Slide Rock State Park is an Arizona State Park located in

Oak Creek Canyon Oak Creek Canyon is a river gorge located in northern Arizona between the cities of Flagstaff and Sedona. The canyon is often described as a smaller cousin of the Grand Canyon because of its scenic beauty. State Route 89A enters the canyon on ...

north of

Sedona, Arizona Sedona ( ) is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino and Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 United States Census, ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It takes its name from a natural

water slide A water slide (also referred to as a flume, water chute, or hydroslide) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at swimming pools or water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and ...

formed by the slippery bed of Oak Creek. Slide Rock State Park is located on

Coconino National Forest The Coconino National Forest is a 1.856-million acre (751,000 ha) United States National Forest located in northern Arizona in the vicinity of Flagstaff, with elevations ranging from 2,600 feet to the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet (H ...

land and is co-managed by the Arizona State Parks agency and the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

. Tall red rock formations that are typical of the region also surround the park, which contains a working apple farm.

History

The land was first developed by Frank L. Pendley, who arrived in the canyon in 1907 and acquired title to the land under the

Homestead Act The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of Federal lands, government land or the American frontier, public domain, typically called a Homestead (buildings), homestead. In all, mo ...

in 1910. Pendley developed an irrigation system (which is still in use today) and planted an apple

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...

in 1912. The state completed a road through the canyon in 1914, and Pendley built rustic tourist cabins in 1933 that in part survive today. Several films were shot in the area: ''

Angel and the Badman ''Angel and the Badman'' is a 1947 American Western film written and directed by James Edward Grant and starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey, and Bruce Cabot. The film is about an injured gunfighter who is nursed back to health by a ...

'' (1946), '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), ''

Drum Beat A drum beat or drum pattern is a rhythmic pattern, or repeated rhythm establishing the meter and groove through the pulse and subdivision, played on drum kits and other percussion instruments. As such a "beat" consists of multiple drum strokes ...

'' (1954), and '' Gun Fury'' (1953). The park was purchased by Arizona State Parks from the Arizona Parklands Foundation on July 10, 1985, and officially dedicated as Slide Rock State Park in October 1987. The Pendley Homestead Historic District was accepted onto the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on December 23, 1991. The apple farm is one of the few homesteads still preserved in Oak Creek Canyon. There are three hiking trails in Slide Rock State Park: Pendley Homestead Trail (.25 mile), Slide Rock Route (.3 mile) and Clifftop Nature Trail (.25 mile). Slide Rock State Park attracted 254,584 visitors in 2005 and is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Arizona. In 2014, Slide Rock was named one of ''Fordor's Travel'' Top 10 state parks in the United States. Most recently, ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' readers voted Slide Rock as the fifth best swimming hole in the country.

Gallery

File:Oak Creek Canyon Panorama, AZ 9-15 (21982091420).jpg,

File:Slide Rock State Park in snow.jpg, Slide Rock State Park during the 2011 winter season File:Oak Creek Cascades, Sedona, AZ 9-15 (22308818058).jpg, Oak Creek Cascades File:Midgley Bridge, Oak Creek Canyon, AZ 9-15 (22522252456).jpg, Midgley Bridge

References

External links

Slide Rock State Park official site
* {{authority control State parks of Arizona Coconino National Forest Parks in Coconino County, Arizona National Register of Historic Places in Coconino County, Arizona Protected areas established in 1985 1985 establishments in Arizona

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links