[Telewacker]

Do people ride ebikes on the Sedona trails?

 

[Karmatp]

I don’t think they are allowed on most trails. The jeep trails are open game for mopeds.

 

[QuickSilverZ]

No, e-bikes are not allowed on Sedona trails.

 

[Streetdoctor]

Yep, every visit.

 

[834905]

Yep, every visit.

Well you’re not supposed to. NFS manages all of the trails in Sedona and they have a no e-bike policy for the entire area.

OP, don’t be that guy. No one likes tourists who cant follow rules.

 

[11053]

As far as I can tell there is no enforcement and ebike traffic is increasing.
I typically ride Sedona 2-3 times a year and have for many years.
I have seen ebikes on the trails for the past 3 years.
This October, ebikes were almost as common as non ebikes on some of the better known and mellower trails on the weekends. That was interesting.

 

[rockman]

Some pay attention to the rules and others do not. One might get hassled by other riders while other's don't care. FS LEO's have much bigger issues to deal with in Sedona.

 

[Jayem]

FS LEO's have much bigger issues to deal with in Sedona.

Ok, but what if Traildoc is riding an e-bike to work on trails?

 

[JimN]

Ok, but what if Traildoc is riding an e-bike to work on trails?

Ha! I see him often, and he's always on an e-bike. That said, he mostly rides in the washes or on the underground social trails. That is unless he's riding with his wife, or out on some group ride with a bunch of out-of-towners. Creeped out a friend of mine recently by showing up in his driveway, so clearly he's accustomed to examining the Trailforks heat map layer. What would Sedona be without JF?

 

[JimN]

FYI: OP posting similar question in multiple forums. Consider how you reply. Smells of a data-gathering effort.

 

[rockman]

Ha! I see him often, and he's always on an e-bike. That said, he mostly rides in the washes or on the underground social trails. That is unless he's riding with his wife, or out on some group ride with a bunch of out-of-towners. Creeped out a friend of mine recently by showing up in his driveway, so clearly he's accustomed to examining the Trailforks heat map layer. What would Sedona be without JF?

The Traildoc is now a cagy eBiker and while presumably still doing "improvements" to his favorite trails I doubt anyone would ever notice. And heck how can one fault a dude that arguably built some 30% of the best Sedona trails from still sampling the goods via some electric assistance at age 71?

Honestly, I think the ebike issue is on the land owner. Either enforce the rules or accept that it's ok on multi-use trails and let's get on with it.

 

[rockychrysler]

The most positive thing I can say about e-bikes is that they've caused singlespeeders and multigear-bicycle riders to express their disdain for each other way less.

 

[Telewacker]

Yep, every visit.

FYI: OP posting similar question in multiple forums. Consider how you reply. Smells of a data-gathering effort.

No. Just favorite places my wife and I travel in our RV. This past year we went to Sedona, Phoenix, Tuscon, the Palm Desert area, Downieville, and then in August we bought Ebikes. We absolutely love them. We've been pedaling mountain bikes since the 90s, hard, and before that I was a Cat 1 road racer in the 80s. We still get a workout on the Ebikes but we can go so much farther, climb and descend three times the elevation. Climbing is as much fun as descending. We took a trip to the Sierra and then Santa Barbara since we bought them. We go to Socal over the Christmas holidays, mostly the Palm Desert area but we might make it to Arizona again this year. We've been to Sedona many times.

I must add that the anti Ebike attitude smacks of the anti mountain bike bigotry we experienced in the 90s and early 2000s. "The line of what is permissible stops at whatever I like to do." We're all out enjoying ourselves and most everyone is polite, friendly, and respectful. There are always haters and people looking for someone to criticize and castigate but fortunately they are rare in our experience these days. Not like 20 years ago when irate lunatic hikers were commonplace.

 

[JimN]

No. Just favorite places my wife and I travel in our RV. This past year we went to Sedona, Phoenix, Tuscon, the Palm Desert area, Downieville, and then in August we bought Ebikes. We absolutely love them. We've been pedaling mountain bikes since the 90s, hard, and before that I was a Cat 1 road racer in the 80s. We still get a workout on the Ebikes but we can go so much farther, climb and descend three times the elevation. Climbing is as much fun as descending. We took a trip to the Sierra and then Santa Barbara since we bought them. We go to Socal over the Christmas holidays, mostly the Palm Desert area but we might make it to Arizona again this year. We've been to Sedona many times.

I must add that the anti Ebike attitude smacks of the anti mountain bike bigotry we experienced in the 90s and early 2000s. "The line of what is permissible stops at whatever I like to do." We're all out enjoying ourselves and most everyone is polite, friendly, and respectful. There are always haters and people looking for someone to criticize and castigate but fortunately they are rare in our experience these days. Not like 20 years ago when irate lunatic hikers were commonplace.

Fair enough. You sound like a responsible trail user, and that's really what it all boils down to. Sounds like we're about the same age. I'm not going to criticize people's choices as to when riding an e-bike makes sense. I still think it's a slippery slope with e-bikes to a certain degree, due to advancements in technology, and the fact that there isn't and will never be any real enforcement. I say that having a family member in the FS who has managed the largest forests in the west. I hate to think what our multi-use forest trails will look like when a run of the mill e-mtb has the power of a Honda CR500.

