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Roads Home > Arizona Motorcycle
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| Title:
Flagstaff to Sedona on the Incredible 89A |
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State:
Arizona
Submitted
By: Anonymous
Date Submitted: Jul 00
Motorcycle Type: Moto Guzzi
Motorcycle Road Length: 30 Miles
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Motorcycle
Road Scenery: 
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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.
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Motorcycle
Road Quality: 
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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.
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Motorcycle
Roadside Amenities: 
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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.
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Directions
to this road are simple. Just take 89A south out of Flagstaff,
AZ toward Sedona. Then enjoy the awesome ride!!!
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Additional
Information:
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