These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
Adventure is not a hobby, it’s a lifestyle!
Menu
As much time as we spent in Sedona, Arizona, we had no idea that across the way from it, along the I-17 is the adorable little town of Munds Park. In fact, from Munds Park, we could see the towering mountains of Sedona. One of the popular things to do at Munds Park is off-roading. We usually have our Jeep with us, however, this time, we decided to rent a UTV to check out the popular offroad trail Schnebly Hill Road and the beautiful Schnebly Hill Vista, overlooking the beautiful town of Sedona, Arizona.
This off-road trail goes through multiple forest roads and continues along Schnebly Hill Road before ending at the scenic Schnebly Hill Vista Overlook. It is not the same at Schnebly Hill Road, which runs from Sedona to Munds Park.
Since it is an off-road trail, you’ll need an off-road vehicle. For this particular offroad trail in Arizona, some sections of the roads are quite narrow, and might not be suitable for a vehicle such as a Jeep, especially on the forest road 228. We recommend a UTV or something similar. You can rent them at the Flagstaff ATV Rentals. We rented ours with them. They were very helpful in giving us tips and directions.
This offroad trail in Munds Park, Arizona takes about 4 hours to do the round trip from Flagstaff ATV Rentals. It gave us plenty of time to stop for photos and admire the scenery. If you’re renting a UTV, don’t forget to budget your time for the way back. This route is an out-and-back since you can’t take these rental UTVs on the highway.
It is around 19.4 miles each way from the rental place. If you have your vehicle, you can make this longer or shorter.
Since we were staying at the Munds Park RV Resort, the UTV rental place is just right next door. The rental process was quite simple. After deciding on how long we wanted to rent the UTV, we put down our deposit and signed some paperwork. Then, we had to watch a video about the rules and regulations so we knew what to expect when going offroad in Arizona. After that, Aaron went over our route on the paper map and answered all the questions we had. Next, Aaron set us up with our helmets and UTV and we were on our way.
As soon as we leave the rental place, we follow the road to go left, under Highway 17, and continue onto Pinewood Blvd. Pinewood Blvd is a paved road, running through different neighborhoods. After about 2 miles, Pinewood Blvd will turn into Forest Service Road 240. At this point, the pavement also quickly turns into a dirt road.
For an offroad trail, Forest Service Road 240 in Munds Park, Arizona is actually a wide, even dirt road. It meanders along beautiful pine forests and a big beautiful meadow. At the end of the meadow is the turn for Forest Service Road 228 on the right-hand side. It is a small turn so make sure you don’t miss it! There should be a small metal pole marking the turn.
Once we turned on the Forest Service Road 228, the real off-road experience began! This road is quite narrow and very bumpy. This is the most technical portion of the drive. Some offroading experience will come in handy as you wind through some very tight sections packed with rocks, tree roots, and 2 cattle guards. There isn’t a huge margin of error here because there are plenty of spots with trees on both sides of the trail. You’ll need to thread the needle between them. Since we did this during the rainy season in Arizona, there were many puddles on this offroad trail. It was very muddy!
After about 25-30 minutes of bumping through 3 miles of rocky road, we came to the turn for Forest Service Road 226.
We followed Forest Service Road 226 toward Interstate 17. This road isn’t as smooth as Forest Road 240, but it is nowhere near the bumpiness of Forest Service Road 228. The view alternates between dense pine forests and open fields.
This offroad trail eventually ends at the paved road where it crosses under Interstate 17 and connects over the Schnebly Hill Road, heading toward Sedona, Arizona.
Compared to all the roads we did earlier, this section of Schnebly Hill Road is quite tame. It is a wide, smooth dirt road, similar to Forest Service Road 240. It starts through a dense pine forest. Along the way, we came across a small lake in the middle of a green meadow. Depending on the time of the year, we’re sure this lake can be pretty full.
After the lake, the road climbs higher. The views also become more beautiful. As we curved around the corner, we could see beautiful hills and mountains of Sedona, looming ahead. About 5.6 miles, we came across the sign for the Schnebly Hill Vista Overlook, where we made our stop.
Schnebly Hill Vista Overlook is incredible. Sitting at 6,000ft, this overlook looks out on the Verde Valley, Steamboat Rock at the mouth of Oak Creek, Mingus Mountains to the west, and of course, Sedona below the summit. Photos and videos don’t do this place justice.
After the overlook, if you have your vehicle, you can continue your way down Schnebly Hill Road toward Sedona. This part is very technical and only recommended if you know what you’re doing. Since we rented our UTV, we had to turn back at the overlook because we were not supposed to go further. To return, follow the same way back.
If you love off-roading, we recommend checking out the Yankee Boy Basin trail in Colorado. That trail is spectacular. If you’re staying around this area, don’t forget to check out Sedona. We love that place! There are many beautiful hikes there, including some of our favorites such as Soldier Pass, Cathedral Rock, Birthing Cave, or the Sedona Caves (aka Raven Cave). If you’re up for it, check out the adrenaline-pumping climb to the top of Bell Rock!
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
Nice to meet you!
Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
Subscribe
Get our best adventure tips, guides and more send to you!
Recent Post
Subscribe
Get our best adventure tips, guides, and more send to you!