To answer the mail, no, e-bikes are not allowed on the FS system trails in Sedona. The White Hills area out by Cornville has over 30 miles of quality moto singletrack. My wife and I rode there last week for the first time, on conventional mtbs. Some really quality trail out there, but it does not offer the Sedona red rock experience. Nonetheless, fun stuff. Lots of powdery dust to deal with, so best to bring some extra chain lube and some shop towels. Also, the two major loops have you venturing out about nine miles from the trailhead before starting to loop back around. No real bailouts other than some access to dirt roads that don't cut out much as far as mileage goes. So, best to be well prepared for a broken chain or slashed tire sidewall if you head out there.

 

[Telewacker]

Fair enough. You sound like a responsible trail user, and that's really what it all boils down to. Sounds like we're about the same age. I'm not going to criticize people's choices as to when riding an e-bike makes sense. I still think it's a slippery slope with e-bikes to a certain degree, due to advancements in technology, and the fact that there isn't and will never be any real enforcement. I say that having a family member in the FS who has managed the largest forests in the west. I hate to think what our multi-use forest trails will look like when a run of the mill e-mtb has the power of a Honda CR500.

To answer the mail, no, e-bikes are not allowed on the FS system trails in Sedona. The White Hills area out by Cornville has over 30 miles of quality moto singletrack. My wife and I rode there last week for the first time, on conventional mtbs. Some really quality trail out there, but it does not offer the Sedona red rock experience. Nonetheless, fun stuff. Lots of powdery dust to deal with, so best to bring some extra chain lube and some shop towels. Also, the two major loops have you venturing out about nine miles from the trailhead before starting to loop back around. No real bailouts other than some access to dirt roads that don't cut out much as far as mileage goes. So, best to be well prepared for a broken chain or slashed tire sidewall if you head out there.

A class one Ebike is pedal assist only and speed restricted to 20 mph. Thats all we're talking about here. They are no harder on the trails or more dangerous than regular mountain bikes. They just climb faster, that's all. You're talking about what is basically an electric motorcycle with a throttle and a much more powerful unrestricted motor. Nobody is advocating for these machines on mountain biking trails.

 

[JimN]

The Traildoc is now a cagy eBiker and while presumably still doing "improvements" to his favorite trails I doubt anyone would ever notice. And heck how can one fault a dude that arguably built some 30% of the best Sedona trails from still sampling the goods via some electric assistance at age 71?

Honestly, I think the ebike issue is on the land owner. Either enforce the rules or accept that it's ok on multi-use trails and let's get on with it.

I wish the Traildoc would yield the trail to the uphill rider, but based on my experience, he does not. Talk about someone that I thought might appreciate and demonstrate proper trail etiquette.

 

[Telewacker]

I wish the Traildoc would yield the trail to the uphill rider, but based on my experience, he does not. Talk about someone that I thought might appreciate and demonstrate proper trail etiquette.

I often yield to the downhill rider. Sometimes it's easier and safer for the uphill rider to stop and make room. Sometimes it's the opposite. Just be polite to other trail users.

 

[JimN]

A class one Ebike is pedal assist only and speed restricted to 20 mph. Thats all we're talking about here. They are no harder on the trails or more dangerous than regular mountain bikes. They just climb faster, that's all. You're talking about what is basically an electric motorcycle with a throttle and a much more powerful unrestricted motor. Nobody is advocating for these machines on mountain biking trails.

Totally agree. However, there is zero enforcement going on, and there won't be as far as I can tell. Only thing keeping true motorcycles off of most multi-use trail systems is barriers. Last time I rode out at Brown's Ranch down in Scottsdale on a weekday, I came across two riders on full-on gas-powered motorcycles. No idea where they entered from. Seems that rules don't matter.

 

[Telewacker]

Totally agree. However, there is zero enforcement going on, and there won't be as far as I can tell. Only thing keeping true motorcycles off of most multi-use trail systems is barriers. Last time I rode out at Brown's Ranch down in Scottsdale on a weekday, I came across two riders on full-on gas-powered motorcycles. No idea where they entered from. Seems that rules don't matter.

I haven't had that experience. Has that been a problem on the Sedona trails? I don't think banning class 1 Ebikes is going to have any effect on motorcycle poaching if it is.

 

[JimN]

I haven't had that experience. Has that been a problem on the Sedona trails? I don't think banning class 1 Ebikes is going to have any effect on motorcycle poaching if it is.

I don't encounter class 1 e-bikes all that often in Sedona, but when I have, it's really never been an issue. Did recently encounter a couple guys on e-bikes that were something beyond class 1, as they were basically just hitting a throttle with their feet on pegs. They could barely stay upright on flat ground, so I have no idea how they ended up where I saw them, at the intersection of Girdner and Axis. Never seen gas-powered motos on Sedona FS system trails.