Travelogue

Lolo sliding the slide rock gorgeWater activities of any sort are always a favorite of ours so we tend to seek them out. After the heat and barrenness of Sunset Crater Volcano National Park, we were ready for a refreshing swim. We started down the beautiful Oak Creek Canyon Drive which runs from Flagstaff to Sedona. The 27-mile drive is breathtaking as it meanders through ponderosa pine forests in the north to the dramatic red rock of Sedona in the south. At many points along the way, there is access to the chilly but refreshing waters of Oak Creek.

Boys jumping in Slide Rock State ParkBefore settling down to some fun, we usually like to establish where we are going to stay for the night. As we drove along Oak Creek Canyon Drive, we were getting discouraged by the "Campground Full" signs outside each of the National Forest areas. We finally decided to drive into one anyway to ask for advice on where to stay. Luckily for us, someone was checking out early as we were pulling in so we were able to get a campsite for the night. This isn't the first time this has happened to us. The campground was very pretty, with a portion of Oak Creek running through it and lots of ponderosa pines to shade you from the heat.

We then headed a few miles down the road to Slide Rock State Park where there was a line of cars waiting to pay the $8 admission fee. As we had been warned, the parking lot was quite full and the park was fairly crowded. Even so, there was plenty of red rock to sit on and no wait to use the natural slide. The slide was great fun. The water was very chilly, but the air was so warm and dry that it was very welcome. The algae-covered sandstone scrapes you up a bit so long shorts or even jeans would have been a better idea than a bikini. We spent a good part of the afternoon sliding down the rocks, jumping off into the pools of water, and sunning ourselves on the warm slabs of red rock.

Description

Herb slides too!Slide Rock State Park, located about halfway along the Oak Creek Canyon Drive, is one of Arizona's most popular natural playgrounds. The park contains a 70-foot natural water slide that flows over algae-covered sandstone. Although the water is chilly and the ride is rough, it is a tremendously fun way to spend a hot afternoon. There is a small admission fee to enter.

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