The Hangover

The Map

So after a triumphant trip to Sedona last weekend, Mick and I decided to return again to explore more red rock greatness.  A trail that had been eluding me was Hangover.  I had heard both wonderful and terrifying things about this trail.  After riding it, I have to agree with both sides.

We started our day with a quick warmup on the Mystic trail.  Next, we zig zagged through the streets of Sedona until we found ourselves at the bottom of Schebly Hill Road.  We climbed the rock strewn dirt road choking on dust from the Pink Jeep tours.  The only one having fun was Mick's dog Taco, who managed to find several places to swim in the nearby creek bed.  After a few miles we found ourselves at the Cow Pies trail head.

Cow pies offers a slick rock playground.  With 360˙ views, it was hard to for me to keep my eyes on the trail.  In short order, Cow Pies led us to the Hangover trail head.  I was excited to finally get to ride this legendary trail.

Hangover Trailhead

Hangover starts with a technical climb that has you gripped from the start.  It took me a few minutes to get into the mindset required to navigate the treacherous terrain.  Next, the trail opens up a bit, but continues to climb.  With each pedal stroke the view changes dramatically, offering endless opportunities to take photos.  Huffing and puffing, we made it to the summit and took a few minutes to catch our breath and take in the scenery.

The view from the top

The "travers" as its called, is the most unique part of hangover.  It requires the rider to navigate a combination of off camber rock and pencil thin single track.  On your left is generally a rock wall.  On your right... well... you don't want to really look to your right, at least not while your pedaling.

Mick assessing the situation

There are a few sections of the Travers that were too narrow for my wide handlebars, and other sections that were loose and unwieldy.  That said, this section is pure magic.  It is the love child of some sick bastards that decided to build a trail literally on the side of a cliff.

After the Travers, the trail opens up again.  What follows is a steep and technical downhill.  This section reminded me a bit of the Highline trail in the Village. After navigating the slick rock faces, the trail delivers a fast flawy section that is littered with switchbacks and rock drops.  This was my favorite part of the entire trail, but unfortunately my GoPro battery died before I reached this epic section.

After arriving at the intersection of Hangover and Munds Wagon Trail, we took a short break.  Taco went swimming in the creek as Mick and I sucked down some water and granola bars.  Once rested we bombed down (and up) the Munds trail.  After 14 miles of Sedona bliss, we wound back onto Schnebly Hill road and coasted back to town.  It was an amazing ride on a one-of-a-kind trail.

The Mach 6 is always the right tool for Sedona

Thanks again to Mick and Jackie for making the trip happen.  Enjoy yet another crappy GoPro video. I'm too lazy to shoot a proper video so this will have to do for now.
Evan