Muni Ride Camp Verde, Castle View Trail

Castle View Trail (FYI, I made this name up this is not an official trailhead/trail)
3.66 miles out and back
Level of difficulty:
Blue Square 

Clink "Link" to view the ride through, mapmyride.com
or copy and past this address: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/163782760


I rode this trail going out and back starting at a dirt road leading off N. Montezuma Castle Hwy. in Camp Verde.  I have a Prius so I parked along the roadway and started the ride from there.  The dirt road is just too rough for a low profile vehicle.  From where I parked you will need to cross a cattle guard and follow a jeep road down toward Beaver Creek.  From Montezuma Castle Hwy. you can see the jeep road wandering down through the mesquite bosque.  I stayed to the left as the jeep road headed toward the creek.  The road will drop right down to the water.  I was lucky this time of year and was able to rock hop across the creek.  In the early spring you will NOT be able to cross this creek.  Even the locals that live across and just downstream use a walking bridge to get across the creek to their homes during the snow-melt.  Once across the creek the jeep road narrows down to an ATV width and is used by a lot of the local horseback riders.  After leaving the creek, the trail makes a short climb and then crosses a flat for about 1/2 mile.  This section of the trail gives you a good view of Montezuma Castle and the surrounding cliffs.  After this flat the trail takes a sharp climb and continues for about a mile.  Occasionally, I could get on the Muni and ride a short distance but I was walking a lot during this section.  The good news is that I could ride almost all of it on the way back!!!  I turned around just short of 2 miles.  At this spot the trail started to flatten out.  You could keep going and easily make this a 10+ mile ride.  The trails and road interconnect on top of the mesa and just go on and on for miles.  The trail surface varies from packed sand, to river rock, to limestone.  



Directions To Trailhead:
Head north on I17 and get off at the third and last Camp Verde freeway exit.  Exit  I17 onto Montezuma Castle Hwy. and head south (Take a right).  You will need to work your way through a couple of round-abouts, but you will need to stay heading south on Montezuma Castle Hwy. for about 1.2 miles.  The jeep road starts on the left just after you pass N. Arena Del Loma.  If you pass a school on your right.... you went too far.

Trail difficulty Key:
Green Circle: Beginner Muni rider trail.  Trail very smooth with minimal drops and ridable climbs.
Blue Square: Intermediate Muni trail.  Challenging descents, difficult climbs, some walking required.
Black Diamonds: Advanced to Expert Muni level trail.  Extreme descents, most all will walk climbs.

Muni Ride Sedona, Long Canyon and Deadman's Pass

Long Canyon and Deadman's Pass Trails.
4.75 miles out and back
Level of difficulty:
Green Dot

Clink "Link" to view the ride through, mapmyride.com
or copy and past this address: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/163504456


I rode this trail going out and back starting at the Long Canyon Trailhead.  This is a great spot to start the ride because there is no fee to park at this trailhead and it starts to climb from the car.  This is a nice, ridable climb from the start for about 1.25 miles.  Just short of a mile you will come to a "Y" in the trail and you will need to take the left fork to place you on the Deadman's Pass Trail.  If you stay to the right you will continue up Long Canyon Trail BUT it leads you into the wilderness area and bikes are not allowed; just foot and horse traffic.  Make the left and avoid a possible ticket.  Now if you are thinking it through, you've just realized that you have about a 1.25 mile descent back to the car.  Halfway to the Deadman's Pass parking area you will ride through the trail summit.  The second half of this ride out has a few technical descents.  These are a lot of fun and are quite the reward for completing the climb to the summit.  Most of the trail is packed red sand, and it is a great surface to ride on.  You will come to the Deadman's Pass Trailhead after riding about 2.4 miles.  There is a bathroom at this location if nature is calling.  If the trail is calling, turn around and head back.  This trail is wicked fun in both directions.

Directions To Trailhead:
Head north on 89A from Cottonwood toward Sedona.  You will turn left on Dry Creek Road at about about mile post 371.  After turning left on Dry Creek Road go 2.9 miles and you will come to a stop sign.  Turn right onto Long Canyon Road and go 0.6 miles.  The trail Head will be on the left.  There is some parking on both the left and right side of the road.  (Just before you get to the trail head you will see lots of parked cars at the Mescal Trailhead.  Long Canyon Trailhead is just past this spot.)

Trail difficulty Key:
Green Circle: Beginner Muni rider trail.  Trail very smooth with minimal drops and ridable climbs.
Blue Square: Intermediate Muni trail.  Challenging descents, difficult climbs, some walking required.
Black Diamonds: Advanced to Expert Muni level trail.  Extreme descents, most all will walk climbs.

Muni Ride Sedona, Old Post Trail

Old Post Trail (South to North)
3 miles one way
Level of difficulty:
First 1.5 miles Black Diamond
Second 1.5 miles Blue Square

Clink "Link" to view the ride through, mapmyride.com
or copy and past this address: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/162790548


I rode this trail going one direction, from south to north.  The first 1/2 of the trail going north was, what I would consider, a black diamond trail.  The first 1/2 of this ride had a lot of loose large rock with jagged rock outcroppings cutting across the trail.  Almost all of the 440 ft. elevation gain came in the first 1.5 miles of the ride/hike.  I was forced to walk large sections of this trail during the first 1.5 miles.  I was planning on just riding one way so I could meet my family at the north end of this trail.  The north end of the trail dumps you right in the middle of upper Sedona.  It would be real easy to ride you unicycle up Shelby Drive and have some coffee or lunch before turning around and heading back.

The second 1/2 of this ride was wonderful.  I would classify this section as a blue square.   Lots of challenging descents on a wonderful single track trail.  I look forward to riding this trail again in the opposite.  I did this ride on January 2nd. with a 10:30 start time.  This made for a cooler ride with some snow patches in the shady areas.

Directions To Trailhead:
Take 89A north from Cottonwood toward Sedona.  Turn right onto Upper Red Rock Loop Road. (First traffic light you come to, you will see the Sedona High School on you right.) After about a mile you will make a left onto Chavez Ranch Road.  The trailhead will be on your left.  Parking on the side of the road.

Trail Difficulty Key:
Green Circle: Beginner Muni rider trail.  Trail very smooth with minimal drops and ride-able climbs.
Blue Square: Intermediate Muni trail.  Challenging descents, difficult climbs, some walking required.
Black Diamonds: Advanced to Expert Muni level trail.  Extreme descents, most all will walk climbs.