Review Date
April 5, 2006

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 1 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 1 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: SedonaMTB ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Bell Rock Pathway should be the MTB riders first trail on arrival in Sedona. It is the artery for the southern part of the Coconino National Forest trail system, four miles long. This trail is visited by nearly one million visitors a year! Although it is a wide pathway there are some challenges mostly fitness related. Recently the forest service put fences along the trail to keep people on the trail. Hiking and biking off trail had caused a lot of damage to the vegetation.

Recommended Route:
I suggest parking at Absolute Bikes in the Village of Oak Creek who has lots of parking to avoid paying the Red Rock Pass parking fee. Ride from the shop to the trailhead. They also have a free map of the system trails which has been approved by the forest service. Be careful, some of the free maps you'll get in town include trails in Wilderness areas. Riding in Wilderness areas will bring you a $300 fine. They also have a company providing MTB tours.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
The trails branching off BR Pathway are Big Park Loops, Llama (way fun), Tempelton (Cathedral Rock Loop), Little Horse which takes you up to Chicken Point and onto Broken Arrow.

Review Date
September 7, 2005

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Reviewed by: aword4you ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
Went riding in Sedona for Labor Day weekend (Friday and Monday). Was awesome up there. I'm still a beginner/novice rider, so some of the trails off of the Bell Rock Pathway were a bit technical, but it's all a lot of fun, and offers gorgeous scenery. Definitely stop and get a trail map, there'll be more options probably than most people will have time for in a weekend.

Recommended Route:
We went off Bell Rock toward Templeton and rode that to just a bit past the swimming hole. This trail is rough for a beginner. I ended up walking quite a bit of it. Some parts (especially near the creek) are nearly impassable on the bike, as I think parts had been washed out. We wanted to head out to Baldwin, but ended up losing the trail. Watch for Poison Oak. Also checked out the loops, which were fun. Saw some quail, and hubby saw a huge jackrabbit. When we came back a few days later we wanted head out to Chicken Point. I'm not sure where we ended up, but I think we were close. Ended up having a few technical difficulties and wanted to head home before it got too late (had a 7 hour drive). There's plenty to explore!

Other recommended trails in the same area:
We went to AZ to visit Phoenix, and also ended up riding a bit of South Mountain one afternoon. Started with the climb toward National, but were trying to get to Desert Classic (found it upon returning to the parking lot, but was too late to head out on that trail).

For Sedona, just try 'em all out!

Review Date
August 9, 2005

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Reviewed by: aGo ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
These are great maps of Sedona & Flagstaff for riding & hiking. http://www.emmittbarks.com/

Review Date
December 3, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Reviewed by: djawahir ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
I went on a trip to Sedona this past weekend and this was one of the highlights of my trip. I went with my girlfriend, who is a beg/int rider. So, I was looking for something that we both could ride and have a blast. I didn't want to be falling asleep at the wheel, but I also didn't want the GF to have to hike-a-bike for most of the trail. This one was perfect. It was a lot of fun, there were some great scenery and I got to find a little vortex on the back side of the Bell which was pretty cool. But anyways, the trail was fun enough for the both of us with some technical spots and also some molehills for the occasional 1 to 2 footers.

I give it a 5 overall because Bell Rock can be ridden by all levels of riders and still be fun.

Recommended Route:
If you stay on the trails, you will have a good time. There are some spots off the beaten path that are cool as well, but you have to watch out for the crazy cactus.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
I think that you can find just about anything you want to ride in Sedona. So just go for it.

Review Date
October 5, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 5 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 0 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Tested or demo'ed only

Reviewed by: jbdmd ,  Cross Country Rider

Favorite Trail:
National at South Mountain

Summary:
I road Bell in route to Sub Rock for the first time yesterday with my SO who is very much a beginner! We both had a blast!!! Me, because it is a great, fast warm up for the more technical stuff climbing up to Submarine and her because it provided her with an approprriate amount of challange/fun. She was literally cooing! at the speeds at which she could travel. My SO said " I just didn't want it to end!"
If you are a beginner or are riding with a beginner and want to give them a chance at feeling like a mountainbiker take them on this trail: Fun fast trails, Unbelievable views and just a good time!
oh and I saw ~10 riders in four hours of riding! and it was 78 degrees all day!

Strengths:
Scenery and trails!