Customer Reviews

Sedona Hikes & Mountain Bike Rides: One Hundred Twenty-One Day Hikes, 15 Mountain Bike Rides, 5 Vortex Sites Around Sedona, Arizona

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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I've been using the Mangums' Sedona guidebook for ten years now. It has no serious competition. One of the most impressive things about the book is the frequent updates -- this is the 8th edition in the 14 years since it was first published. Ths hiking scene around Sedona really does change quickly -- there is a lot of new development, and a lot of new trails. So it's important to have an up-to-date guidebook. And I still haven't hiked all of these trails (but I'm working on it).

One area that the Mangum guide is weak is the maps, which are really just cartoon sketches. They'll get you to the trailhead alright, and there's seldom any doubt about where you're going on these well-worn trails. But if you want a real map, the one I use is the nice, plastic-coated Beartooth topographic/hiking map, also regularly updated. Serious hikers and regular Sedona visitors will want both.

Both maps and guidebooks are sold at the Forest Service visitor centers. You'll need to go there anyway to buy your Redrock pass (required to park in the National Forest), they're always helpful, and they don't charge sales tax. And ask for their nice Sedona street map, which has all the near-town trails plotted -- it's free!

The truth is, you can't go far wrong picking a hike around Sedona. This truly is a gorgeous area. So, for one-day (or frugal) visitors, ask for the free Forest Service area map, the free street/hiking map, and a handful of their free hiking-trail handout sheets. Or look online. But do buy the pass, as they do ticket passless vehicles.

A couple of my favorites: THE classic canyon hike here is the West Fork of Oak Creek. For big views and slickrock, try the Cow Pies. And to see the red rocks the way they used to be, head for Sycamore Canyon.

Happy hiking!

Pete Tillman

Rimrock, AZ

If you can buy only one book about Sedona area hikes, buy this one. Don't give it a second thought. Yes, there are other books but this one is the very best, bar none. That's all that matters. Get your money's worth. Think about this, the authors published their first books in 1992 after researching the hikes for SEVEN YEARS! Then they proceed to put out five MORE revised editions since then. That means they have published six editions in 9 years!! All of that updated knowledge is contained in the 6th edition. Having this book is like having your own personal hiking guide. You get over 250 pages for a mere [amt]!. Their descriptions are the most up-to-date and the best researched. The writing and photography come from a genuine lifelong love for the place, not a desire to make money from a hiking book. We bought their first edition in 1992 and carry it right alongside our 6th edition. We wouldn't leave home for a hike in that area without the 6th edition. It's the Bible, as far as we are concerned. Good luck and happy hiking!

"Sedona Hikes" is an excellent guide for the stunning red rock country. Everything about this book is quality. Boasting 135 hikes this is money well spent. Now in it's fifth edition the book has really come together. As an avid hiker I can say this book hits on several areas in gleaming fashion. Directions to the trailheads are precise and easy to follow. The size of the book is appropriate to carry in a water backpack. Trails covering the entire area are included. At first I thought the vague trail maps could be better. After further consideration I realized the trail descriptions are so good you really don't need a map. Important trail information is included such as distance, effort and features. Time needed to hike the trail helps plan your day. I would categorize the authors as light day hikers. Most just visiting the area would fall into this category so the book is a real hit. If you plan on a longer hike, on some of the trails, you will need to go elsewhere for the information. I've used and carried this book on countless hikes. Since the last printing the Red Rock fee has come into effect on several trails. I'm sure this will be included in the sixth edition. - joe bartels Webmaster of HikeArizona.COM & TrailDEX

I bought this book based on all the positive reviews. I used it last year and found it lacking. First, the positives. The book serves as an excellent planning guide. The driving directions to get to the trailhead are right on the money. It also does a good job at describing the trail in terms of difficulty and what you will see. It is also accurate with the distances it gives. Where it falls short is in helping the reader through the trail. The maps are basically worthless for anything other than how to get to the trailhead. All you get is a little hiker guy with a line that shows the general direction the path takes. Another annoying thing is that it makes reference to things in the Features but does not describe how to find them. Two examples are Boynton Canyon and Fay Canyon Trail. Both mention "Indian Ruins" and neither tells you where they are on the trail and how to find them. This is an aggregious oversight in my opinion. In the Vultee hike it states that you can walk right up to the arch. HOW? I wanted to but they simply stop at the overlook where the plaque is. Another problem is that the book assumes a non-system trail is easy to follow reading their directions. It is not. I tried the Lost Canyon trail and grew concerned beause there was no "clear" path as the book states. How did I get aroung these limitations? I found a site called www.sedonahikes.net and downloaded trail maps. They are extremely detailed and show color pictures of major landmarks. They also have much more detailed descriptions and handy maps. The only problem is that it is a PDF file and if you buy the whole book it is several hundred pages long. You obviously can't take the whole thing with you but if you print out just a few, it serves as an excellent supplement to this book. If all you want to do is hike the major trails like Bell Rock Pathway then this book will serve your needs. If you want to discover more you will need supplements. Bottom line, this book is a solid overview and the directions, while not comprehensive, are extremely accurate.

Accurate, informative, easy to use, clear, concise and loaded with hikes -- what else could a person ask for from a hiking guidebook? My wife an I bought this book from adventuroustraveler.com for a short stay we had in Sedona this spring. Not only did this book help us maximize our time there by making recommendations and providing explicit maps and distances for every hike, but it gave us a lot of useful information about the history and geology of the area. Even though we only had the chance to make a handful of hikes, we feel we got the most out of them, and a lot of that had to do with this book. We look forward to going back to Sedona and taking the book with us and recommend it for anyone else who plans to visit, too.

The most comprehensive and accurate guide to hiking in Sedona. We have been using it through 4 editions. Concise directions, distances, and descriptions of the many beautiful hikes in the Sedona area.

This is a wonderful book describing many day hikes in the Sedona AZ area. A number of people in the area said this was the best book for hiking. We really enjoyed the hiking and this book helped us find the best places to go (and what to expect when we got there.)

I looked at reviews of this book before purchasing it and bought it on that basis. The book is very well "organized" and if you have only one book to buy, this is it. Directions, difficulty, length of hikes, and interesting features to see are all here.

This book provided clear, comprehensive descriptions of most of the hikes in the Sedna area. It was our Bible during our recent trip (October 2006). The levels of difficulty are about right for casual hikers (we are in our early 60s) -- it is certainly not intended for experienced technical climbers.

This is an excellent resource for anyone planning a trip to Sedona. After 2 short visits to the red rock area, we went for a week this time. We had heard about the many hiking trails there, and we wondered how we would pick the ones we wanted regarding difficulty, length, and things to see. We spent hours reading the book before we went, while we drove, and while we were there. This book really does have valuable information for the hike about 130 area trails. Included are directions to the trailhead, map of the trail, and picture of the trail. Also are the length, difficulty, and time needed for each trail. This is a must read if you are going to Sedona to hike, and it makes a great remembrance of a wonderful trip.