There is a side road off State Route 179 that leads, in a mile or so, to the most photographed rock in Sedona. Cathedral Rock rises behind the junction as a ragged crown of red towers and buttresses, lit gold at sunset, and the sight of it reflected in the shallows of Oak Creek below is the image that sells half the postcards in town. The junction is the turn for Back O' Beyond Road, which leads to the trailhead and the creek crossing, and the traffic here, on a busy day, is as dense as the foliage.
For a rider, the junction is a pleasant little chicane on a pleasant road. Highway 179 here is wide and smooth, with roundabouts, bike lanes, and a view of the red cliffs on both sides, and the side road is a tamer, narrower affair, passing houses and desert scrub. It is a place to be patient: Sedona has far more visitors than road space, and weekends and holidays can mean long queues. The best moments are early morning, when the light is low and the crowds have not yet arrived, and evening, when the rocks turn deep red and the heat finally eases.
Sedona itself is a fairly young town. It was incorporated only in 1988, and takes its name from Sedona Schnebly, the wife of one of the early settlers, who helped to run a small farm and post office in the canyon in the early 1900s. Hollywood arrived in the 1940s and 1950s, when the red rocks became the backdrop for dozens of westerns, and the town has grown on the strength of its scenery ever since. Oak Creek, the stream that runs through the canyon, supports a ribbon of cottonwood, sycamore and willow, with a different, damper feel from the surrounding desert.
West Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek both have petrol and supermarkets, and the town has plenty of restaurants and places to sleep, though prices are high. Parking at the trailhead is limited and requires a pass, so check the signs. Cathedral Rock's trail is short but steep, a scramble up bare rock that can be tricky in the heat. Carry water, wear sensible shoes, and keep an eye on your phone's weather alerts. Flash floods can fill the creek crossings quickly after a thunderstorm.