Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
512
For more information on hiking in Oak Creek Canyon (site of the famous West Fork
Oak Creek Trail), see “Oak Creek Canyon,” earlier in this chapter. For more information
on all these hikes, contact the
Coconino National Forest's Red Rock Ranger District,
8375 Ariz. 179, Village of Oak Creek (
&
928/203-7500;
www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino).
Sedona is rapidly becoming one of the Southwest's meccas for mountain biking. The
red rock here is every bit as challenging and scenic as the famed slickrock country of
Moab, Utah, and much less crowded. Using Sedona as a base, mountain bikers can ride
year-round by heading up to Flagstaff in the heat of summer. One of my favorite rides
is around the base of Bell Rock. Starting at the trail head parking area just north of the
Village of Oak Creek, you'll find not only the easy Bell Rock Path, but also numerous
more-challenging trails.
Another great ride starts above uptown Sedona, where you can take the Jim Thomp-
son Trail to Midgely Bridge or the network of trails that head toward Soldier Pass. The
riding here is only moderately difficult and the views are superb. To reach these trails,
take Jordan Road to a left onto Park Ridge Road, and follow this road to where it ends
at a trail head parking area. You can rent bikes from
Mountain Bike Heaven,
1695 W.
Hwy. 89A (
&
928/282-1312;
www.mountainbikeheaven.com). Bikes rent for $40 to
$65 per day.
Sedona Bike & Bean,
6020 Hwy. 179, Village of Oak Creek (
&
928/284-
0210;
www.bike-bean.com), across the street from the popular Bell Rock Pathway and
its adjacent mountain-bike trails, also rents bikes (and serves coffee). Bikes go for $40 to
$70 for a full day. Any of these stores can sell you a good local trail map or Cosmic Ray's
Fat Tire Tales and Trails
guidebook to the best rides in Arizona. If you'd prefer to have a
guide take you out on either a mountain-bike or road-bike tour, contact
Sedona MTB
Adventures
(
&
888/984-1246
or 928/284-1246; www.sedonamtbadventures.com).
If you'd rather saddle up a palomino than pedal a bicycle, you can book a horseback
ride through
Sedona Red Rock Jeep Tours,
270 N. Hwy. 89A (
&
800/848-7728
or
928/282-6826; www.redrockjeep.com), which charges $99 for a 2-hour ride.
Surprisingly, Sedona has not yet been ringed with golf courses. However, what few
courses there are offer superb views to distract you from your game. The
Oakcreek
Country Club,
690 Bell Rock Blvd. (
&
888/703-9489
or 928/284-1660; www.
oakcreekcountryclub.com), south of town, off Ariz. 179, has stunning views from the
course. Greens fees are $45 to $99. The
Sedona Golf Resort
, 35 Ridge Trail Dr.
(
&
877/733-6630;
www.sedonagolfresort.com), south of town, on Ariz. 179, offers
equally breathtaking views of the red rocks. Greens fees are $59 to $105.
15
SHOPPING
Ever since the Cowboy Artists of America organization was founded in Sedona back in
1965 (at what is now the Cowboy Club restaurant), this town has had a reputation as an
artists' community. Today, with dozens of galleries around town, it's obvious that art is
one of the driving forces behind the local economy. Most of Sedona's galleries specialize
in traditional Western, contemporary Southwestern, and Native American art, and in
some galleries, you'll see works by members of the Cowboy Artists of America. You'll find
the greatest concentration of galleries and shops in the uptown area of Sedona (along
Ariz. 89A just north of the “Y”) and at Tlaquepaque.
With more than 40 stores and restaurants,
Tlaquepaque,
336 Hwy. 179 (
&
928/
282-4838;
www.tlaq.com), at the bridge over Oak Creek on the south side of Sedona,
bills itself as Sedona's arts-and-crafts village and is designed to resemble a Mexican village.
(It was named after a famous arts-and-crafts neighborhood in the suburbs of Guadala-
jara.) The maze of narrow alleys and courtyards, with its fountains, chapel, and bell
