Slide Rock Park

My morning is free today so I wanted to go back up 89a to see what those curves were like in daylight. Just north of Upper Sedona as the road enters Oak Creek Canyon, there is a pull out where you can safely park your car. From this vantage point you can see Elephant Rock in the distance. The canyon itself is filled with brush and trees so it’s depth is deceptive. Looking north you can see a trestle bridge over Oak creek. I traveled it twice yesterday, once in the morning and then coming back from Williams and never realized it! Back in the car I headed north to see if there were any other spots where I could get pictures. Along the way I passed the entrance to Slide Rock State Park. I’d heard about this park and seen brochures so after crossing the trestle bridge and rounding a few of those sharp corners, I found a place to turn around and head back to Slide Rock.

The park is beautiful. When you first park there is a picnic area and farther along are rest rooms and a volley ball area. There is also a small “market” but when I visited , it was closed. The rocks clearly show the different colored layers that make up this area. Cement steps lead down to the creek where swimmers and sunbathers were enjoying the warm air. Unfortunately I didn’t pack my bathing suit. Slide Rock is known for the 80 ft natural water slide from which it gets it’s name.

Since I didn’t have my suit, I chose to take the high road, literally! There is a trail along the top of the cliff. I followed this for awhile being careful where I stepped as rattlesnakes are common in the area. Luckily, I didn’t find any. The trail has benches along it where you can sit and look into the canyon. Eventually the trail became more primitive and started to climb. Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided to turn back. Hiking alone is never a safe practice but hiking alone in unfamiliar territory when no one knows where you are and no one is around to miss you, is just stupid. I might hike alone if a ranger knows my plans but no one even knew where I was going this morning so, I skipped the rugged upper end of the trail.

The elevation at Slide Rock is about 5000 ft. At the time of my visit, parking was $8.00 for the day as this is a State Park. . In addition to the cliff trail that I walked , there are other trails that lead into the Coconino National Forest. The whole area is managed on a pack-it-in, pack-it-out basis. Pets are allowed as long as they are kept on a leash and are not left alone. The one place they aren’t allowed is the swimming area.
Slide Rock is a often photographed area and you see it’s image on many postcards in all seasons. As I returned to my car I spotted a sign on the market that made me chuckle. Hanging there was a board reading “Red Neck wind chimes” and hanging from the board were 3 empty soda cans.J

By now it was time for lunch so I headed back into Upper Sedona for more exploring, lunch and then my Red Rock Jeep tour.
http://www.azstateparks.com/