This ride had a farm theme going on with names like Chicken Point, Little Horse, High on the Hog, and Hog Heaven. We did a slightly shorter version of this Trailforks route starting at Little Horse Trailhead and looping around to Mystic but I would suggest this loop to avoid the road and cathedral traffic.
This was the most technically challenging ride of our trip. Just lots of technical navigation through rock gardens, steep rocky slopes, and chunky terrain. We felt worked after we were finished. Throw in a few sketchy hike-a-bikes down slick rock faces and it had all the elements of an eco-challenge minus the off trail navigation.
All in all it was probably the most beautiful ride we did too. Although every ride was beautiful. Chicken Point is a great overlook but the commercial jeep companies drive customers up to that point so it was a bit crowded. However we talked to a family with five brothers. The grown sons had fanned out across the country and flown in to spend the holiday in Sedona with mom and dad. We asked one of the local jeep drivers about Schnebly Hill Road to get the 4-wheel drive inside scoop. Did he think we could drive the van up that road? He said it was sharp hairpin turns so our vehicle could be too long to navigate around the corners but he said the road itself was navigable by our van.
High on the Hog and Hog Heaven were insane. One drop was about 20 feet of near vertical sandstone. Another was a sandstone drop followed by a snaking downhill of hand built rock slalom. The side hills were exposed so just don’t look where you don’t want to go. Overtime we stopped the views were amazing.
The Mystic route back was challenging because it is near Christmas and the traffic trying to get to the cliff side cathedral was over the top. We quickly made our way through and onto Chapel trail were we rode and walked a long section of rock garden. The reason I suggest the route outlined on Trailforks.
Tips for a better experience in Sedona. Stop in at Over the Edge Sports for a map, some great recommendations for riding, and any last minute gear you might need. You can also rent bikes the shop. Use Trailforks.com and mtbproject.com for routes on your smart phone and GPS
For free camping visit www.freecampsites.net or iOverlander.com We also stayed at Rancho Sedona RV Park to plugin, do laundry, and take showers. However what we really wanted was good wifi which the did not have. There are local coffee shops and cafes that can substitute for a wifi connection in town which is in walking distance from the park.
All in all a great last ride on our trip through Sedona. Next stop Schnebly Hill Vista…