Flagstaff to Sedona on the Incredible 89A

Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > Arizona

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 10 visitors

State: Arizona
Date Submitted: July 1, 2000
Submitted by: Anonymous
Motorcycle Road Length: 28 Miles

Written Directions

Directions to this road are simple. Just take 89A south out of Flagstaff, AZ toward Sedona. Then enjoy the awesome ride!!!

Scenery

This certainly has to be considered one of the BEST routes in Arizona as well as the entire western half of the US!!! The scenery is unbelievable ... world class! You start out up in the lush rugged forests of Flagstaff and work your way down (in direction (south) and in altitude) to the canyon and rock formation surrounded town of Sedona, AZ. You will be driving through what is known as the Old Creek Canyon on road 89A (also known as "Oak Creek Canyon Drive"). The higher regions of the canyon display forests full of Aspens, Oaks and Maples. If you go in the October/November time frame, you might be lucky enough to see the Aspens and Oaks in their full fall glory. Not long after you leave Flagstaff and head south, you'll soon have chances to peer over a magnificent huge cliff overlook that will give you a great view of the stunningly beautiful canyon you are about to dive into. You then quickly descend down into the canyon and get an up close look at some postcard perfect rock formations and beautiful landscapes made up of various different color rock walls. The plant life changes now to pines, scrub oaks and different types of cactus as the climate in the bottom of the canyon dries and warms up. In the canyon you'll be able to see (and hike through) some amazing red rock canyons and rock formations. There are a lot of beautiful canyon runs in the US but this one stands out because of its diversity of landscape in just 30 short miles ... keep in mind, if you want to see more, you can just continue to head south down to Prescott, AZ.

Road Quality

This road can have some awesome switch backs and steep ascents/descents. I would consider it a perfect five star road quality, except for the fact that it can be crowded at certain times of the year and it requires motorcyclists to be extra careful considering that all the car drivers are dividing their attention between the road and the scenery. So I gave it four stars taking that into account.

Roadside Amenities

I gave it five stars here because you've got both the nature stuff to do and the city attractions. There is a lot of stuff to do along this short 30 mile route if you like hiking, swimming, camping, fishing or just picnicking. When you start out in Flagstaff, AZ, the town has plenty of places to eat, sleep and gas-up. Along the way, there are plenty of trail heads that will take you deeper into the canyon .. bring your hiking boots. One thing you need to check out if your up for some real fun is the "Slide Rock State Park." This is God's version of a waterslide. People can slide down this rock bottom creek in jeans (or shorts if you are daring) and end up dropping off in to a natural pool. And you can get some swimming in at the "Grasshopper Swim Area" ... its a bunch of little creek pools where people can swim or just wade in. Also the road ends in Sedona, AZ, which is an outstanding art town. You can walk around passing through all the art, craft and gift shops. And there is no shortage of restaurants or hotels. Also, if you head south of town, you can check out the "Chapel of the Holy Cross" ... a church that includes a 90 foot cross that seems to shoot right out of the red rocks.

