock

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ESCAPEES Magazine January/February 2024