There are several small villages along the stream north of Sedona in thickly-forested Oak Creek Canyon, offering lodges, motels and rustic shops, plus many opportunities for camping, hiking, swimming and fishing. The most well-known attraction is Slide Rock State Park, 7 miles north of town - an extremely popular section of Oak Creek where, for several hundred yards, the water descends gradually in a series of steps while flowing over smooth sandstone strata via a series of natural chutes and pools, perfect for sliding down and swimming in, though many people come just to sunbathe and picnic on the surrounding flat rocks.
Admission: Admission to the park costs $8 in 2008 (or $10 between Memorial Day and Labor Day), to enter by the official gate, but free if parking at the side of the main road and climbing down the cliffs to the creekbed, since roadside parking is allowed once about half a mile beyond (north of) the park turn-off, on land now part of the Coconino National Forest. This then requires a walk of 15 minutes or so along, and sometimes in, the creek before the sliding section is reached, passing beautiful scenery with usually no other people around - like a mini version of the Narrows Trail in Zion National Park. All the surrounding rock is thick-bedded Coconino sandstone, naturally deep red in color though bleached white around the stream level, creating a nice contrast with the blue water and green trees growing at the edge of the canyon.
In the Park: From the park entrance, several short trails wind around the grassy land beside the creek, and past the remains of an old homestead that was established here by Frank L. Pendley in 1907. Several well preserved wooden buildings can be seen, together with examples of old farming equipment, an original apple orchard, and an irrigation system used to water the trees. The most frequented stretch of the river with the best pools and sliding chutes is reached by a 0.3 mile path from the carpark and extends for about 200 yards; in summer there may be over a thousand people relaxing in this area. In places the rocks are extremely slippery due to a thin layer of algae and some caution is required. With moderate effort, the cliffs west of the creek may be climbed, to reach a flat, bushy area about 200 feet about the water that gives great views up and down the canyon.
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