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather . - Arizona Travel

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Reviewed by Graybush on January 9, 2012 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Graybush
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: Harley Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: I rode this in October 2009 and April 2011 on rented motorcycles. Five stars for scenery, three to four for road condition, four for amenities. Sedona is an interesting town, but a little touristy. Still worth checking out during the ride. Once you leave Sedona and head north, the ride only gets better. There are some pullouts to take a break and snap pictures and once you get into the switchbacks a little further north it's much more fun. Watch out for people stopped in the road. Our entire group almost rear ended someone who stopped in a blind curve to hang out the window and snap a few pictures. I never stopped at Slide Rock but I plan on making this trip again with more time and stopping there. This ride won't take you long, even if you make a few stops, but it's definitely worth the trip.
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Reviewed by k1200rs on November 2, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: k1200rs
motorcycle_year: 98 k1200rs
motorcycle_make: BMW
motorcycle_type: Sport-Touring
Comment: Route 89A is a wonderful ride, though keep going past Prescott and over the mountain to Congress, view at the "top" overlooking Congress is a sight. Best in spring or fall, tis a tad warm in summer.
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Reviewed by Guest on April 19, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Granpa Speed
motorcycle_year: 2008
motorcycle_make: BMW
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: april 2011 sedona to flagstaff and back to sedona in time for breakfast beat the traffic get an early start added xtra jacket & used heated grips after breakfast rode up to Jerome & beyond a w s o m e r i d e I live in the Canadian Rockies....come on up
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Reviewed by Guest on June 9, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Jon V.
motorcycle_year: 2001
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Sport
Comment: This is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL ride, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves the scenery, switchbacks, and having a great bike ride. BUT....fair warning... Even though this is a beautiful ride, there are MANY people that wipe out on this road because it is NOT maintained. It has about 16 miles of constant switchbacks, and a LOT of loose rocks and gravel patches through at least 70% of the turns. Sportbike riders should be very aware not to race this road, take it slow. One slip and you can wind up hundreds of feet down a steep cliff. I have had a couple of friends go down on this ride, and they werent even going fast. The asphalt is crumbly in a lot of places, and can be very treacherous. Just be careful on the road. It is a beautiful ride, but if you're a throttle jockey, this is NOT the road for you.
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Reviewed by Guest on April 29, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Alisa
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: We rode this road from Flagstaff to Sedona (and down into Prescott and Wickenburg - another great ride, but that's another post) with a group of about 20 bikes on 4/24/10 - All I can say is Awesome! We stopped at the top overlook prior to descending into Oak Creek Canyon, and that really piqued my excitement, looking down into the canyon and knowing that was where we were headed. The scenery was gorgeous and ever changing, and one of the best parts is the smell of the piney forest. That IS why we ride, so we can experience all of the senses. It was cooler after we descended through the twisties along the canyon bottom next to the creek/river. There were some wet patches where the sun never hits, that could have been icy had we been there earlier in the day. When we came out of the canyon into Sedona, it was WOW! I had heard of Sedona, but not known of the spectacular scenery that lay before us. The red rocks were something else! We went on to Jerome (very interesting) but didn't stop, since there was no where for 20 bikes to park. Then the road from Jerome to Prescott and Prescott to Wickenburg - also outstanding! ENJOY!!
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Reviewed by Guest on January 19, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Wind Rider
motorcycle_year: 2003
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: What a road, what a ride. I actually started from Prescott early and road north through Jerome to Sedona and then up through Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. Talk about scenery sensory overload. I left out early morning (7am) on a Thursday so traffic was fairly light, but as I got near Sedona and north of there you have to be weary of the cages and RV's, such is life on a popular road. The ride to and from Jerome was great and then you drop down into a valley on the way to Sedona. The artsy town of Sedona is not my cup of tea, but fantastic scenery all around with the contrast hues of the red rocks and the green growth of trees and shrubs. North of Sedona the road gets interesting again as it winds it way through the canyon along side the creek before rising in elevation north to Flagstaff. Once out of the canyon there is a parking area and overlook to visit and an opportunity to look back south down into the canyon you just came out of, that is assuming it isn't too busy, the day I was there it was packed. Regardless of the traffic, which really wasn't that bad, I would ride this road again in a heartbeat, in fact, I planned to as soon as I get back out west and I am close enough to make it happen. Be careful and ride safe.
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Reviewed by Guest on June 28, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Mark S.
motorcycle_year: 2002
motorcycle_make: Kawasaki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Hey. I'm Mark and I've lived in Phoenix for the last 30 years. Moved here from MN right after graduating from high school. I'd driven down 89A from Flag about that many years ago and decided on my day off this last Friday to take a spin north. My wife wasn't going to be home until after 6pm and I had all day to get there. I headed up I-17 north out of Phoenix around 10am and the temp was already up to 98 degrees. With a forecast high of 106 later that afternoon, I knew the temps up towards Flagstaff were 20-25 degrees cooler than the valley (not bad for a 2 hour drive, eh?). About 80 or 90 miles out, take 179 north through beautiful (and RED) Sedona, up into the mountains past Oak Creek, and into the heavy ponderosa pine forests of Flagstaff, AZ. I stayed on 89A north and turned onto 487 which heads south out of Flagstaff past Lower and Upper Lake Mary (don't ask me why they named the upper part of the lake "Lower" and the lower part of the lake "Upper"--OK I know why but you know what I mean). After dropping below Lake Mary, Mormon Lake (or at least the 'ghost' of Mormon Lake) appears up ahead of you through the occasional breaks in the tree-lined highway. I'd camped up here but never been up this way on my ride. Traveling further south I drove through Happy Jack (a ranger station--population: 2) and south to Clints Well and the 87 junction. From there I headed south on 87 thru some of the most stunning forest riding there is. Further south I ran into highway 260 and headed west to Camp Verde and onto I-17 where I finished the ride back in north Phoenix. A must if you live in AZ and own a bike. Cheers.
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Reviewed by Guest on May 19, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Perrones
motorcycle_year: 2003
motorcycle_make: Suzuki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: In May 2009 I rode 89A for the first time. I found it to be one of the nicest motorcycle roads I have been on, but too short. Yes, there is traffic, so avoid the weekends. Make Sedona your staging area and go on day rides to the many side trips. There is lots to see with in a 30 mile radius.
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Reviewed by Guest on April 21, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Bob Mateski
Comment: I am going to ride this road for only the second time in my life on 05-12-2009, the first time was on a 1968 Honda 305 scrambler in 1977 at the age of 22. The road was not very heavily traveled back then so now I will have to pay some attention to that because of the previous comment, it just might distract from enjoying the beauty of this roads scenery.
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Reviewed by Guest on May 6, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Tyler M
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Victory
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: This is an alright ride, It is pretty but it is also busy, there is a lot of traffic with people who do not see motorcycles, you have to be extremely defensive when you are driving here. I didn't enjoy the ride as much because I was more stressed than having fun because of the many cars on the road.
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