Slim Shady-Made in the Shade Loop
The first thing I notice on this loop is that it’s not especially shady. Thank heavens. I wouldn’t want a forest blocking these expansive views or interrupting the soft autumn sun caressing my shoulders and back.
From Yavapai Vista, a web of short trails forms a labyrinth, but maps are posted at each junction. I follow the Kaibab Trail straight to Slim Shady. This might be the only Sedona trail that shares a name with a top-selling rap album. But I don’t keep up with the latest music, so maybe Jay-Z topped the charts with a Grammywinning compilation called “Margs Draw.”
For those even less hip than me, Slim Shady is rapper Eminem’s alter ego and “The Slim Shady LP” is one of his albums. And if you are less hip than me, you have my sympathy.
Slim Shady (the path) is a popular mountainbiking route connecting Bell Rock Vista with the Templeton Trail. It parallels Arizona 179 and dishes up a rolling panorama of red-rock formations — Bell Rock, Courthouse Rock, Munds Mountain.
The curvy singletrack ambles at a slight downhill through pines and junipers with big views every step. I pass the first junction for Made in the Shade, then hang a right at the second and begin to loop back. Made in the Shade makes a gentle climb closer to the cliffs and crosses a couple of slickrock ledges that look like primo seats for lunch. Vistas are stunning, and even though a bit of road noise wafts past me, I’m too busy gawking in every direction to notice. At an unmarked split in the trail, I bear right, heading downhill to rejoin Slim Shady and make my return.
I would hum a song from “Slim Shady” (the album), but I don’t know any. Soon as I get home, I plan to shake my fist and yell at kids to get out of my yard.
Where: From the intersection of Arizona 179 and Arizona 89A in Sedona, take 179 south 5.5 miles to the Yavapai Vista Trailhead. Yavapai Vista can be accessed only via southbound Arizona 179.
Cost: A Red Rock Pass ($5 per day) is required and available at the trailhead kiosk. An America the Beautiful federal-lands pass also can be used. Difficulty: Moderate. Length: 3.2 miles round trip.
Details: 928-203-2900, www.redrockcountry .org. constructed path winds through open desert, reaching a split at 0.7 mile. Bear left for Horseshoe Bend. Taking the right fork leads north to the K-Mine segment, which is next on my list to explore.
The Black Canyon Trail stretches from the outskirts of Phoenix north past Mayer along the base of the Bradshaw Mountains. Multiple trailheads provide access to the route, which has been designated a National Recreation Trail, a badge of honor. It’s popular with hikers, equestrians and especially mountain bikers.
Past the split, the trail begins its descent to the river, curling to the steep edge of the ravine where I’m treated to dandy views of the canyon bottom. The Agua Fria meanders through the gorge, making a swooping curve in the shadow of a rocky cliff.
The Horseshoe Bend segment ends at the river crossing for a 1.5mile hike. But I can’t resist continuing on as the Skyline segment climbs into the cactusdotted hills in a series of languid switchbacks. It’s a steady grade but never grueling, and I’m rewarded with grand vistas of rugged desert outback on one side and a thread of Interstate 17 that feels incredibly distant on the other.
On my return, as I approach my truck, I’m certain I hear a slice of Rock Springs Cafe’s Jack Daniel’s pecan pie calling me.
Where: From Phoenix, take I-17 north to Rock Springs (Exit 242). Turn left and proceed to the stop sign. Turn right onto the frontage road, drive about 100 yards to Warner Road and turn left. Follow Warner Road 0.3 mile to the parking area. Admission: Free. Difficulty: Moderate. Length: 3 miles round trip.
Details: www.bctaz .com. in summer with crowds heading for the legendary swimming hole known as “the Crack.” But on this warm fall day, it’s deliciously peaceful, with cottonwoods and sycamores ablaze along the stream. I could stay on the Bell racking up easy miles and resting a sore knee. Yet when I reach the junction with White Mesa, 1.5 miles from the trailhead, I make the sharp left turn. The slender path slices straight uphill, no switchbacks, just a long diagonal gash through the basalt and cactus as it climbs the western wall of Casner Canyon.
The trail is a long steady pull, gaining more than 1,000 feet in about a mile. I spot a few shelves of red sandstone and jumbled clumps of black, brown and gray rocks, the basaltic remains of volcanic activity. Where the name White Mesa comes from is a puzzler. The trail ends at a gate near the top with decent views. The humped ridges atop White Mesa keep me from enjoying more sprawling vistas without additional climbing, and I’m finished climbing today.
While I was slogging up the mesa, I wasn’t sure whether I was going to write about it. It’s nice but not spectacular. Once up on the caprock, I stretched out on a toasty ledge of basalt and started to doze. That’s when I had an epiphany. (One advantage of being an idiot is I have lots of room for epiphanies.)
Here it is late autumn, when many parts of the country are already shoveling snow. I’m in shorts and a T-shirt, stretched out like a lizard on a warm rock. I’m savoring my solitude on a high bluff amid golden meadows, yet moaning because every step of the way isn’t jaw-droppingly glorious. How jaded I’ve become. Even a C-list trail in Arizona is an utter joy.
I may not feel the need to hike White Mesa again, but I’ll always remember it fondly.
Where: From Phoenix, take I-17 north to Sedona (Exit 298). Turn right and drive 2 miles on Forest Road 618. Turn left at signed turnoff and proceed into the parking lot. Admission: Free. Difficulty: Strenuous. Length: 5 miles round trip.
Details: 928-203-2900, www.redrockcountry .org.