We just got back from spending a couple weeks in Sedona, AZ. The idea, location, and plan came together in less than two days. It checked all of our boxes: close to trails, decent food options, warm-enough weather, drive-able over a weekend, good wifi so we can both work, and somewhere completely different. I was especially excited to mountain bike.

• 2,756 miles, round trip.
• 14 days in Sedona.
• 8 hikes.
• 5 rides.
• 1 trip to the vet.

Food and shops.

• Coffee. Best coffee was Freeform. Closed on Tuesdays, so went to Black Potion those days, which also was a crystal shop.
• Mexican. Our favorite restaurant overall was Tortas de Fuego. We went there the most. Another good place was Elote. Always booked.
• Bike shop. Thunder Mountain. Super nice people, gave me a bunch of ideas for rides.
• Garlands. Found a very cool, 100-year-old Navajo rug here.
• Everything else. We had a good sandwich at Hilltop Deli, tried a “fancy” place that was solid called Mariposa, and had good pizza and salad at Pisa. Walked around tourist traps one day for fun. Excellent people watching.

Rides and hikes.

We stayed across the street from trail access and hiked or biked every day but the day we had to go to the vet. (Jojo had what I thought was a thorn that got infected in her paw, but it turned out to be a growth that she had to get removed.) The network of trails by our Airbnb was pretty incredible so we did a new route every time we went out.

Rides

• Hogs. Backyard trails. Did this one a few times, a few different ways. Some combination of: High on the Hog, Hog Wash, Pigtail, Broken Arrow, Twin Buttes, Peccary, Mystic. Added Submarine Rock out-and-back one day. Double black, very exposed, technical. Beautiful views.
• Slim Shady. Also rode this one from the house by connecting some trails and a small bit on the road. Amazing views, a bit more flow-y. Black.
• Rabbit Ears. Super hot this day. Rode quite far on an green trail to access the route from the house. Less technical (Blue) but very different than previous rides. Felt a bit more Moab-like.

Hikes

• Hogs. We really explored our backyard. So many versions by connecting all the trails we had such easy access to. It was truly stunning and never got sick of them. Broken Arrow, High on the Hog, Hog Wash, Hog Heaven, Twin Buttes, Peccary, Mystic.

Next time.

Definately going back. It was the perfect trip. We’d stay for three weeks to get an additional weekend, try to take some time off work, and/or stay in Park City a week to break up the drive. It was an insane amount of driving, even for me. I’d also bring a bell for my bike, which I forgot at home, to give hikers more of a heads up.