I've been to Sedona and Moab, including a week on Sedona last month. I didn't think any of the trails I biked in Sedona were friendly for a complete novice. Even the ones that were wide double track had a lot of elevation changes. The single track has a lot of cactus. Don't get me wrong, Sedona had plenty of trails that are easy for someone with a little bit of MTB experience, but it's not the place that comes to mind for a complete novice.

I obviously didn't ride every trail in Sedona, so there may be plenty of good newbie trails there. But I didn't see any, and I had my wife with me, so I was looking for easier trails so that my wife could tag along for some of the rides. I only found one south of Sedona.