8 More Miles - Yavapai Vista

Leah and I left Phoenix and drove to Sedona yesterday. We met up with two of our best friends, Pete and Cisca, for some trail running.

We parked at Yavapai Vista and ran a loop consisting of Hiline, Baldwin, Templeton, and Slim Shady. It was AWESOME! It felt so good to be back on some good trails, especially ones new to us. I’ve never really run in Sedona before. I usually just took visiting friends there to do popular hikes like Bell Rock and Devil’s Bridge.

This loop was a great 8-miler. The first mile contained most of the incline. Once we were up top, it was time to cruise! Trail was a mix of rocky single track, boulders marked with white paint, and some soft dirt once we dropped back down off the bluffs. We stopped along the Oak Creek and dipped our hats in the water for a refreshing blast of cold water to our noggins. Somewhere on the Templeton section we dropped below our starting altitude, so we had to finish with more climbing again. Nothing too serious, though!

The entire trail had majestic views of many of Sedona’s famous rock formations like Bell Rock, and Courthouse Butte. As always, the best part of the trail was THE END, AKA time to eat! We drove into town and got some grub at Indian Gardens Cafe which was delicious. I also knocked back a cold creme soda which really quenched my thirst and reminded me a lot of Inca Cola, the popular soda of Peru.

After lunch we drove to Flagstaff, where P & C live, to do some relaxing, eating, drinking, and eventually more running. Its great to be back!

Tyler