Bonus Day 5* - sedona, Jerome, Bill Williams Mtn.

GPS TRACK Download (Day 5)

NAZMAT DAY 5 is the first of two *bonus* days. Days 5 and 6 are both much longer, and feature more pavement miles. The point of these two rides is to experience more "geo-tourism". This ultimately means less slow miles on Class 3 roads, and more fast miles on Class 0 pavement. BUT, with that said, it also means riders will get to see some of the amazing sights of places like Sedona, Jerome, Williams....or the Grand Canyon (Day 6). 

NOTE FOR 2024 - Day 5 will not be formally scheduled for 2024

The Specifics

Day 5 will start early at the Walmart Parking lot in Southern Flagstaff. The full day features a long 170-mile loop that takes riders first down the Hwy 89 switchbacks into Oak Creek Canyon and through Sedona. From there, we will do some exploring on the dirt backroads around Sedona (Class 1 and 2), but nothing too technical or slow. Once in Cottonwood, riders will continue on to the mountainside town of Jerome. This is a good place for a lunch break and to fuel up. Leaving Jerome, we will start a long stretch of Class 1 dirt roads as we make our way North up towards Williams and back up on the plateau. Most of this riding should go by fairly smoothly/quickly, and will give riders some sweeping landscape views of the high desert. Once back up on the plateau, we'll make the one technical detour of the route. Just before the town of Williams, we'll do a 12 mile out-n-back up Bill Williams Peak. This is a Class 2 and 3 road that twists its way all the way up to the 9300' summit. The road is steep in some sections, but stays below Class 4.

The remainder of the route will take riders back to Flagstaff, all while avoiding Interstate 40. If we are short on time, I40 is a quick option, but the preferred route will take us parallel to the highway on various paved and forest roads. Near the end of the loop, riders will pass by Wing Mountain (from Day 2) before eventually coming out just north of town. From there, we will again head into town to enjoy a well-earned dinner.

Footage FROM the Ride

PHOTOS from the ride

Road/Terrain Rating

The difficulty and terrain of all NAZMAT sections will be described using the following Class rating below. This is not an "official" rating system per se, but is still meant to give riders a general sense of the terrain. Nearly all of the routes will fall between Class 0 and Class 3, with a few short sections falling under Class 4. There are no Class 5 sections on any NAZMAT route.
Class 0
Any paved road or surface. There are some Class 0 paved sections, primarily used as a way to connect various off-road sections or to get to trailheads. 
​Class 1
Well-maintained gravel or forest roads. No major risk of falls, Very few rocks, roots, or obstacles. There are many Class 1 sections.
​Class 2
More-primitive forest roads, including dual track roads. Minor risk of falls. Occasional rocks, roots, obstacles, or loose gravel/sand. There are many Class 2 sections.
​Class 3
Unmaintained Jeep or ATV roads. Reasonable risk of falls. Regular rocks, roots, sand, or obstacles. Requires fair amount of skill and concentration. There are many Class 3 sections.
Class 4
Technical Jeep or ATV roads. Considerable risk of falls. Frequent large rocks, roots, or obstacles. Requires high skill and full concentration. There are a few Class 4 sections.
Class 5
Highly technical dirt-bike/ATV routes. Extreme risk of falls and high danger. Constant large or unstable rocks, sand, roots, or obstacles. Requires advanced skills and full concentration. Not well-suited for typical ADV bikes. There are no Class 5 sections on any NAZMAT route.