SEDONA BIKING OVERVIEW
Sedona is one of the most famous mountain bike destinations on earth. This sacred and powerful place is home to an extensive trail system with unparalleled options for mountain biking. Sedona’s unique location between the Colorado Plateau and Upper Sonoran Desert yields astounding red rock vistas above desert scenery. Sedona is a perfect biking destination for the off-season months when the rest of the country’s trails are covered in snow.
Where to go Biking in Sedona
- The West Sedona Tour is a 13.1-mile singletrack loop with lots of turns, some climbing and descending, and the opportunity to link together 8 classic West Sedona trails. It can also be added to other trails like the Chuckwagon-Mescal-Long Canyon Loop (see #2) for a longer ride. These trails are some of the best riding in West Sedona, featuring the red rock terrain that Sedona is famous for.
- Rating: 4.7 (130)
- Ascent: 921’ Descent: -934’ High: 4,721’ Low: 4,482’
- The Chuckwagon-Mescal-Long Canyon trail is a 9.1-mile singletrack loop with not too much elevation or climbing. Riders who are in Sedona for their first time will find this trail a good introduction to Sedona without the strenuous climbs of other trails in the area. This figure eight loop has smooth singletrack and is moderately challenging, with gorgeous red rock scenery.
- Rating: 4.5 (61)
- Ascent: 805’ Descent: -791’ High: 4,710’ Low: 4,366’
- Twin Buttes Loop is an 8.5-mile singletrack loop that is rated intermediate/advanced. It links some of Sedona’s best trails into a loop featuring mind-blowing scenery. These trails feature slickrock riding, flowing singletrack and occasional technical sections. Be prepared to hike a bike at time, like for the rock steps on Broken Arrow trail. The views on this trail make it all worth it.
- Rating: 4.5 (40)
- Ascent: 751’ Descent: -749’ High: 4,613’ Low: 4,225’
- Cathedral Big Rock Loop is a 12.4-mile out and back ride with some climbing and descents, and several technical rock sections. The trail crosses the popular Cathedral Rock hiking trail (hikers only) so be courteous to hikers. This ride features all the best of this popular area, and intermediate/advanced riders will love the trail’s flow and incredible scenery.
- Rating: 4.4 (62)
- Ascent: 1,054’ Descent: -1,054’ High: 4,458’ Low: 3,963’
- Aerie Loop is a 5.4-mile singletrack loop that is a short, quick ride around Doe Mountain, and is good for beginners or riders with limited time. It features a few of the trails in the Dry Creek area with nice flow, slickrock riding, and a few technical sections. The views of the Sedona red rock and Sedona desert are outstanding.
- Rating: 4.3 (26)
- Ascent: 541’ Descent: -541’ High: 4,730’ Low: 4,510’
- Courthouse Vista Loop a 6.2-mile singletrack loop around some of the most incredible scenery in Sedona. It is a great intermediate trail with not too much elevation but lots of fast flowing singletrack and some fun technical sections that intermediate riders will love.
- Rating: 4.3 (16)
- Ascent: 386’ Descent: -387’ High: 4,446’ Low: 4,163
GETTING TO SEDONA
Phoenix is a great gateway to Sedona, an easy 2-hour drive from the town. Flying into Phoenix and driving to Sedona is the most popular way to access the area, due to the large international airport and easy access to rental cars. Las Vegas is another option with a large airport, only about 4.5 hours to drive to Sedona. You can even visit the quaint mountain town of Flagstaff on the way! Many people choose to combine their trip to Sedona with a visit to Flagstaff or the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, which is only about 2 hours away.
SEDONA BIKING RENTALS, TOURS & LESSONS
TripOutside offers the best outfitters if you’re looking for a Sedona bike rental, as well as biking tours and lessons on the famous red rock. Our outfitter partners are all four star rated or above, and are some of the most experienced biking experts in the state of Arizona. We take the guesswork out of booking a Sedona biking trip – all of our outfitters provide top notch service and safety.
Best Sedona Bike Rental Shops
We spent 4.6 hours researching Sedona bike rental reviews, prices, locations, and more.
Over The Edge is now Thunder Mountain Bikes. A true mountain biking shop that lives and breathes the culture and carries the latest and greatest bikes in the industry.
- 4.8 ⭐️ (400 reviews)
- Brands carried: Evil, Ibis, Revel, Intense, Juliana, Liv, Santa Cruz, Giant, Trek
- Rental period: Daily rentals
- What we love: The number of brands and models that they carry. You can demo some of the hottest new bikes on the market like Revel, Evil and Ibis and try them on some of the toughest trails on the planet. If the bike makes it here, you’ll be sure to love it on your trails back home.
Whether you’re looking for a coffee shop with a biking problem or vice versa, Bike and Bean has you covered for both. Grab a latte, made with fine artisan coffee from a small, multi-generation family-owned producer in Sicily and a full-suspension Santa Cruz mountain bike. Can you think of a better way to spend your weekend?
- 4.5 ⭐️ (78 reviews)
- Brands carried: Santa Cruz, Niner, Kona
- Types of bikes: They have hardtail mountain bikes, full-suspension, and kids bikes for rent
- Rental period: Bike and Bean offers hourly and daily rates for their bike rentals. You’ll get better discounts for renting multiple days.
- What we love: Coffee and instant online booking.
- A broader selection of bike types and models, but they have what you need for a quality ride in Sedona.
ABSOLUTE BIKES SEDONA
Absolute Bikes Sedona is another popular shop with different locations in Sedona and Flagstaff. What we like about Absolute Bike Sedona is that they rent a variety of types of bikes from road bikes, e-bikes, kids bikes, and racks. So if you’re looking for one shop that will please anyone in the group, whether a roadie or a mountain biker or someone that just wants to cruise around the city, head to Absolute Bikes.
They also carry some of the best MTB brands like Yeti
-
- 4.8 ⭐️ (133 reviews)
- Brands carried: Specialized, Marin, Pivot, Yeti
- Rental period: daily rentals
- What we love: You can rent a road bike, a cruiser, or an e-bike in their centrally located store in the Village or Oak Creek. You can bike out of the shop to ride the epic trails nearby.
SEDONA BIKE TOURS & Lessons
- eTrekAdventures offers incredible e-bike tours around Sedona.
- Sedona Mountain Bike Academy offers mountain bike lessons with a tour of some of the best spots to ride in Sedona from their team of certified mountain bike instructors. Improve Your MTB Skills on the World’s Best Trails!
