Intro

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Arizona is one of those places that just feels like home to my husband, Clark, and I. We love exploring, and everything about this state screams adventure. On this particular adventure, we visited Slide Rock State Park. Although, this isn’t an extreme adventure it still satisfied that hunger for exploration.

At the time, we were staying in Flagstaff and wanting to check out Sedona. Slide Rock State Park, luckily, was in between both areas. We just happened upon it on when heading back to our room.

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Location

Located just off North State Route 89 Slide Rock State Park is nestled away underneath the cliffs. It is a part of Oak Creek. This state park is located in between Flagstaff and Sedona, and it makes a perfect stop when traveling from one place to the other.

What to Expect

There were a few things that caught us off guard when we arrived at the park. For example, there is a random store on the hike down to the creek, which sells water shoes, towels, and some food (this would have saved us a trip to the store before we went).

We also were not expecting the water chill. This was the coldest water I have ever felt, and it was so unexpected because it was blistering hot that day. We went in the middle of August, so I’m assuming the water is this cold year long. Basically, you just need to jump in. don’t make my mistake, and feel the water first.

There were also restrooms down below, so you don’t have to hike all the way back up the mountain.

Stats of the Hike

• Length: less than a mile to the creak
• Difficulty: Easy
• Cost: $20 per car for up to 4 people. $5 per person after 4 people
• Crowds: Expect a lot of people. We went around 6 PM and it wasn’t too crowded
• Views: Creek and mountain cliffs

History

This beautiful area served the purpose of a homestead and an apple farm in the early 1900s and was later sold to the state. The state now owns a 43-acre state park over the creek where people can slide on the rocks and swim.

Over All Experience

Even though the water was freezing I’m glad we went. It was nice to wake up from the cold water after a hot day in Sedona. There were also several short walking trails around the area, one of which took you above the creek where you see an amazing overlook of the mountains and the creek.

Oh, and I can’t forget to mention the slide. This is the BEST part of the whole park. The rocks that you slide on are fairly smooth and you will fall into a few small pools on the way down. I only became submerged at the end.

Obviously, be careful not to hit your head on your trip down. I never felt like I was going to hit, but I was being cautious.

Conclusion

I loved this area and would recommend it to just about anyone. Children of all ages would do well here, even if you think it’s too dangerous to slide. There are plenty of shallow places to splash around in, and plenty of deep places to wade around in. There are also plenty of spaces to chill out on the rocks if you are too tired to swim around.

Overall I loved this area. Compared to most places we went to in Arizona, this area wasn’t too crowded, and you could always move up or downstream if you needed some peace and quiet.