Located between Sedona’s red rock country and Flagstaff’s pine forests, Oak Creek Canyon is the star of Highway 89A road trips. Tight switchbacks wind through the canyon, encouraging visitors to slow down and soak it all in. At the south end of the canyon, stock up at Indian Gardens Café & Market, a historic convenience store with booths out front that sell authentic arts and crafts from area tribal communities. Find plenty of access points throughout the canyon for refreshing fun in the creek, including fishing for native brown and rainbow trout. On the canyon floor, some of Arizona’s oldest resorts have welcomed visitors to the banks of the Oak Creek for generations.
Slide Rock State Park
Oak Creek Canyon is well-known for its shaded campgrounds, scenic drives and Slide Rock State Park. The spring-fed waters of Oak Creek set the stage for the park’s miraculous natural water slide. Visitors race one by one down the narrow, red-rock flume, then walk back to the top of the slide for another run. While the slide is the big draw, short hikes upriver lead to isolated swimming holes and fishing holes. The slick, algae-covered rocks in the creek make water shoes a good decision. Near the entrance to the park, discover another natural wonder tucked away in the canyon — an apple orchard with more than 300 trees.
Red Rock Hikes
Scenic hiking trails such as Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock put Sedona on the map, but the magnificent hike at West Fork of Oak Creek is often overlooked because it is tucked away deep in Oak Creek Canyon. Just before the canyon begins to climb steep switchbacks to Flagstaff, look for the West Fork trailhead that reaches 14 miles into a pristine area of Oak Creek Canyon. The trail leads past red-rock arches and through deep slot canyons. Most visitors hike in 3 miles to the first creek crossing. From there, hikers need to get their feet wet to continue on a primitive trail or turn around and hike back out of the dense forest.
Highway 89A
One of Arizona’s most popular road trips features small towns and natural attractions along Highway 89A. Take the scenic route that bypasses I-17 from Flagstaff to Prescott. Along the way, snap vacation photos in Sedona, tour Arizona wine country in Cottonwood, visit the historic mountaintop mining town of Jerome and continue the scenic drive over Mingus Mountain to reach the stately city of Prescott.
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