01-20-08 Sedona Hat Trick

Alright - took a 4 Jeep caravan (`99 Wrangler Sport / `98 Grand Cherokee / `05 Rubicon Unlimited / `04 Rubicon) up to Sedona today to do a little exploring in the Red Rock country. In doing so we ran 3 off-road trails. The first being BROKEN ARROW. What can I say - what an awesome trail to drive. The weather was beautiful, the temperature was in the high 50's to low 60's and the scenery was breathtaking as usual, a sunny cloudless blue sky, beautiful red rock, green trees, and snow on the upper reaches of the peaks and buttes. But more than anything else was that there was hardly anyone else out wheeling today on the trails. For shear fun with staggered obstacles Broken Arrow was a dream of a ride. This trail offers excitement,challenge, and a sense of adventure while driving through the trees and around the red rock out croppings that make Sedona the natural wonderland that it is. The side trips to Devils Dining Room, Submarine Rock, and Chicken Point do nothing but add to the fun of running this trail. On a scale of 1-5, and 1 being the lowest I'd give it a 5. Not only is it a gem of a trail, finishing up with the "STEPS" makes this trail one that I will be more than happy to run over and over again. If you haven't run this trail - make the trip and enjoy the diversity of this area.

The second trail that we ran was SOLDIERS PASS. It is a short trail (approx. 1 mile one way) with again the beautiful scenery of the red rock buttes and trees but not near the gem that Broken Arrow was. The side trips to Seven Apache Pools, and Devils Kitchen actually make this trail worth running in my opinion. Especially the run up the side road to Devils Kitchens. I enjoyed this trail as well and on a scale of 1-5, I'd give it a 3.5 for enjoyment and challenge. Unfortunately this trail is short and I wish that it was longer more diverse and technically challenging like Broken Arrow. This is another trail that I would be happy to run again.

The third and final trail (FR 152A) that we ran today was GREASY SPOON. This was the longest trail we ran today and it is just under 6 miles. But unfortunately I personally was disappointed with this trail. Greasy Spoon just didn't offer me the beauty and fun that the previous 2 trails did. It was for the most part flat track running with a lot of continual annoying bumps and jarring rocks that reminded me of a wash board road that hasn't been graded for years. You will get to see some nice panoramic views of the Red rocks in the back ground but it just didn't seem to make this trail enjoyable. If it wasn't for the last 2 miles of this trail running up and down into a few canyons this trail wouldn't even be worth running. On a scale of 1-5, I'd give this trail about a 1.5. I've done it once but really have no desire to ever run it again. It was kind of disappointing to end such a wonderful day with this trail.

Overall - We had a pretty nice and enjoyable day in Sedona. I'll probably be going back in March to run Van Deren's Cabin and Oak Creek Homestead trails. Along with checking out these 2 trails I for sure will be running Broken Arrow again.

My better half took digital footage of our 4 vehicles coming down the "STEPS". Once I figure out how, I'll either download it to youtube or to this site if the new migration will allow.

JD 

Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth...  AWESOME!

Had a fantastic day and really enjoyed the family time out together.  I agree with JD's observations, I want to go back and do the steps and film it from a couple of different angles.  Very cool!  Definately worth the time spent getting there and back.

DD

I'm with you on Broken Arrow. I'm pretty sure it's gotta be on most 4-wheelers top 5 list. Soldier's Pass is indeed short, but with the general scenery, the pools and sinkhole, a couple moderate patches, and access to some pretty good short hikes, I really liked this one as well. It's no Broken Arrow, but a very good quick trail in its own right.

Ah yes...Greasy Spoon. It's just basically a normal high-clearance (not necessarily 4-wheel most of the way) road through mostly open space. Exciting? Nope. Crossing a couple ravines near the end provides some 4x4 action but it's too little too late. No real slickrock, not much in the way of views. I honestly still liked it, but I like just about anything. After tooling around in the desert west of Phoenix constantly, anything slightly different seems cool to me.

Van Deren's Cabin and the Dry Creek area are neat (and 2 nice hike trails- Devil's Bridge and Vulture Arch) but don't offer much in the way of 4-wheel. Never been to Oak Creek Homestead but I understand that's not really a 4x4 trail either. But as anyone who knows me knows... I like to get out and see things and don't necessarily need to be grinding 4-low the whole time to have a good time. 

I'm happy you were able to get up there and experience those trails!