Got an e-bike and want to explore Sedona? I've got the best itinerary for you. Whether you own an electric bike or you're renting one in town, Sedona is one of the most beautiful places in the world and is so fun on an electric bike. It's not the easiest town to bike around so this blog is going to be your best friend and take you step-by-step through where to e-bike in Sedona!
Welcome to my first adventure recap where I'm going to break down our daily adventures around Arizona to give you all the insider info...
If this is your first time on Wildjoy, hi - I'm Lacy! I'm 28, live in Phoenix and started my company Wildjoy back in 2019 to empower people in Arizona to find -Wildjoy- through trying local experiences. We're sharing all things waterfalls, day trips, date nights and all hidden gem foodie spots. You can join The Joy Club here on our blog, our social media, our app and our site wildjoy.com.
Here's what to expect in our blog:
- Where to E-Bike in and near Sedona
- Detailed Itinerary for the Red Rock Scenic Byway
- Tips on Free Public Parking in Sedona
Adventure Journal Entry #1: E-Biking the Red Rock Scenic Byway
You've probably been on the Red Rock Scenic Byway if you've been to Sedona. When you're in Phoenix driving up to Sedona, you will get off the main highway to a smaller road that'll take you into town. That's where we'll be taking you today.
There are around 7.5 miles of absolutely stunning views as you drive past famous sights like Bell Rock or Cathedral Rock...it's nothing short of magical. It goes from the bottom of Sedona known as Uptown Sedona and takes you south 7.5 miles to the Village of Oak Creek. It's a round-trip of 15 miles but we added on a few extra miles to see little side spots like the Chapel of the Holy Cross.
Note: You cannot take electric bikes on any bike trail in Sedona besides main roads. The Red Rock Scenic Byway is one of the only places to ride an e-bike in Sedona. Here's some popular e-bike trails you can try from a local rental shop:
- Red Rock Scenic Byway
- Red Rock Loop
- Schnebly Hill Overlook
- Chicken Point Overlook
- Devil's Kitchen Sinkhole (via the Solider's Pass Trail)
- Devil's Bridge (back of Thunder Mountain)
As context, I just bought a Lectric Electric Bike from the Lectric Outlet Store in North Phoenix and I'm trying to bring it EVERYWHERE with me. It folds up in my car and is the easiest thing ever (and only $499). When we decided to do a staycation in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, I knew I wanted to have an epic ride on my electric bike.
Parking
You can start at either spot - Village of Oak Creek will be easier to find parking but annoying if you're driving from Sedona as traffic in Sedona is annoying. If you're staying in Sedona, just find parking in town. here's our experience.
The hardest part of our whole experience was finding parking as we were starting in the Uptown Sedona area. We headed to Tlaquepaque Shopping Village which has lot of parking. You must be a customer to park so we got chai teas at the Chai Spot (an amazing place btw) and unloaded our bikes. We would only be gone for about a hour so it wasn't like we were going to be gone all day so we felt comfortable parking here. Read signs, don't get towed!
Here's some places to check for public parking in Uptown Sedona:
Red Rock Scenic Byway
So what was the ride like? Freaking awesome. Also known as America's Red Byway, Red Rock Scenic Byway is 7.5 miles of pure heaven and has wide bike lanes that run parallel the entire time. Sedona has a ton of roundabouts so at every roundabout there are bike signs and arrows for how to get through it.
Uptown Sedona just added their newest attraction which is an underpass at one of the busiest spots driving into Sedona. It's right next to where we parked at Tlaquepaque Shopping Village and takes you to see Oak Creek. You can see the beautiful clear water that runs in this river. Highly recommend starting your journey here or using this spot as a halfway point. It's so pretty!
You can just bike straight - but I wanted to make some detours. The only negative thing about visiting Sedona is the car traffic. We learned with our e-bikes we could skip the HUGE line at the Chapel of the Holy Cross so we highly recommend.
