February 2016 – We packed up our RV in Tucson, Arizona, when the daytimes highs began to creep over 90 degrees, and hightailed it back through Phoenix and on up to Sedona where the 4,000′ elevation makes the climate about 10 degrees cooler than down in the Sonoran Desert regions of the state.
We hadn’t been in the red rocks in over two years, and when we first caught sight of the towering red cliffs and rock formations that envelop the town of Sedona, we were almost breathless with excitement. We couldn’t wait to hit the trails, and one of the best places to immerse yourself in red rock scenery is right in the heart of it all on the Bell Rock Pathway.
Within a few moments of getting on the Bell Rock Pathway, hikers and bikers are immersed
in the best of Sedona’s red rock scenery
We were joined by special friends, and we set off on our mountain bikes.
Our friends Rich and Mark join us to ride the red rocks!
Bell Rock Pathway is one of the most popular hiking and biking trails in the area, and it is inundated with bus loads of tourists every day. But we were on the trail fairly early on a weekday morning, and there were just a few hikers here and there.
Bell Rock Pathway is shared by walkers, joggers and mountain bikers,
but there’s plenty of room for everyone.
The magic of the Bel Rock Pathway is that you don’t have to go very far to be totally wowed by the scenery. In fact, we always find we get swept up in the stunning scenery right in the parking lot, and many of the bus loads of tourists never make it past the asphalt!
What a place to go for a run — or a bike ride!
Bell Rock Pathway is beloved by walkers, joggers, and mountain bikers, and the path is wide and relatively smooth and extraordinarily scenic.
The views are great in every direction!
The Bell Rock Pathway parallels the main road, and there are three parking lots that give you access to the two ends as well as the middle of the trail. We started at the southern end, and the trail climbed steadily for about a mile. But the jaw-dropping vistas were worth every huff and puff as we went along.
As soon as we got a little distance from the parking lot we had the trail to ourselves.
Bell Rock Pathway is a very easy mountain biking trail and is ideal for beginners. Yet there are just enough little challenges here and there to keep more advanced riders on their toes. The views become more and more spectacular with every pedal stroke.
I couldn’t stop taking pics of Mark as he rode ahead of me!
After the first mile, the terrain goes up and down and sweeps around twists and turns qutie a bit. And then suddenly it opens up to this fantastic area of wide, flat rocks.
After a mile or so the path opened onto wide flat rocks with outstanding views all around us.
Standing in the middle of this wide open area, there are eye-popping views every way you turn. It literally doesn’t matter which direction you look, you are surrounded by majestic, towering red rock formations.
These flat rocks are an ideal spot to take a breather and look around!
And then the trail takes off again, descending through wide turns.
The middle portion of the trail sweeps through turns and rolls up and down small hills.
Bell Rock Pathway is a trunk route that has lots of little off-shoots, and all of those other trails are more difficult. We simply rode it to the end, about 3.5 miles from our strating point, and turned around to retrace our route.
The Bell Rock Pathway is about 3.5 miles long one way.
The beauty of this hiking and biking trail is that the views on the way back are completely different than the views on the way out, and the lighting on the rock faces changes constantly.
Weeeee! Bell Rock Pathway is easy and fun.
Riding behind Mark, I couldn’t stop clicking the camera, framing him inside of one magnificent view after another. Holding the camera up and riding one handed is a little dicey, though, and always makes for a rather exilharating ride!
The return trip has all new views for us!
Bell Rock Pathway is worth doing over and over again — it’s easy and it is stunning!
We enjoyed our bike ride on the Bell Rock Pathway so much that we came back to do it again a few days later.
One very happy camper!
We enjoyed riding our bikes on the Bell Rock Pathway, but most of the people out there were walking…
For RV travelers in search of a good way to get out into the Red Rocks without doing a strenuous hike or challenging bike ride, the Bell Rock Pathway is an ideal trail.
At the end of the day we all put our feet up under the stars…
Feeling a little rusty bike-wise? It might be time to get back on it again! Two years ago our 76 year old friend Marcel showed us that mountain biking is the Fountain of Youth (blog post here). Now 78, he’s still shredding the gnar out there, and all winter long he’s been mountain biking in Arizona!
More info and links for Sedona’s Bell Rock Pathway below.
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More info about the Bell Rock Pathway:
There are three trail head parking lots, and each one requires a parking pass, either the Red Rock pass or a Federal Interagency Pass (the old “National Park Pass” or Senior Pass). And be sure to get there early, especially on a beautiful sunny weekend.
- US Forest Service description and info for the Bell Rock Pathway
- Trail head parking lots – Location of the three Bell Rock Pathway trail heads on Google Maps
Other posts from our RV travels featuring hikes and bike rides in red rock country:
- Beehive Trail in Arizona – A “Mini Wave” hike by Lake Powell 07/19/24
- Red Canyon – Arches Trail – Windows & Hoodoos in Utah! 08/30/19
- Broken Arrow Trail in Sedona, AZ – What a Hike! 05/31/19
- Hiking the “Pig Trails” in Sedona, AZ – Breathtaking! (oink oink!) 05/17/19
- Top Sedona AZ Hikes: Little Horse to Chicken Point + Templeton Trail (Cathedral Rock)! 05/03/19
- Brins Mesa Trail & Unexpected Delights in Sedona Arizona! 04/26/19
- Goblin Valley State Park Utah – One Gigantic Playground! 04/20/18
- Grand Staircase Escalante Nat’l Monument – Lower Calf Creek Falls Hike 11/11/16
- Bryce Canyon National Park – Fairyland Trail – A Beautiful Hike! 10/02/16
- Sedona Arizona – Brooding Skies at Sunset in the Red Rocks 03/17/16
- The Crack at Wet Beaver Creek (Bell Trail Hike), Sedona, AZ 03/14/16
- Cathedral Rock at Red Rock Crossing – Sedona AZ 12/14/14
- Paria Rimrocks “Toadstools” Hike to A Hidden Canyon! 05/25/14
- Wire Pass Trail – Slot Canyon Hiking! 05/22/14
- Sedona Reflections on the West Fork Trail 05/16/14
- Sedona – Mountain biking in the red rocks! 05/13/14
- Red Canyon Utah is an Overlooked Treasure 09/02/11
- Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah – Better Than Bryce? 08/30/11
Fun things to see and do while RVing in Sedona
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I like that camping spot
The stars were awesome!!
It’s been many years since we’ve been to Sedona, but it’s definitely on our list. Thanks for the reminder of why we want to return. Your red rock photos are terrific! I sometimes take photos of Eric when we’re biking, too — but I’m trying to break myself of the habit before I hurt myself. 😉
Sedona is a lovely spot that’s worth returning to, that’s for sure, and riding around with just your left hand on the handle bars while the right one is waving a camera around in the air is definitely a crazy thing to do — but it sure is a hard habit to break!!!
LTNS — I remember meeting you at Park Sierra early on in your travels. The rosemary plant you gave me is still happily producing yumminess 🙂 My question — where do you camp in the Sedona area? Is there anyplace to boondock that’s free, and easily accessible? I’m now traveling in a 24′ Navion….
See you down the road, and thanks for the forthcoming answer!
Carina, I’m afraid we’re drawing a blank. We’ve never been to Park Sierra. Perhaps we met somewhere else or we remind you of someone else. There is lots of boondocking in the National Forest around Sedona, but none of it is close to town.