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Twin Buttes Loop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Difficult Difficult
 4.4 (70)
  1. Areas
  2. AZ
  3. …Flagstaff and Northern AZ
  4. …Sedona
  5. Courthouse Butte
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“Spectacular scenery covering many singletrack trails. ”

Nick Wilder
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Map Key

8.5

Miles

13.7

KM

95%

Singletrack

4,613' 1,406 m

High

4,225' 1,288 m

Low

751' 229 m

Up

749' 228 m

Down

3%

Avg Grade (2°)

17%

Max Grade (10°)

Dogs No Dogs

E-Bikes Not Allowed

Overview

A great link-up of several of Sedona's most scenic trails. There is a great variety of riding: smooth flow on dirt, plenty of slickrock fun, and many challenging rock drops and climbs. There are no sustained climbs or descents, and no sections are very easy (or difficult) for very long. Though sections of the trail are rated Difficult, this is suitable for an intermediate rider willing with hop off the bike regularly - and it's worth it!

Need to Know

The local FS rates this trail as single and double diamond with a warning sign near the start of Broken Arrow that this is an "expert" trail. Somewhere near the 7.3 mi, Peccary Trail turns into Hog Heaven for the remainder of the ride. Rated a double diamond.

Description

Start out with Broken Arrow Trail, a wide singletrack with some flowing sections, but lots of rock steps. They're not large, but the rocks are slick and some are tough to climb up. Going down them is definitely easier.

In less than a mile, take a left on the Submarine Rock Trail and follow smooth singletrack to an intersection with a dirt road. Cross the road and watch your speed as you hit a stone staircase down to a ravine. Hike back out and there's more singletrack that curves around the left side of the submarine-shaped rock all the way to the backside. Here you'll find a ramp system that you can ride ride up to the top of the rock and play around on the slickrock. There's fantastic scenery in all directions. Enjoy the view, then turn around the return the same way.

Continue on Broken Arrow Trail until it ends at Chicken Point - and another great view.

Pick up the Little Horse Trail, which is significantly smoother, faster, and easier than most in this area, and it's fun to open it up a bit on the beautifully banked turns through Juniper forests. Just watch out for oncoming traffic on the occasional rocky section! The scenery is spectacular, as is the norm for this area.

Follow the Bell Rock Trail for a short section until you arrive at the Mystic Trail, which has three distinct sections:

The southern end (near the start at the Bell Rock Trail) suffers from highway noise and overhead power lines and is not very aesthetic.

The middle section is actually on paved roads through a neighborhood. The USFS has put up carsonite trail markers, but they're very hard to follow. Use the MTB Project MTB Project mobile app to stay on the path!

The northern section is very nice, fast, and flowy singletrack. Very fun and well built, this part is the only one that is a worthwhile destination.

Just before the Mystic Trail ends at a road, find a right turn on Pig Tail Trail and then an immediate left on Peccary Trail. This is a great finish to a great ride. Many sections are fast and flowing, but several tiny sections are very technical with drops and rock ledges.

This will end back on the Broken Arrow Trail. Take a left and you'll be back at your car in a second or two.

There are many ways to extend this into a longer loop. Check out the Llama Trail for an idea.

Shared By:

Nick Wilder with improvements by Justin Smith
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.4 from 70 votes

#2

in Courthouse Butte

#185

Overall
  4.4 from 70 votes
5 Star
56%
4 Star
34%
3 Star
6%
2 Star
4%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#2

in Courthouse Butte

#12

in Arizona

#185

Overall
157 Views Last Month
30,204 Since Feb 18, 2014
Difficult Difficult
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0%
6%
8%
81%
5%
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Photos

Dropping down Little Horse from Chicken Point.
Feb 18, 2014 near Sedona, AZ
Biking around Submarine Rock with a view of the Twin Buttes doesn't get much better than this!
Jan 20, 2017 near Sedona, AZ
Heading north on the Mystic Trail.
Feb 18, 2014 near Sedona, AZ
We enjoyed this cloudy day on scenic Chicken Point.
Jan 20, 2017 near Sedona, AZ
A rider rolls down Submarine Rock to gorgeous views of Twin Buttes.
Jan 20, 2017 near Sedona, AZ
Short connection for Little Horse to the HT trail.
Feb 20, 2014 near Village…, AZ

3 Comments

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Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 40 days ago
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Check-Ins

Apr 12, 2024
Megan Wolfe
May 14, 2022
Beau Rennix
Trish and my first trip and my first ride
Apr 25, 2022
Joshua Heath
Apr 17, 2022
Todd Rinaldi
Apr 13, 2022
Sheri Vernier
Feb 20, 2022
Arturo Davila C
Best scenic trail
Feb 12, 2022
Amber Williams
Beautiful trail. I'm a beginner and was able to successfully complete the loop. Lots of walking involved. Steep climbs. Beautiful
May 28, 2021
Bryan Rorie
Trail is awesome! Super fun, great views, challenging sections, and areas to push even further. Did I mention great views.

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