If you start in Uptown Sedona, you can follow-along what we did:
- We started at Tlaquepaque Shopping Village
- Stop #1: Oak Creek Bridge Underpass (river views)
- Stop #2: Son-Silver-West Galleries (cool gifts and art installations)
- Stop #3: Chapel of the Holy Cross (top attraction - must see)
- Turn-Around in Village of Oak Creek
- Stop #4: Photos with Bell Rock (gorgeous)
If you start in the Village of Oak Creek, do this order instead:
- Stop #1: Photos with Bell Rock (gorgeous)
- Stop #2: Chapel of the Holy Cross (top attraction - must see)
- Stop #3: Turn-Around Oak Creek Bridge Underpass and explore Tlaquepaque Shopping Village (river views)
- Stop #4: Son-Silver-West Galleries (cool gifts and art installations)
Stop #1: Oak Creek Bridge Underpass
After parking at Tlaquepaque Shopping Village, we exited the area via the Oak Creek Bridge brand new underpass. We saw the beautiful water and felt a bit of Sedona magic! Highly recommend this being your starting point OR your turn around stop.
You can avoid this stop if you are starting the bike ride further North in Uptown Sedona. It was the only way out of Tlaquepaque Shopping Village!
Address: 336 AZ-179 b124, Sedona, AZ 86336 (this is nearby)
Price Point: Free to Use
Stop #2: Son-Silver-West Galleries
I think I have wanted to go to this shop every time I drive into Sedona...it's so colorful and fun but I never stopped! Son-Silver-West Galleries is a mixture of a "museum" of vintage signs/cars/decorations with a huge gift and home shop.
This is also a great spot to grab more water if you need it! It gets freaking hot and you do not want to run out. They offer $2 water bottles and ice cream.
Address: 1476 AZ-179, Sedona, AZ 86336
Price Point: Free to Enter
Stop #3: Chapel of the Holy Cross
When you think of Sedona, you think of this Chapel hidden in the side of the Red Rock. Chapel of the Holy Cross is a free attraction and one of the most popular in Sedona. If you want to drive in, prepare to wait 30+ minutes to potentially find a spot. Biking to it is infinitely better and faster.
We skipped all the cars and rode right to the base of the Chapel. It's on top of the hill so you have to go up a dirt area at the end that we chose to not do this trip. We've been inside the Chapel before but if you haven't you absolutely need to go to the top and see the views. It's insane!
Address: 780 Chapel Rd, Sedona, AZ 86336
Price Point: Free
Turn-around in Village of Oak Creek Village
You'll see signs! You can either stop, eat here and explore OR you can do what we did and turn around. Some cool spots to check out in Oak Creek Village are:
- Shop around The Collective to find art, shops and colorful walls.
- Breakfast / Lunch at Miley's Cafe (closes at 3pm)
- Browse a Variety of Artists at the Village Gallery of Local Artists
Note: we have no personal testimony at any of the spots above. This is crowdsourced from our community!
Stop #4: Photos with Bell Rock (or another pull-off)
One of the best parts of the Red Rock Scenic Byway are all the unreal scenic pull-offs along the way. We stopped a few times along the way but I was captivated by Bell Rock. It is MASSIVE in real life and changes colors depending on the time of the day. Be super safe where you choose to stop and take photos! No photo is worth your life!
Address: Sedona, AZ 86351 (this is the trailhead - find the best spot nearby)
Price Point: Free to Use
Biking back, we had some of the best views ever. Biking down the Red Rock Scenic Byway is truly a bucket list item we hope to cross again later in life! We did this trip at 10am or so but would do it around 4pm next time to see more vivid colors. Wear a helmet and use turn signals on the roundabouts!
Let us know if you have any questions! Send us a DM on Instagram to get in touch. Hope you enjoy your e-bike adventure!
PS - here's where to grab MY e-bike (it's so cute and purple). If you live local in Phoenix, you can go by the outlet to get the e-bikes for a crazy, discounted rate. Lectric Bikes are amazing! This isn't a commissionable link.
xx - Team Wildjoy
